A list of 15 top head coaches who have coached the same club many times

Even for the strongest, being a football head coach can be an extremely heavy job. This is because the head coach may be regarded as an idol in one day or may be demoted to the root of all the club’s problems. Due to uncertainty in the position, few head coaches can maintain their "one person, one city" status in a club.

Sometimes, a head coach may be fired for being a scapegoat for team issues, but then recalled to save the team. Chris Wilder went through this. The Englishman has become Sheffield United's new head coach, the third time in his career he has held the position twice before he was fired by the club.

Wilder is by no means the first coach to coach the same club many times. Many well-known head coaches have held the same club more than once in their careers, bringing some unforgettable experiences. Here, we will take stock of 15 well-known head coaches who have coached the same club many times.

15. Ranieri

Ranieri is definitely one of the most respected head coaches. As a "wanderer" in the coaching industry, he has coached more than 20 teams in his coaching career, but what people remember most is that he helped Leicester City win the 2015/16 Premier League championship. Ranieri's team usually has a solid defense and sharp counterattack. Although his coaching at Leicester City is memorable, his time in Rome is equally commendable. The Italian coach is a loyal fan of Roma and has served as Roma's head coach three times.

He first coached Roma from 2009 to 2011, leading the team to compete for the Serie A championship in the 2009/2010 season, but eventually lost to Inter Milan and ranked second. He made a brief return in 2019 after being fired in 2011. Ranieri helped the team complete the season smoothly, but failed to qualify for the Champions League. The third time coaching Roma was in the 2024/25 season, where he helped the team play pleasing offensive football and eventually ranked fifth in Serie A. Ranieri currently serves as a senior adviser in Rome and has officially retired from his coaching career!

14. Comsania

Julio Comsania is not the most well-known head coach, but he has a place in the list of "many coaches the same club". Comsania has coached more than 20 teams in his 40-year coaching career, but his cooperation with the Colombian club Barranquilla youth team is undoubtedly the most outstanding. After playing for the team as a player, he returned to serve as head coach in 1991. Although his first coaching session was less than a year, this was just the beginning of his multiple coaching sessions.

From the early 1990s to 2022, Comsania served as the head coach of the Barranquilla youth team 10 times. He was fired several times, but he was re-recalled every time the team was in trouble. According to statistics, he coached the team in a total of 259 games, helping the team win the Colombia Top League championship three times and a Colombia Cup championship once.

13. Kevin Keegan

Kevin Keegan is widely regarded as one of the best players of his time, spending a legendary career at Liverpool and winning three top league titles with the team. Before retiring, he also played for Newcastle and established a deep relationship with the club. Therefore, he began his coaching career in 1992, serving as Newcastle head coach. The team was still in the secondary league at the time, but Keegan helped the team win the championship and advance to the Premier League. He led Newcastle in the Premier League, especially in the 1995-96 season, where the team led the standings for most of the time, but was eventually reversed by Manchester United to win the championship. In January 1997, Keegan left due to disagreement with management.

However, "King Kevin" returned to Newcastle in 2008. He helped the team successfully relegated in the 2007/08 season, but resigned in September 2008 due to conflicts with his boss Ashley. Keegan coached Newcastle in 281 games, winning 139 of them, advocating offensive football, and is loved by fans.

12. Capello has a very brilliant coaching career. He has coached many top clubs and served as the head coach of the England national team. He also set a unique record: he has coached more than one European giant on many occasions. Capello's coaching career began in AC Milan, helping the team win four Serie A titles and the 1993-94 Champions League championships between 1991 and 1996. In 1996, he switched to Real Madrid and led the team to win the La Liga championship in the 1996/97 season.

However, despite winning the championship, he was fired for conflict with Chairman Sans. He then returned to Milan, but his second coaching lasted only one season. In 2006, he returned to Real Madrid and won the 2006/07 La Liga championship. But because of his conservative tactical style, he was fired again after winning the championship, which became a strange experience between him and Real Madrid.

11. Heinx

is widely regarded as one of the greatest head coaches in German history, and Heinx's coaching career lasted for nearly forty years. His most glorious years were undoubtedly in Bayern Munich. He coached Bayern for the first time in 1987, and led the team to win the Bundesliga championship twice and the German Super Cup twice in four years. He has since coached for Real Madrid and Schalke and briefly returned to Bayern as interim coach in 2009. In 2011, he coached Bayern again and led the team to achieve the triumphal title of Bundesliga, German Cup and Champions League in the 2012/13 season.

Despite his brilliant achievements, he was still replaced by Guardiola in 2013. In 2017, he came out for the third time, leading Bayern to win the 2017/18 Bundesliga championship and retired successfully.

10. After achieving great success in his player age, Mancini started his coaching career in 2001, coaching Fiorentina and Lazio, and led the team to win the Italian Cup. His real rise was in Inter Milan, leading the team to achieve three consecutive Serie A titles and two Italian Cups wins from 2004 to 2008. But he was fired after the 2007/08 season due to his poor record in the Champions League.

He has since coached Manchester City and Galatasaray and returned to Inter in 2014. However, his second coaching performance was mediocre, ranking only eighth in the 2014/15 season, fourth in the 2015/16 season, and finally resigned in August 2016. Later, he coached St. Petersburg Zenit and eventually took charge of the Italian national team, leading the team to win the 2020 European Cup.

9. Van Gaal

Van Gaal

Van Gaal

} He became famous when coaching Ajax in the 1990s, leading the team to win the Eredivisie championship three times and the 1994/95 Champions League championship. He joined Barcelona in 1997, winning two La Liga titles and one Cup of Kings in two seasons. However, due to conflicts with stars such as Rivaldo, he left office after the 1999/2000 season.

He returned to Barcelona in 2002, but his second coaching record was poor. He was fired in January 2003 for the team's 12th place. In addition, he coached the Dutch national team many times and played an important role in winning the 1988 European Cup.

8. Allegri

Allegri's coaching career started in a low-level league and eventually became a top giant. He is currently on his second trip to coach AC Milan, but it is not the only club he has coached multiple times. From 2010 to 2014, he coached Milan for the first time and led the team to win the Serie A championship.

Transfer to Juventus in 2014, achieving five consecutive Serie A titles and four consecutive Italian Cups in five years. He left office in 2019 and returned to Juventus in 2021, but he only won the Italian Cup for his second coaching session. In 2024, he was fired for attacking the referee after the game. In the 2025/26 season, he returned to Milan and won two games at the beginning.

7. Daglish

Daglish is a legendary player of Liverpool, with a total of 366 goals (170 goals, 186 assists). After the Heisel massacre in 1985, he was ordered to become a player and head coach in a crisis, leading the team to win the League One championship three times and the FA Cup two times. His support for the families of victims of the Hillsburg tragedy in 1989 was hailed as a "heroic move." After resigning in the middle of the 1990/91 season, he coached Blackburn and Newcastle.

In 2011, he returned to Liverpool and led the team to win the League Cup, but was dismissed after the end of the season in May 2012 because he ranked eighth in the 2011/12 season. Despite this, he is one of the greatest coaches in Liverpool's history.

6. Busby played for Manchester City and Liverpool as a player. After World War II, he became Manchester United's head coach in 1945, beginning a legendary period. He was in office for 24 years and trained "Basby Baby", experienced the Munich air crash, and eventually led the team to win the League One championship five times, the FA Cup and the first European Champions League, becoming the first English team to win the top European tournament. After leaving office in 1969, he returned briefly in the 1970/71 season because his successor was fired and finally officially retired in June 1971, and was hailed as one of the greatest coaches in British history.

5. Zidane

Zidane is not only a world-class player, but also a very wise coach. After retiring in 2006, he started as Real Madrid Castilla and became the first team coach in 2016. Between 2016 and 2018, he led the team to three consecutive Champions League titles, one La Liga title and two Club World Cup titles, and also set a record of 40 unbeaten games.

After leaving office in 2018, he returned in 2019 and won the La Liga championship again. He left office again in 2021 because he had no championship in the season and has not coached again.

4. Sakchi

Sakchi is an outlier in Italian football. He has never played professional football, but has become a top coach. In 1987, he was appointed as Milan coach by Berlusconi for leading Parma to defeat AC Milan in the Italian Cup. He implemented a 4-4-2 formation and led the team to win the Serie A and Champions League championships.

After leaving office in 1991, he coached the Italian national team and led the team to the 1994 World Cup final. He briefly returned to Milan in 1996, but his performance was not good. In 2001, he coached Parma for a short time again and then retired.

3. Ancelotti

Ancelotti is one of the most successful coaches in Italy. He coached Milan for eight years and won the Champions League and Serie A championship twice. He coached Real Madrid in 2013 and won the Champions League and the Club World Cup in the first season. He was fired due to a league defeat in 2015, returned in 2021, won two more La Liga and Champions League titles, and led the team to win 15 trophies, and was replaced by Xavi Alonso in 2025.

2. Michels

Michels is the inventor of the "all offense and all defense" tactic. He led Ajax to win the Eredivisie four times and a Champions League championship. He switched to Barcelona in 1971 and led the team to win the La Liga championship in 1974. He briefly returned to Ajax in 1975, and returned to Barcelona in 1976, winning the Copa del Rey. He has coached the Dutch national team three times since then and led the team to the European Cup in 1988.

1. Mourinho is known as "the special one". He coached Chelsea for the first time in 2004, won two Premier League and one FA Cup in three years, and conceded only 15 goals in the 2004/05 season to set a Premier League record. After leaving office in 2007, he coached Inter Milan and Real Madrid one after another.

Returned to Chelsea in 2013 and won another Premier League championship. He was fired for his poor record in 2015 and is still one of the coaches with the most championships in Chelsea history. He coached twice and won eight championships.