Real Madrid are officially the most successful football club in both Spanish and European history.
Los Blancos have won an incredible 105 trophies since their formation in 1902, two more than arch-rivals Barcelona, while their 15 Champions League victories cannot be topped by anyone. In fact, the second-most fruitful club in Europe are AC Milan, who have just seven titles – half of Real Madrid’s tally.
Interestingly, the most successful Real Madrid manager in history – by virtue of win percentage only – is Manuel Pellegrini, who spent one measly season in charge at the Santiago Bernabeu (2009/10) and did not win a single trophy.
The Chilean manager was, however, up against the might of Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona at the peak of their powers.
Carlo Ancelotti’s first spell in charge ranks second in the list of the highest win rates in Real Madrid history, ahead of Jose Mourinho.
In total, Real Madrid have had 43 different managers in their history. Ancelotti, Zinedine Zidane, John Toshack, Luis Molowny, Jacinto Quincoces, and Fabio Capello have all enjoyed two separate spells as Los Blancos manager.
Real Madrid managers list
The record of every Real Madrid manager in history?
| Manager | From | To | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manuel Pellegrini | June 2009 | May 2010 | 75% |
| Carlo Ancelotti | June 2013 | May 2015 | 75% |
| Jose Mourinho | May 2010 | June 2013 | 72% |
| Luis Carniglia | June 1957 | February 1959 | 71% |
| Zinedine Zidane | January 2016 | May 2018 | 70% |
| Manuel Fleitas | July 1959 | April 1960 | 70% |
| Carlo Ancelotti | June 2021 | Present | 69% |
| Radomir Antic | March 1991 | January 1992 | 69% |
| Rafael Benitez | June 2015 | January 2016 | 68% |
| Robert Firth | 1932 | 1934 | 67% |
| Juande Ramos | December 2008 | June 2009 | 67% |
| Jose Berraondo | 1927 | 1929 | 66% |
| Fabio Capello | July 1996 | June 1997 | 65% |
| John Toshack | July 1989 | November 1990 | 64% |
| Luis Molowny | April 1985 | June 1986 | 64% |
| Leo Beenhakker | July 1986 | June 1989 | 63% |
| Jose Villalonga | December 1954 | June 1957 | 63% |
| Vanderlei Luxemburgo | December 2004 | December 2005 | 62% |
| Enrique Fernandez | May 1953 | December 1954 | 62% |
| Juan Antonio Ipina | April 1952 | May 1953 | 62% |
| Zinedine Zidane | March 2019 | May 2021 | 61% |
| Francisco Bru | 1934 | 1941 | 60% |
| Miguel Munoz | April 1960 | January 1974 | 59% |
| Bernd Schuster | July 2007 | December 2008 | 59% |
| Alfredo Di Stefano | July 1982 | May 1984 | 58% |
| Carlos Queiroz | June 2003 | May 2004 | 58% |
| Vujadin Boskov | June 1979 | March 1982 | 58% |
| Luis Molowny | September 1977 | June 1979 | 57% |
| Benito Floro | July 1992 | March 1994 | 57% |
| Fabio Capello | July 2006 | June 2007 | 56% |
| Guus Hiddink | July 1998 | February 1999 | 56% |
| Vicente del Bosque | November 1999 | June 2003 | 55% |
| Ramon Encinas | September 1943 | May 1945 | 54% |
| Hector Scarone | March 1951 | April 1952 | 52% |
| Jacinto Quincoces | May 1945 | March 1946 | 51% |
| Baltasar Albeniz | March 1946 | April 1947 | 51% |
| John Toshack | February 1999 | November 1999 | 51% |
| Lippo Hertzka | 1930 | 1932 | 50% |
| Juan Armet | 1941 | September 1943 | 50% |
| Miljan Miljanic | May 1974 | September 1977 | 50% |
| Jorge Valdano | July 1994 | January 1996 | 50% |
| Jupp Heynckes | June 1997 | May 1998 | 49% |
| Arthur Johnson | 1910 | 1920 | 48% |
| Juan de Carcer | 1920 | 1926 | 45% |
| Michael Keeping | January 1948 | October 1950 | 45% |
| Julen Lopetegui | June 2018 | October 2018 | 43% |
| Amancio Amaro | May 1984 | April 1985 | 40% |
| Jose Quirante | 1929 | 1930 | 39% |
| Jacinto Quincoces | April 1947 | January 1948 | 29% |
Who is the current Real Madrid manager?
Carlo Ancelotti is the current Real Madrid manager. The Italian was appointed at the club for the second time in 2021 when Zinedine Zidane left his role as head coach. Ancelotti previously spent two years in the Santiago Bernabeu dugout between 2013 and 2015. He won the Champions League in 2014, during his first spell, and repeated this success in 2022 and 2024, in his second spell.
After leaving Real Madrid in 2015, Ancelotti spent time in charge at Bayern Munich, Napoli and Everton before returning to the Spanish capital.
He has won the league title in each of Europe’s top five leagues, while he is the most successful manager in the history of the Champions League with four titles.
The 2024/25 season could be Ancelotti’s last on the Los Blancos bench, however. Though he is under contract until 2026, failure to win La Liga and the Champions League could prove decisive.
