Ranking the Top 20 Managers Aged 40 and Under
Long-term potential is a trait in football most commonly sought among players, but there sits a steady supply of budding managerial maestros who may be considered stars of the future too.
Some players decide to make a quick transition from their playing careers into a coaching role, while some of the best managers in football chose against the glamour of on-pitch matters altogether.
He may be Chelsea's "Special One" these days, but it was only 11 years ago that a rising Jose Mourinho cemented his stature in Europe at Porto's helm, winning the Champions League at the age of 41.
We've compiled a list of the management realm's finest young supremos aged 40 and under, with any tactician born before May 24, 1974—the date when most European seasons end—ruled out of contention.
Given their youth, it's no surprise that some of those included don't have lengthy resumes and have been picked more on the merit of their achievements thus far, though others have been in the management game longer.
Let us know your thoughts on the rankings and suggestions of those who you feel should have been included by posting in the forum below.
20. Paulo Wanchope, Costa Rica
1 of 20
Age: 38
At just 38 years of age, not only is ex-Manchester City marvel Paulo Wanchope one of the youngest national-team managers in world football, he's also among some of its most senior.
According to the new FIFA world rankings released on February 12, Costa Rica have moved into 13th, up three places following a surprise run to the World Cup quarter-finals last year.
Wanchope was only assistant manager to that cause, the same position he held down for four years prior to the tournament, but he's now in the headline role.
Following Jorge Luis Pinto's departure from the position, Wanchope took over in an interim basis, but after beating Guatemala to win the Copa Centroamericana last September, he was given the job full time in January.
Wanchope's only other management experience came during a short-lived spell with Herediano in his home nation, but the prospects ahead in his new position are far greater.
19. Dougie Freedman, Nottingham Forest
2 of 20
Age: 40
Just installed as the replacement for Stuart Pearce at Nottingham Forest, Dougie Freedman is attempting to get a club into England's top flight not for the first time in his managerial career.
The Scot took the reins of Crystal Palace—whom he played for in two separate stints—for his first job in management, having previously taken charge of their reserve team, before leaving somewhat controversially for Bolton Wanderers.
His work at Selhurst Park was the best of his career thus far, and he guided the Eagles from relegation candidates into playoff contention, but his two years at the Macron Stadium weren't as bright.
That being said, Forest will be hoping to see more of the astuteness Freedman showed in south London, where his ability to mould the tools at his disposal into something more is deserving of its praise.
Freedman is just about eligible for our reckoning, turning 41 on May 25 of this year, having only brought an end to his playing days five years ago.
18. Hector Tapia, Colo-Colo
3 of 20
Age: 37
A former Golden Boot winner in the Chilean top division, Hector Tapia is now having a different impact at hometown club Colo-Colo—the club where he spent his formative years as an aspiring international striker.
Having represented La Roja and taken Colo-Colo to two Primera Division titles as a player, Tapia's days of on-pitch excitement are over, but he's already impressing in a tactical regard.
After guiding the club to the 2014 Torneo Clausura crown, having lost just one of their 17 games and scoring an astonishing 45 goals in the process, Tapia will lead Colo-Colo into this year's Copa Libertadores.
That record equates to an average of more than 2.5 goal per game, so while Tapia may still be in his first managing job at Colo-Colo, it's very clear he's more eager than ever to ensure they score goals by the bucketload.
17. Marquinhos Santos, Coritiba
4 of 20
Age: 35
Given that he only turns 36 this year, Marquinhos Santos is arguably among the most promising stars of the worldwide managerial scene—or South American football at the very least.
Replacing Marcelo Oliveira at Coritiba in 2012, he was sent packing from that role in 2013 after an injury crisis led to a serious dip in form, something many would agree can be described as being out of a manager's hands.
However, it's clear the club realised their mistake and rehired Santos in 2014, but not before he went through a difficult patch at the helm of Bahia, at the end of which they were relegated from Brasileiro Serie A.
Now back at the scene of his managerial origins, Santos can look to resume what began as such a promising run of form with Coritiba, where better fortune with squad health could see him take the team to new heights.
16. David Nielsen, Stromsgodset
5 of 20
Age: 38
As a player, David Nielsen produced perhaps his brightest football as a youth, starring for Denmark's youth national teams and earning big European interest as a prodigy at Frederikshavn.
Now at the beginning of his managerial career, the Stromsgodset boss is once again attracting intrigue, having failed to fulfil his playing potential with Wimbledon, Norwich City, Copenhagen and various other Danish teams.
In Norway's Tippeligaen, the 38-year-old has continued the fine progress shown at previous clubs Lov-Ham and Nest-Sotra, taking the latter from the third tier into the Norwegian First Division in three seasons at their helm.
Stromsgodset were fully aware of such fine work and appointed Nielsen as assistant to former chief Ronny Deila, but after Deila departed for Celtic in June 2014, Nielsen took over as interim manager.
While it was still his maiden season at the club and in the Tippeligaen overall, Nielsen was given a three-year contract as manager in August 2014, going on to play a major part in their fourth-place finish.
If that's what the ex-striker can do with a team that experienced obstacles midway through the campaign, one can only imagine an uninterrupted run will bear more fruit.
15. Argel Fucks, Figueirense
6 of 20
Age: 40
Argel Fucks, more commonly known as Argel, was a journeyman during his playing days, turning out for 10 different clubs in a 15-year span, and his management career has been no different.
Yet to turn 41, the Figueirense helmsman is already managing his 15th club, this being his second spell with the Fig Tree, having led Caxias and Criciuma on two occasions.
After being appointed Figueirense boss for the second time in July last year, Argel immediately improved their defence. Of the 12 games prior to his arrival, the club had lost nine and kept just two clean sheets.
Figueirense lost just one of their first nine games back under Argel, keeping four clean sheets in the process and ultimately finishing the Serie A season in 13th. The club ended strongly too, with just one loss in their final six games of the 2014 season.
Offensively, Argel's side may be seen as lacking to some, but the Santa Rosa native knows how to organise and structure a back line as much as anything else, no doubt partly due to his vast experience of the tactical side of the game.
14. Eddie Howe, Bournemouth
7 of 20
Age: 37
No one plays more than 300 games for a club without building up a relationship with the organisation, so it's been a thrill to watch Eddie Howe lead his long-time family, Bournemouth, with such grace this season.
After 18 months at the helm of Burnley between January 2011 and October 2012, Howe made the move back to the south coast, where he first earned plaudits as a manager during an initial two years as boss of the Cherries.
His exit from Turf Moor was not related to performance, however, as Howe was quoted by the Clarets' official website (h/t BBC Sport) as saying:
"It's been a really tough week. To leave is incredibly difficult, but I feel it's a decision I have to make for my family and for personal reasons, which I can't go into detail on."
Currently top of the Championship, his Bournemouth side had an almost two-month uninterrupted spell leading the division until a recent 2-2 draw against Derby County.
Both stints with Bournemouth have been entertaining to say the least. Upon taking charge for the first time in December 2008, Howe overturned a 17-point deficit to save the club from relegation from League Two, and even more incredibly, he led them to promotion the season after.
Promoting exciting, forward-thinking football, he's since returned and took the club into the Championship after replacing the sacked Paul Groves, moving on to promotion candidacy once again.
Callum Wilson, signed from Coventry City last summer, is Bournemouth's top goalscorer with 13 league goals this season, but with 64 to their name, the Championship's most impressive attackers have been about so much more than one player.
Howe's motivational skills are arguably his best asset, and although one might question what success he may have elsewhere, he is thriving at Dean Court, where Premier League football is within sight.
13. Andrea Stramaccioni, Udinese
8 of 20
Age: 39
Andrea Stramaccioni wasn't even out of his teens before a serious knee injury caused his playing career to end in 1995, fuelling him to put all his efforts regarding football into management.
While coaching youth teams in his native Rome, Stramaccioni also took the less travelled path of education, obtaining a law degree from La Sapienza University of Rome while also working toward his UEFA A coaching license.
By then, he was already a well-established figure within Roma's youth system, but it was at Inter he would get his first chance among the Serie A elite. In his first season with the Nerzzurri's Primavera side, Stramaccioni lifted the 2011-12 NextGen Series crown.
Having succeeded Claudio Ranieri in a caretaker role the day after that triumph, Stramaccioni led Inter's first team to sixth in Serie A and took the position permanently later that year. The 2012-13 season—his first full campaign at the San Siro—was less encouraging, however, and he was sacked after a run to ninth.
Having taken a year out and acclimated to the demands of the Italian top flight, Stramaccioni is now at Udinese's helm, but after a bright start to the 2014-15 term, he is struggling to adapt.
Having worked so closely with youth in recent years, the 39-year-old holds academy promotion in a high regard, and in time, the more experience he gains coaching in Serie A should result in an improvement of his tactical nous.
12. Gaizka Garitano, Eibar
9 of 20
Age: 39
Leading the club who hail from the smallest city in modern La Liga history is no easy task, but Gaizka Garitano has led Eibar to some incredible heights in the top flight this term.
Granted, the momentum does appear to be slipping somewhat for the promoted party, as Spain's elite cotton on to just what a threat Garitano's men actually are.
However, spurring the minnows up to eighth is an achievement in itself and shows the hard groundwork Garitano has laid while making the moves up Eibar's managerial ladder since 2009.
The former assistant and B team helmsman expects a certain level of enthusiasm from his men at all times and was quoted by Inside Spanish Football last month as saying "not competing is more worrying than defeat."
Clearly in tune with his players on a personal level, Garitano has so far managed to contradict the La Liga formula and lead a group of underdogs to marked success, but it's now that his own intelligence will really be tested.
11. Garry Monk, Swansea City
10 of 20
Age: 35
Swansea City's main conundrum last season was struggling to find an identity or clear strengths in attack or defence, and they finished the 2013-14 campaign with a neutral goal difference, which was largely thanks to the work of Michael Laudrup.
Former Swans defender Garry Monk came in as his replacement last February and has looked to revive the passing style that was so successful under Brendan Rodgers' command to mixed effect.
This being Monk's first full season as a manager, the signs were initially positive and a top-six finish looked possible—and is still not off the table completely.
According to Squawka, Swansea have a passing accuracy of 84 per cent this term, a figure only bettered by Chelsea, Manchester United and Manchester City.
Being that Monk is still so early in his managerial career, it's difficult to ascertain just how much of the Swans' current direction can be attributed to him. Similarly, his lack of experience in the managerial side of the game and considering he's spent the last 12 years of his career in south Wales may cause debate on how he'd fare elsewhere.
That being said, a good rapport with his players and faith enough to allow Wilfried Bony a January departure shows faith in his squad and that his imprint will eventually come good.
10. Viktor Goncharenko, Without Club
11 of 20
Age: 37
Forced to retire from playing due to injury at the age of 25, BATE Borisov's Viktor Goncharenko remained within the club's ranks to initiate his new career path as part of the club's managerial staff.
First, the former defender took over the reserve team, serving as an assistant to Yuri Puntus and Igor Kriushenko before finally getting the chance to lead the club's first team himself in 2007.
Having built a familiarity with the Belarus giants, their playing staff and infrastructure, Goncharenko quickly adapted to the role and led the team to domestic titles for thee consecutive years between 2008 and 2010.
Goncharenko also holds the prestige of being the youngest manager to lead a club into the group stage of the Champions League, having taken BATE into the 2008-09 tournament at just 31 years of age. He officially set the record against Real Madrid on September 17, 2008.
The 37-year-old's work in Belarus earned the attention of Russian Premier League outfit Kuban Krasnodar. His time there ended after just a year, with the club finishing the 2013-14 season in eighth, but some may well argue his sacking was far too premature.
9. Willy Sagnol, Bordeaux
12 of 20
Age: 37
Not since finishing fifth in 2012 have Bordeaux managed to crack Ligue 1's top six, but the early signs under Willy Sagnol are that the club is capable of making that break into the division's hierarchy once again.
The ex-Bayern Munich defender made the transition to coaching with a high-pressure position as manager of France's under-21 national team, developing a sense of what it means to nurture and encourage youth.
From the beginning, it was clear this would be of use at Bordeaux. Sagnol started this season by becoming the first ever Griondins manager to attain three wins in his first three games of the campaign, including two comeback victories.
His tactical malleability against Monaco in Week 2 of the season was particularly impressive. Trailing 1-0 at half-time, the former Saint-Etienne right-back changed tactics and his side scored four goals in 25 minutes and win the match 4-1, showcasing his motivational talents as well as his ability to restructure and respond on the pitch.
Bordeaux are now sixth and have hit a slump in recent form, but the writing is on the wall that Sagnol can be great, using all the experience of a Champions League winner and owner of six Bundesliga winners' medals to his advantage.
8. Sergio Gonzalez, Espanyol
13 of 20
Age: 38
Although most of his career was spent at Deportivo La Coruna, Sergio's first management spell has come with another former team of his, and Espanyol will be content with the progress made under his tutelage thus far.
The club's hierarchy showed enough faith in the 38-year-old to promote from within following Javier Aguirre's departure last year.
Competing against the big guns of Spain has, unsurprisingly, remained an issue, with Sevilla, Valencia, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid all stripping Los Periquitos of points.
However, when it's come to duelling against teams with similar prospects, Espanyol have, for the most part, come out on top and boast one of the best home defences in La Liga.
Not since 2011 has the Barcelona outfit managed to finish in the top half of the table, but their stingy record at home could be the backbone for Sergio's well-organised squad to break that drought this season.
7. Murat Yakin, Spartak Moscow
14 of 20
Age: 40
Working his way up the Swiss Super League ladder, Murat Yakin finally found his way back to former club Basel in 2012, proceeding to win back-to-back league titles in his two season at St. Jakob-Park.
That, combined with the foundation of his works at FC Thun and Luzern, were enough to convince Spartak Moscow to offer the former Switzerland international a contract last summer, his first management spell outside his native land.
Given that it will assuredly take time for Yakin to find his feet in Russia, the 40-year-old has shaped a team capable of challenging the Russian Premier League hierarchy, losing just four league matches, all of which have come away from home.
Otkrytie Arena has become something of a fortress under Yakin's command, and Spartak have constructed an attacking blueprint, and they are yet to fail to score in a home fixture in the league this season.
Defence is something that Yakin may look to improve—Spartak have conceded more than any team in the top half of the table—but his side bring excitement and quite the degree of flair to their forward-thinking approach.
6. Vincenzo Montella, Fiorentina
15 of 20
Age: 40
Another inclusion who just about makes the age cut for our list is 40-year-old Vincenzo Montella, who despite only being in the management sphere for four years, already boasts huge experience on the touchline.
His best work has and still is coming at Fiorentina, the club he's helmed for going on three years now, but it wasn't so long ago Montella was in charge of a teenage rabble in Rome.
Initially, he was appointed as a youth coach at Roma, but the departure of Claudio Ranieri led to Montella becoming first-team manager on an interim basis, losing just three of his 13 Serie A games in the position.
The club's new owners ultimately chose to head in a different direction, but it was Catania who benefited as Montella implemented something of a trademark 4-3-3 formation in Sicily.
Which brings us back to La Viola. Three years after a mid-table finish with Catania was enough to earn the attention of the Florence giants, they have since gone from relegation candidates to Serie A hotshots under his leadership.
Tactically versatile, Montella has shown a willingness to utilise three defenders, but he can adapt and has displayed some shrewdness in the marketplace in recent seasons too.
5. Marco Silva, Sporting Lisbon
16 of 20
Age: 37
Marco Silva made history as manager of Estoril, the club he guided back into the Primeira Liga almost immediately after ending his playing career under their banner.
A metal will is what served Silva best during his time with the Portuguese minnows, and he managed to instil belief in his squad that there was no reason they couldn't topple the giants sitting alongside them.
This was demonstrated most aptly in his final two seasons as Estoril boss, during which they finished fifth in 2012-13 and a record high of fourth in 2013-14. During the latter, Estoril won away at Porto for the first time in their history—the Dragons' first home defeat for almost six years—as well as results against Sporting and Benfica.
Sporting were one of the clubs to take notice and appointed Silva as their boss on a four-year deal last summer, earning the plaudits of Mourinho prior to his team clashing against Chelsea this Champions League season, per beIN Sports.
After 21 games in Lisbon, Silva's Sporting sit third in the table, six points off leaders Benfica and having only lost one league game, missing out on qualification for the round of 16 of the Champions League by just one point.
Conceding just eight goals away from home in the league, Silva's side have again shown resounding resilience against their biggest foes, motivation proving to be one of the manager's best assets.
He promotes entertaining football at all times, however, with Sporting having only failed to score in one of their European outings this term and averaging just under two goals per game in the Primeira Liga.
Since his departure from their helm, Estoril now sit ninth and have failed to recapture the same passion that Silva brought, showing just how great his impact was upon their cause.
4. Leonardo Jardim, Monaco
17 of 20
Age: 40
Not many managers can claim to have managed seven clubs by the time they hit age 40; Monaco boss Leonardo Jardim is one of those rare cases.
Working his way up the Portuguese ladder with Camacha and Chaves in the early 2000s, the Venezuela-born tactician got his big break with Beira Mar. After placing 12th in the season before his arrival, the Aveiro outfit won the 2009-10 Liga de Honra campaign and rose up to the Primeira Liga.
Poor form eventually led to his exit halfway through the 2010-11 season, but Braga retained his top-flight status by appointing them their new coach, and he improved their fortunes with a third-place finish in his only full season with the club.
During this time, Jardim showed incredible resolve, masterminding a 15-match winning streak, scoring three goals or more in seven of those outings.
Despite having had two jobs since then, it's been nothing but positives for Jardim. His departure from Olympiacos in 2013 was hugely controversial, given the Piraeus outfit led the Greek Super League by 10 points.
He then guided Sporting Lisbon to second in the Portuguese top flight, which showed what he was capable of with a group largely made up of youth graduates.
His appointment at Monaco last summer is a job of entirely different pressure, given the list of Ligue 1 stars now under his control. A slow start to his first French campaign caused some doubt in the principality, but Jardim has recovered, losing just two of his last 16 Ligue 1 fixtures.
Born to Portuguese parents and raised some of the nations' biggest institutions, Jardim has almost all the ingredients to be a coaching super force, with his experience at this age far greater than many others'.
3. Marcelo Gallardo, River Plate
18 of 20
Age: 39
Across three spells with River Plate as a player, Marcelo Gallardo made more than 250 appearances and won four Apertura titles, two Clausura crowns and the Copa Libertadores.
Now leading the club as manager following one championship-winning season at the helm of Nacional, Gallardo has firmly re-established a link that looks likely never to die.
As a player, Gallardo brought flair and flash to the pitch, but his River Plate team have added substance and solidity above all else, last year equalling the club record of 32 successive games unbeaten.
It wasn't enough to win the 2014 Torneo de Transicion, though, as River Plate's Copa Sudamericana campaign began to play its role in team selection, and they consequently lost the title to Racing Club by just two points.
At least it wasn't all for nought, however, as Gallardo took silverware in his first season at the River Plate helm by beating Atletico Nacional in the Copa Sudamericana final to top off a hugely encouraging first year under the club icon.
So far, Gallardo has won trophies at every club he's coached, with it looking likely River Plate will continue to benefit from his passionate and somewhat surprisingly intelligent input for some time.
2. Markus Weinzierl, Augsburg
19 of 20
Age: 40
Each of Europe's major leagues has an established hierarchy, but Augsburg boss Markus Weinzierl has gone about breaking up Germany's after slowly cracking away at the foundations with Augsburg.
Season by season under Weinzierl, the Fuggerstadter have gone from relegation survivors to mid-table hopefuls to European-place contenders, a justification of the club's growing improvements if ever there was one.
Hired at the SGL arena following his fine work with SSV Jahn Regensburg, whom he took to Germany's second tier, Weinzierl has taken Augsburg to fourth in the Bundesliga, knocking on the doors of the Champions League.
Last season, the club recorded a memorable 1-0 win over Bayern Munich and have earned victories against Borussia Monchengladbach in each of the last two campaigns, taking their win tally up as they go.
Weinzierl's side certainly have an identity too, and they have incredibly just earned their first draw of the Bundesliga season; their matches usually decided on all-or-nothing terms.
Monetary resources at Augsburg may not flow in the same manner as they do at the German big guns, but Weinzierl has done terrifically to make do with what's been afforded to him.
1. Andre Villas-Boas
20 of 20
Age: 37
For the longest time considered the heir to Mourinho's throne for some, Andre Villas-Boas' career saw its most recent stumbling block at Tottenham Hotspur, where the Portuguese was axed just shy of 18 months in charge.
However, the fact that some saw his sacking as unjust proved AVB's reputation wasn't completely besmirched, with Russian giants Zenit Saint Petersburg rushing in for his services just three months later.
Bleacher Report's Samindra Kunti recently spoke to Zenit star Axel Witsel regarding what it is that Villas-Boas has brought to his game and Zenit's style on the whole:
"When Villas-Boas arrived at Zenit, he gave me a lot of trust. He put me in a higher position to be more offensive, and I got my game back. Last season was a good one, and I will do my best.
He is really a good coach. We train a lot with the ball, we train with goals and he mixes it up a lot. I have a good relationship with him. [Luciano] Spalletti was here for a long time, but with him I had a more defensive role. I like to be offensive and move forward, and that is the difference from a personal point of view. I play more offensively with Villas-Boas than during Spalletti’s time.
"
Versatility is evidently something that ranks highly in Villas-Boas' mind, given the transfers he made while at Spurs following the £85 million departure of Gareth Bale. On paper, the likes of Christian Eriksen, Erik Lamela, Roberto Soldado, Nacer Chadli, Etienne Capoue and others all made for great acquisitions, but the coach was somewhat unfortunate some didn't excel until after his departure.
Losing out on the Russian title by just one point during his first term in charge of Zenit, AVB's men now lead the league by seven points, harking back to the dominance he enjoyed in Portugal.
There, his Porto team won the Primeira Liga, Portuguese Cup and Europa League during his only season at the Estadio do Dragao, where a superior breed of player and his tactical nous devastated the competition.
Of course, the one big anomaly on Villas-Boas' track record will always be his failure at Stamford Bridge. However, given he was only 33 at the time of his appointment and younger than several members of the playing staff, a lot of factors could be interpreted as clouding his managerial prowess.
The youngest manager to win a European competition, Villas-Boas has always succeeded when there's a level playing field ahead of him and, in time, could come to be known as one of the best in the world outright.
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