Behind any great team there isn't just great players, there's also a great tactician to prepare them for the season ahead. Sometimes a player and manager get on so well that their bond is the reason why the trophy cabinet ends up being so full.

With that said, we have assessed and ranked the top 10 manager and player partnerships in football history. This includes players who spent most of their careers under the same coach and those who struck up a special friendship even during a short-term spell together.

Ranking Factors:

  • Longevity
  • Success
  • Personal connection

10. Koke and Diego Simeone

The ultimate reflection of a manager on the pitch. Koke has spent his entire career operating as the relentless, combative heartbeat of Diego Simeone’s gritty Atlético Madrid machine, executing the Argentine's defensive masterclasses to perfection.

Their unbreakable bond transformed a club long living in Real Madrid's shadow into two-time La Liga champions and European heavyweights.

9. Carlo Ancelotti & Cristiano Ronaldo

Real Madrid have gone through a managerial roundabout but one of the few mainstays was Carlo Ancelotti. A partnership built on mutual respect and tactical freedom.

Ancelotti removed Cristiano Ronaldo's defensive burdens, allowing the Portuguese star to focus entirely on attacking transitions, resulting in record-breaking goal tallies and "La Décima." Ronaldo praised Ancelotti as a "large bear" of a manager whose tactical man-management brought out the most lethal version of his career.

8. Jupp Heynckes & Bastian Schweinsteiger

The engine room of a historic treble, Jupp Heynckes trusted Bastian Schweinsteiger completely, transforming him into a commanding deep-lying playmaker who dictated the tempo for one of the most dominant Bayern Munich sides in history.

Under Heynckes' guidance, Schweinsteiger evolved from an inconsistent wide midfielder into the undisputed tactical general of German football.

7. Brian Clough & John Robertson 

Possibly the most charismatic man the game has ever produced, Brian Clough took over Nottingham Forest in the second division and turned them into two-time European champions.

Clough described John Robertson as an "unattractive young man" but quickly molded the winger into the creative genius of his miraculous Nottingham Forest side.

Their unique, tough-love dynamic resulted in back-to-back European Cups. Robertson provided the decisive assist in the 1979 European Cup final and scored the winner in 1980, repaying Clough's belief on the grandest stage.

6. Jurgen Klopp & Mohamed Salah

Jurgen Klopp's first couple seasons at Liverpool hadn't hit the heights first expected but the signing of an Egyptian in the summer of the 2017 was the missing piece.

Together, they conquered England and Europe, with Mohamed Salah blossoming into a Premier League legend under the German's guidance. Klopp’s tactical system turned Salah into an inverted winger leading to him shattering Premier League goalscoring records.

5. Arsène Wenger & Thierry Henry

This partnership began at the start of both these men's careers then they reunited to have the most successful period together. When somewhat unknown quantity Arsene Wenger joined Arsenal from Japan he won the league title before bringing a 20 year old Thierry Henry in Summer 1998.

Turning the Frenchman to a striker was a master stroke. Two Premier Leagues, one of them unbeaten, and three FA Cups later Henry cemented himself as the best player to play in the top division and Wenger had propelled the Gunners back into a major challenger on all fronts.

4. Johan Cruyff & Hristo Stoichkov

One of the best players of all time then became one of the most inspirational managers of all time. Johan Cruyff's total football became the inspiration for how modern football is now played.

That said, Cruyff's "Dream Team" required a player with fiery passion and clinical finishing to complement his intricate passing system.

Despite their frequent arguments, their partnership brought Barcelona their first European Cup. Hristo Stoichkov’s relentless aggression on the pitch was the perfect physical counterweight to Cruyff’s cerebral, possession-based tactical philosophy.

3. Jose Mourinho & Didier Drogba

When former Chelsea chairman Roman Abrahimovic came to Jose Mourinho with a blank chequebook for a new striker, Didier Drogba was chosen for 'the chosen one' and wasn't that just a great decision.

The ultimate big game player meets the most intense manager who will do anything to win was a match made in heaven. Two Premier League titles, a League Cup and an FA Cup helped shatter Manchester United's and Arsenal's dominance of English football.

2. Sir Alex Ferguson & Ryan Giggs

Probably the single longest partnership in the history of football, Ryan Giggs and Sir Alex Ferguson worked together for nearly 25 years. Winning the record amount of Premier League titles, the first treble in English history and countless other silverware, they helped cement Manchester United as English football's top dogs.

Giggs' longevity and reliability kept in being a key member of multiple all time sides. The Wizard Welshman encompassed Ferguson's never say die and attacking attitude to make the Theatre of Dreams must watch action.

1. Pep Guardiola & Lionel Messi

Before Pep Guardiola managed Barcelona, Lionel Messi had never scored 20 league goals in a season. By the time he left he scored 92 goals in a calendar year.

Messi had shown potential but Pep unlocked him to become the best player of all time. Together, they produced arguably the greatest club team in history, winning an unprecedented sextuple and revolutionizing modern tactics.

In 2011-12 alone, Guardiola's tactical masterclasses made the Argentine an unstoppable false 9 and destroyed Europe's elite for five years.