Over time, football player prices have risen significantly, with deals in the hundred-million-euro range becoming a regular occurrence. Coaches are often behind these massive transactions, with Pep Guardiola from Spain and Portugal’s Jose Mourinho leading the way.
Guardiola and Mourinho are undoubtedly among the top football coaches of the modern era, perhaps even at the pinnacle. Pep holds a record of 39 titles, outpacing all his peers, including Mourinho, who has secured 26 titles.
The entry of Gulf countries into European football investment around 15 years ago brought substantial financial resources for acquiring top players and coaches. The trend began with the United Arab Emirates purchasing Manchester City via the Abu Dhabi United Group in 2008, followed by Qatar acquiring Paris Saint-Germain through Qatar Sports Investments in 2011.
Although heavy spending was present before Gulf investments, competition surged with the involvement of the UAE, Qatar, and later Saudi Arabia. Club owners began investing millions every season to secure high-profile deals.
Guardiola vs Mourinho: Who Spends the Most in Football History?
Guardiola is the highest-spending coach in football history, investing an astonishing €2.1 billion over 16 years (from 2008 to 2024) while managing Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and Manchester City. Unsurprisingly, most of his spending occurred at Manchester City, a club with significant financial backing. Jack Grealish tops Pep’s most expensive signings, with City paying €120 million to acquire him from Aston Villa in 2021.
The highest-spending coaches in football history (amounts in euros).
Rank | Coach | Titles | Amount Spent (€) |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Pep Guardiola | 39 | 2.1 billion |
2 | Jose Mourinho | 26 | 1.9 billion |
3 | Carlo Ancelotti | 29 | 1.8 billion |
4 | Massimiliano Allegri | 15 | 1.5 billion |
5 | Diego Simeone | 10 | 1.5 billion |
6 | Antonio Conte | 8 | 1.4 billion |
7 | Manuel Pellegrini | 9 | 1.3 billion |
8 | Thomas Tuchel | 13 | 1.3 billion |
9 | Unai Emery | 11 | 1.3 billion |
10 | Mauricio Pochettino | 3 | 1.2 billion |
Pep Guardiola is the only coach to surpass the €2 billion mark on player transfers. Right behind him is Jose Mourinho, who spent slightly less, around €1.9 billion, over 24 years (from 2000 until now).
Mourinho: A Master of European Success
Mourinho has left a mark on every club he has managed, including Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan, Real Madrid, Manchester United, Tottenham, Roma, and his current club, Fenerbahce. During this time, he claimed 26 titles.
Remarkably, Mourinho is the only coach to have won all three UEFA-sanctioned European competitions: the Champions League, the Europa League, and the European Conference League. He lifted the Champions League trophy with Porto in 2004 and Inter in 2010, the Europa League with Porto in 2003 and Manchester United in 2017, and most recently won the European Conference League with Roma in 2022.
Jose Mourinho becoming the first ever manager to win all the Three UEFA Club Competitions in the History of Football is a record that will never be broken !
— MourinhoXtra™ (@Mourinho_Xtra) June 3, 2022
✅ UEFA Champions League
✅ UEFA Europa League
✅ UEFA Europa Conference League
The Special One 🐐 pic.twitter.com/sjO32JihJf
Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti, currently managing Real Madrid, follows closely in third place, having spent €1.8 billion on transfers while securing 29 titles. Massimiliano Allegri comes next, spending €1.5 billion on transfers.
The rest of the top-spending football coaches are listed in the table, including former Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp, ranked eleventh with €1.1 billion spent, and Portuguese coach Jorge Jesus of Saudi club Al Hilal, ranked twelfth with around €1 billion in transfers. Jesus’s notable signing includes Brazilian Neymar, acquired from Paris Saint-Germain for €90 million in the summer of 2023.