Champions League Coaches

LIVERPOOL, UNITED KINGDOM - AUGUST 19: Liverpool Manager Rafael Benitez shakes hands with Chelsea Manager Jose Mourinho at the end No matter how many world class players a Champions League football club has at its disposal, no team can win the Champions League without a world class coach to steer a team to greatness. Taking up the role of coach of a Champions League team is arguably one of the toughest jobs in sport.

In our Champions League Coaches pages we profile some of the men who have shown the mental toughness and tactical expertise to take their teams to the summit of the highest peak in football. Names include former winners such as controversial former Porto and Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho, and legendary Manchester United coach Sir Alex Ferguson.

Spanish Supremos

A number of the coaches profiled in our Champions League Coaches pages cut their teeth in one of Europe's most demanding and competitive leagues. Both Rafael Benitez and Vincente del Bosque are products of the Real Madrid youth academy – arguably one of the finest football youth academies in the world.

Vincente del Bosque is credited with sparking the renaissance at Real Madrid that saw the club recapture the scintillating form of the 1960s and 1950s. Rafael Benitez had a similar effect at Liverpool, infusing the side with fresh talent and passion before extending their FA Cup record and presiding over one of the most famous cup finals in the history of the sport.

Style and Discipline

Champions League coach Carlo Ancelotti epitomises the qualities and characteristics need to win the UEFA Champions League. The AC Milan coach, a former Italian international himself, is only the fifth player in Champions League history to win the tournament as both a player and a coach.

Carlo Ancelotti represents a tendency amongst many Champions League coaches to embrace innovation and daring decisions. In part, the success of these great coaches is based on their willingness to fearlessly reposition great players and back young unproven footballers to ensure that their teams evolve and retain the power to surprise opponents.

2008 Champions League

Whilst Vincente del Bosque and Jose Mourinho are currently taking sabbaticals from coaching and will play no role in the 2008 UEFA Champions League, you can expect to see Sir Alex Ferguson, Carlo Ancelotti and Rafael Benitez striding the sidelines at big matches, exhorting their world class players to Champions League glory.

William Hill, established for 70 years, provides reputable live football betting.