Diego Maradona’s best managers ever

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Most managers wanted the chance to coach Diego Maradona, but only a few had that honour.

Some of the all-time greats got to have a go at managing the Argentine, many of whom found a way to convert his genius into silverware.

Let’s take a look at some of the best.

Managers don’t come much more successful than the great Udo Lattek, who dominated in Germany and met Maradona in Barcelona in 1982.

An elite manager and a superstar talent, Lattek and Maradona absolutely should have done great things at Barcelona, but for whatever reason, things didn’t work out.

Lattek was replaced in 1983 and returned to Germany, where he continued to rack up Bundesliga titles. He retired with eight, as well as European cups with Bayern Munich, Gladbach and Barcelona.

The man brought in to replace Lattek at Barcelona, Cesar Luis Menotti was tasked with bringing the best out of Maradona in 1983/84, and his return of the Copa del Rey, Copa de la Liga and Supercopa suggests that worked,

Maradona actually knew all about Menotti at that point as it was under him that he made his Argentina debut in 1977 at the age of 17.

The boss controversially left Maradona out of his squad for the 1978 World Cup, but his decision was justified as Argentina went on to lift the trophy.

Terry VenablesTerry Venables

Venables was ordered to sell Maradona / Stu Forster/GettyImages

Finishing off Maradona’s spell in Barcelona, we have Terry Venables, who oversaw the Argentine’s departure from Camp Nou just a few weeks into his reign.

Venables would go on to win La Liga in 1984/85, but the vast majority of his career was spent in England, where the respect he garnered from players was not always shared by fans.

He spent time with plenty of teams, including both Tottenham and England, and although he failed to match his title triumph in Barcelona, he remains one of English football’s most well-respected managers.

Diego Maradona, Ottavio BianchiDiego Maradona, Ottavio Bianchi

Bianchi enjoyed plenty of success with Maradona / Etsuo Hara/GettyImages

Known as the man behind Maradona’s Napoli, Ottavio Bianchi’s career is synonymous with the diminutive Argentine.

He led Napoli to their first Serie A title in 1987 and also added the Coppa Italia for good measure, and before his time in Naples was up, he would add the UEFA Cup to his trophy cabinet.

Bianchi then went on to enjoy reasonable success with Roma, before returning to Napoli shortly after Maradona’s departure.

Diego Maradona, Carlos BilardoDiego Maradona, Carlos Bilardo

Bilardo helped bring the best out of Maradona / Etsuo Hara/GettyImages

Maradona was obviously the star of Argentina’s run to World Cup glory in 1986, but Carlos Bilardo was the mastermind behind it.

Bilardo sent shockwaves around Europe with his perfect use of the 3-5-2 formation, which gave Maradona infinite freedom and zero responsibility. It was under Bilardo that Maradona really exploded.

The boss also led Argentina to the 1990 World Cup final, doing so despite Maradona battling a debilitating injury for the entire tournament.

Maradona worked with legendary Argentine Alfio Basile towards the end of his career with his national team.

Their time together wasn’t great – the 1994 World Cup ended in disgrace for Maradona – but it did not harm Basile’s legacy as one of the top coaches in the country’s history.

Having delivered a famous Supercopa Sudamerica with Racing Club in 1988, he went on to win Copa America twice with Argentina, before winning five cups in two years with Boca Juniors.