Argentine football coach Diego Simeone was chosen by specialized magazine FourFourTwo as the world’s 10th-best coach. El Cholo, as he’s affectionately known, has been the manager of Spanish side Atlético Madrid since 2011, winning two Spanish league titles, a Copa del Rey, and two UEFA Europa League titles, among other honors.

British magazine FourFourTwo, one of the most important in the world, compiles an annual ranking of the best 50 football coaches in the world. Described as football’s “supervillain” ever since his incident with David Beckham during the 1998 World Cup when he was still a player, Simeone came in 10th after topping the list in 2016 and coming in 7th the following year.

“For longevity alone, it’s impressive what Simeone has achieved, especially coming up against the might of Barça and Real,” states the publication. They also praised Simeone’s man management and motivating skills, arguing players will “run through brick walls” for him.

Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola, who won the treble of Premier League, FA Cup, and Champions League with the Sky Blues in 2023, is the unsurprising ranking leader. Liverpool’s Jürgen Klopp and Real Madrid’s Carlo Ancelotti complete the podium. 

The top five list, however, did offer some surprises. Mikel Arteta, who oversaw Arsenal’s collapse in the last stretch of the season after leading the Premier League for months, came in fourth. Thomas Tuchel, who’s so far failed to make the best of Bayern Munich’s dominance in the Bundesliga, sits fifth.

Simeone isn’t the only Argentine in the ranking. Chelsea’s Mauricio Pochettino was also ranked at 18th. The publication praised his ability to “get his side playing some exciting football with promising talent” during rocky times for the club.

Martin Demichelis from River Plate surprised many, reaching 35th despite having only managed for a short time and failing to make waves in the Copa Libertadores. FourFourTwo highlighted the “tough task [of] coming into River Plate to replace the iconic Marcelo Gallardo” and his immediate success in the league.