It has been a season full of shocks and surprise packages, but which coach deserves the most credit for their work?
Another gruelling European season is drawing to a close, with the continent's biggest prize on the line in the final competitive match of the campaign on Saturday as Real Madrid take on Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League final at Wembley. For those not involved, though, it's a time to take stock and reflect on another nine months of hard work.
Across Europe, 2023-24 will go down as one of the most extraordinary club seasons in recent memory, as teams in each of the top five leagues punched well above their weight – some to an unprecedented extent – and others wrote their own history away from the spotlight; it has truly been a season for the underdog.
But who are the coaches who have masterminded these success stories and deserve special praise? Below, GOAL ranks the 21 managers across Europe who have done the very best jobs…
Getty21Bo Henriksen (Mainz)
Mainz seemed completely doomed when Bo Henriksen was appointed in January, with the club nine points from safety in the Bundesliga. However, the Dane masterminded a stunning turnaround off the back of a Harry Kane-inspired 8-1 walloping by Bayern Munich, as Die Nullfunfer went nine games unbeaten to finish the season two points clear of the relegation play-off place.
Advertisementgetty images20Edin Terzic (Borussia Dortmund)
The domestic season was a thoroughly uninspiring one for Dortmund and Edin Terzic, with BVB finishing fifth in the Bundesliga, a whopping 27 points behind German champions Bayer Leverkusen, and exiting the DFB-Pokal at the round-of-16 stage. However, despite all of that, Terzic finds himself on the cusp of history with one game left to play this season: the Champions League final against Real Madrid on Saturday.
The young coach has overseen an impressive European campaign, with the underdogs' semi-final defeat of Paris Saint-Germain particularly eye-catching- a result that incidentally helped to secure Champions League qualification next season as the UEFA coefficient handed the Bundesliga a fifth spot.
(C)Getty Images19Arne Slot (Feyenoord)
Bigger things beckon for Arne Slot, who is on his way to the Premier League to replace Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool, but he bid farewell to Feyenoord by delivering more silverware and another memorable campaign in Rotterdam. Although he was not able to retain the Eredivisie title he claimed in 2023, Slot guided Feyenoord to a Dutch Cup triumph and they were PSV's closest challengers in the league, finishing second to qualify for the Champions League.
(C)Getty Images18Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool)
Ultimately it was a case of what could have been for Klopp and Liverpool, as a challenge for a potential quadruple in what would become the German's final season at the club eventually evaporated. Still, it was a season to remember as a rebuilt Reds side recovered from a rough 2022-23 campaign to play their part in a scintillating Premier League title race against Manchester City and Arsenal, only falling away at the death.
A third-place finish was commendable, and they still collected some silverware along the way in the form of the Carabao Cup. Klopp will be deeply missed at Anfield, in the Premier League and beyond.