French football magazine names four Scots in its top 50 managers of all time

The list is understood to have taken into consideration the number of trophies won, a manager’s influence on the game, their personality and their influence on future managers.

Former Ajax, Barcelona and Netherlands coach Rinus Michels comes out on top, recognised for his four Dutch league titles, three Dutch cups and one European Cup with the Amsterdam side while he won the European Championship with the national team and led Barcelona to one league title, one Copa del Rey and one Inter-Cities Fairs Cup trophy - all in the 1970s.

In at number 2 is former Aberdeen and Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson - three Scottish league titles, 13 English league titles, four scottish Cups, five FA Cups, two Champions Leagues, two European Cup Winners’ Cups, two European Super Cups, and five League Cups.

Jock Stein, Sir Matt Busby and Bill Shankly. Pictures: Getty Images/TSPL

Arrigo Sacchi completes the top 3 thanks to his haul of silverware with AC Milan, including two European Cups, two European Supercups, two Intercontintental Cups, one Supercoppa Italiana and one Serie A title.

The rest of the top 10 comprises Johan Cruyff, Pep Guardiola, Valeri Lobanovski, Carlo Ancelotti, Helenio Herrera, Ernst Happel and former Liverpool boss Bill Shankly at number ten.

Shankly, who led the Reds to four league titles, two FA Cups and one UEFA Cup is one place ahead of fellow Scot Sir Matt Busby.

Busby was the first English manager to win a European Cup (1967/68) and led Manchester United to five league titles and two FA Cups.

Sir Alex Ferguson is the highest-ranked Scot at number 2. Picture: John Devlin

The fourth Scot in the list is legendary Celtic boss Jock Stein at number 34. The former centre-back had already won the Scottish Cup with Dunfermline and the Summer Cup with Hibs before joining the Hoops. Along with ten league titles, eight Scottish Cups and six Scottish League Cups, Stein’s finest moment was winning the European Cup with Celtic’s Lisbon Lions team in 1967.

His placement of 34 ranks him above the likes of Rafael Benitez, Bobby Robson, Frank Rijkaard, Otto Rehhagel and Antonio Conte and just behind Diego Simeone, Arsene Wenger and Vicente del Bosque.

Other managers who have been, or are currently, employed in Britain include Jose Mourinho (Number 13), Brian Clough (15), Louis van Gaal (18), Fabio Capello (21), Herbert Champman (24), Bob Paisley (26), Jurgen Klopp (27), Guus Hiddink (29), Vic Buckingham (36) and Marcelo Bielsa (48).

Full list

1. Rinus Michels

2. Alex Ferguson

3. Arrigo Sacchi

4. Johan Cruyff

5. Pep Guardiola

6. Valeri Lobanovski

7. Helenio Herrera

8. Carlo Ancelotti

9. Ernst Happel

10. Bill Shankly

11. Matt Busby

12. Giovanni Trapattoni

13. Jose Mourinho

14. Miguel Munoz

15. Brian Clough

16. Marcello Lippi

17. Nerero Rocco

18. Louis van Gaal

19. Ottmar Hitzfeld

20. Bela Guttmann

21. Fabio Capello

22. Zinedine Zidane

23. Viktor Maslov

24. Herbert Chapman

25. Jupp Heynckes

26. Bob Paisley

27. Jurgen Klopp

28. Albert Batteux

29. Guus Hiddink

30. Udo Lattek

31. Diego Simeone

32. Arsene Wenger

33. Vicente Del Bosque

34. Jock Stein

35. Tele Santana

36. Vic Buckingham

37. Rafa Benitez

38. Hennes Weisweiler

39. Bobby Robson

40. Dettmar Cramer

41. Mircea Lucescu

42. Tomislav Ivic

43. Stefan Kovacs

44. Luis Aragones

45. Frank Rijkaard

46. Otto Rehhagel

47. Raymond Goethals

48. Marcelo Bielsa

49. Antonio Conte

50. Jean-Claude Suaudeau