German boss top 

©TM/IMAGO

The Champions League is back for the quarter-finals with eight remaining clubs competing to win the biggest and most prestigious club tournament in the world. UEFA reformatted the tournament this season with the league phase replacing the traditional groups and it made for a thrilling final matchday before the knockout phase.But it’s from the quarter-finals forward that the Champions League reaches its pinnacle when jeopardy increases as clubs get closer to the final in Munich.

Arsenal, Aston Villa, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Real Madrid, Inter Milan and PSG will be dreaming of glory this season. Madrid are vying for their 16th European Cup this season after emerging victorious against Dortmund in the Wembley final last season, while Carlo Ancelotti – the most decorated manager in Champions League history – is aiming for his sixth title. But which manager has the best points per game (ppg) record since the competition was renamed the Champions League in 1992? We’ve analysed Transfermarkt data of coaches with a minimum of 25 games in the competition to find out.

Which managers have the best Champions League points per game record?

Barcelona are amongst the favourites to lift the coveted trophy this season and Catalan supporters’ hopes will be bolstered by Hansi Flick boasting the points ppg record. The German has amassed 74 points from 28 matches in the Champions League at an average of 2.64 ppg and he famously won it with Bayern Munich in 2020. As the graphic below illustrates, the top three coaches with the best ppg records have all coached at Bayern Munich with Jupp Heynckes second and Pep Guardiola.

Guardiola and fifth-ranked Zinédine Zidane are the only two managers to win the Champions League on three occasions – two behind Ancelotti’s record of five. Frank Rijkaard completes the top five with the Dutchman winning it with Barcelona after beating Arsenal in the 2006 final. Besire Flick, only two other managers in the top ten remain in the tournament this season – Luis Enrique (2.00) and Ancelotti (1.97). Some notable managers feature in the top 20 with Sir Alex Ferguson in 15th (1.88), Jürgen Klopp 16th (1.85) and José Mourinho 19th (1.83).