Summary

The European Cup was an association football competition contested from 1956 to 1992. Spanish manager José Villalonga led Real Madrid to success in the inaugural final in 1956 and repeated the feat the following season. Italian managers have been the most successful, winning thirteen of the tournaments since 1956.

The competition became the UEFA Champions League in 1992, with Belgian Raymond Goethals leading French club Marseille to success that season. Bob Paisley, Zinedine Zidane and Pep Guardiola have won the tournament three times. Ancelotti won five titles and reached six finals with Milan and Real Madrid, Paisley led Liverpool to three titles in five seasons, and Zidane won three consecutive titles with Real Madrid. Sixteen other managers have won the competition twice. Only six managers have won the title with two clubs: Ancelotti with Milan in 2003 and 2007 and Real Madrid in 2014, 2022, and 2024; Ernst Happel with Feyenoord in 1970 and Hamburg in 1983; Ottmar Hitzfeld with Borussia Dortmund in 1997 and Bayern Munich in 2001; José Mourinho with Porto in 2004 and Inter Milan in 2010; Jupp Heynckes with Real Madrid in 1998 and Bayern Munich in 2013; and Guardiola with Barcelona in 2009 and 2011 and Manchester City in 2023. Seven men have won the tournament both as a player and as a manager: Miguel Muñoz, Giovanni Trapattoni, Johan Cruyff, Frank Rijkaard, Ancelotti, Guardiola and Zidane.

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