The Champions League is Europe's premier club competition, with the best football players, managers, and clubs from all over Europe competing for the trophy every year.
Achieving success in this competition is usually seen by most players and managers as the pinnacle of achievements at club level. Many football managers have achieved superstardom from leading their teams successfully in the Champions League.
The UEFA Champions League final is one of the biggest annual events in sports
Reaching the final of the Champions League counts for a lot for managers as it enhances their reputation significantly. It is, however, an arduous task to reach the final with the caliber of opposition that normally stands in the way of teams in the competition. Only the best managers lead their teams to reach the final of the Champions League, let alone win the competition.
Without further ado, here is a list of five managers with most Champions League final appearances.
#5 Jurgen Klopp (4 appearances)
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is one of Europe's elite managers. The German manager has turned heads with his work as the Reds' manager since taking up the manager's position. Klopp has turned Liverpool from a struggling side in Europe to one of its top sides. He has reached four Champions League finals in his managerial career.
Klopp qualified for his first Champions League final when he was Borussia Dortmund manager in 2013. His side faced German rivals Bayern Munich in the final and lost 2-1 to the Bavarian side. His second final came five years later when he was in charge of Liverpool. His side lost 3-1 to Real Madrid in the 2018 final that was marred by an injury to Mohamed Salah and mistakes by goalkeeper Loris Karius. He qualified for his third final in 2019 and this time, his Liverpool side defeated Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 to give him his first Champions League title. Three years later, Klopp has reached his fourth Champions League final, where he will face Real Madrid once more.
Klopp has won one UEFA Champions League title in his career and will look to add a second on Saturday.
#4 Miguel Munoz (4 appearances)
Spanish manager Miguel Munoz was one of the top managers of the 1950s and 1960s. He led Real Madrid to a number of dominant performances on the continental stage, qualifying for four Champions League finals in his career.
Munoz reached his first UEFA Champions League final in the 1959-60 season, his first in charge of Real Madrid, with his side defeating German outfit Eintracht Fankfurt 7-3.
He qualified for his second Champions League final in the 1961-62 season, seeing his side fall to a 5-3 defeat at the hands of Portuguese side SL Benfica. Munoz reached his third Champions League final in the 1963-64 season and lost 3-1 to Internazionale. He reached his fourth final in the 1965-66 season where his side defeated Partizan Belgrade 2-1.
Munoz won two Champions League titles as Real Madrid manager, adding those to the three he won as a player with the club. He was the first man to win the competition as a player and manager.
#3 Sir Alex Ferguson (4 appearances)
Widely regarded by many as the greatest manager in football history, Sir Alex Ferguson blazed a trail in English and European football. The Scottish manager qualified for four different UEFA Champions League finals with Manchester United in his time at the club.
Ferguson qualified for his first final in the 1998-99 season, needing an injury time goal from Ole-Gunnar Solskjaer to defeat Bayern Munich 2-1 for his first title. He reached his second final in the 2007-08 season and won on penalties against Chelsea to claim his second title.
The following season, Sir Alex reached his third final, where he watched his side fall to a 2-0 defeat at the hands of FC Barcelona. He reached his fourth final in the 2010-11 season and his side lost 3-1 to FC Barcelona once again.
Sir Alex Ferguson won two UEFA Champions League titles in four attempts as Manchester United manager. The retired manager remains the last man to lead the Red Devils to a Champions League win.
#2 Marcello Lippi (4 appearances)
Italian manager Marcello Lippi is regarded by many as one of the greatest managers of all-time. He qualified for four UEFA Champions League finals as manager of Juventus.
Lippi took Juventus to the UEFA Champions League final, making his first appearance at that stage of the competition in the 1995-96 season. His side won the match on penalties, defeating holders Ajax.
The following season, he led Juventus to the final again, this time losing 3-1 to Borussia Dortmund. His side reached the final again in the next season, losing 1-0 to Real Madrid. Juventus faced the same outcome in the 2002-03 season with Lippi as manager, losing on penalties to fellow Italian side AC Milan.
Lippi won only one UEFA Champions League title as manager of Juventus. He also won the FIFA World Cup and Asian Champions League later in his career, making him the first and only manager to achieve this feat.
#1 Carlo Ancelotti (5 appearances)
Carlo Ancelotti is one of Europe's best-ever managers, having tasted success on the continental stage with two different clubs. The Italian manager has qualified for five different Champions League finals in his career with AC Milan and Real Madrid.
Ancelotti reached his first UEFA Champions League final in the 2002-03 season where his AC Milan side defeated Juventus on penalties in the first all-Italian final of the competition.
His second final appearance came in 2004-05, when his AC Milan side threw away a three-goal lead to lose on penalties to Liverpool. Two years later, he exacted his revenge against Liverpool as his AC Milan won the 2006-07 final 2-1.
He reached his fourth final in 2014 with Real Madrid, defeating Atletico Madrid 4-1 to win the famed La Decima with the side. This season, he will lead Real Madrid in the final against Liverpool in what will be his fifth final.
Along with Zinedine Zidane, Ancelotti has won the joint-most Champions League titles in history. The Italian manager has won the competition three times in his career.