Diego Simeone named Coach of the Decade ahead of rivals Zinedine Zidane, Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho despite winning just ONE league title with Atletico Madrid
- Argentine Diego Simeone has been selected as football Coach of the Decade
- It was decided by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics
- Simeone bettered the likes of Zinedine Zidane, Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp
- At Atletico Simeone has won just one league title but two Europa Leagues
Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone has seen off competition from the likes of Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho to be declared Coach of the Decade.
The fiery Argentine has this week had the honour bestowed on him by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS), after the numbers had been crunched on his last 10 years in the Spanish capital.
Simeone has come out on top against the likes of Guardiola, Mourinho and his main rival Zinedine Zidane, despite having just one league title to show for his time at Atletico so far.
Diego Simeone has emerged on top of his peers to be crowned Manager of the Decade
The 50-year-old has transformed them into a European powerhouse during his tenure, since transitioning from player to manager and bringing silverware to the club.
In a statement the IFFHS noted: ‘Simeone realised a great performance with his club Atletico Madrid in this decade: 1 LaLiga title, 1 Copa del Rey, 1 Super Copa Espana, 2 UEFA Europa League titles, 2 UEFA Super Cup titles and 2 times Runner-Up in UEFA Champions League Finals.
Zinedine Zidane (left) could only make seventh place while Pep Guardiola (right) sat second
| Name | Country | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Diego SIMEONE | Argentina | 152 |
| Josep GUARDIOLA | Spain | 144 |
| Jürgen KLOPP | Germany | 105 |
| Jose MOURINHO | Portugal | 91 |
| Maximiliano ALLEGRI | Italy | 77 |
| Unaï EMERY | Spain | 70 |
| Zinedine ZIDANE | France | 59 |
| Carlo ANCELOTTI | Italy | 57 |
| Mauriccio POCHETTINO | Argentina | 56 |
| Marcelo GALLARDO | Argentina | 56 |
| Antonio CONTE | Italy | 53 |
| Claudio RANIERI | Italy | 36 |
| Alex FERGUSON | Scotland | 35 |
| Luis ENRIQUE | Spain | 35 |
| Josef HEYNCKES | Germany | 34 |
| Ernesto VALVERDE | Spain | 26 |
| Arsene WENGER | France | 25 |
| Leonardo JARDIM | Portugal | 25 |
| Jesse MARSH | USA | 22 |
| Laurent BLANC | France | 21 |
‘His regularity and his power made the difference to win the Award of the Decade 2011-2020.’
During the last decade Simeone has won fewer European titles than Zidane and not as many league honour as Guardiola, but has accrued enough points in the ranking system due to his consistency at the Atletico helm.
The overall results placed Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp second and third respectively, while Real Madrid’s Champions League maestro Zidane could only feature in seventh place; one spot behind Unai Emery.
The overall result was determined by every manager’s ranking each year between 2011 and 2020, with points assigned based on their yearly finishes.
As things currently stand Simeone could finally be set to add to his La Liga title of 2012-14, with Atletico sitting proudly atop La Liga.
Jurgen Klopp has revitalised Liverpool and Jose Mourinho has stacked silverware but both managers were unable to take the top spot based on the points average
Atletico currently have a four-point lead at the top, with 41 points from 16 games played and have only lost once in this campaign.
Real Madrid sit in second on 37 points, though have played two games more than their rivals.
Barcelona, likewise, have also played 18 games and have amassed 34 points, meaning Atletico could soon take a commanding lead should they win their two games in hand.
Simeone’s men beat Sevilla 2-0 on Wednesday night, and return to action on Thursday, January 21 against Eibar.
