Ranking the 5 greatest Argentine managers in football history

#3 Marcelo Bielsa

Marcelo Bielsa during the clash with Newcastle United

Famously known as 'El Loco', Marcelo Bielsa is the person who perfectly justifies the nickname translated as 'the crazy'. He technically invented the 3-3-3-1 formation which has been used on almost every team he ever managed. This formation of his helps the team shift quickly from a defensive to offensive, and vice versa.

After a failed attempt in forging a successful playing career, Bielsa started his journey as a manager in 1980. Although he has won only a few trophies, he will always be remembered for his contributions to football.

Bielsa managed his national side from 1998 to 2004. In his final year, he helped Argentina win their first-ever Olympic gold medal in 56 years. They also became the first Latin American team to do so.

In 2018, he joined Leeds United and became the club's highest-paid manager. He guided the club back into the Premier League and has been entertaining us with his famous high-paced style of football. In 2020, he achieved third place for the best FIFA football coach.

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#2 Cesar Luis Menotti

Photo courtesy: Twitter

Cesar Luis Menotti was so passionate about coaching that he became a manager the same year he retired. Starting from 1970, he managed around 20 teams before calling time in 2007.

Menotti rose to fame when he managed Argentina's football team in 1974. He was leading them in the 1978 FIFA World Cup. Although the road to the final was bumpy, he created history when his side defeated the Netherlands 3-1 to lift their first ever World Cup. This achievement has directly put him on the greatest of all time list.

A year later he took over Argentina's youth team and went on to do the same as they won the U-20 FIFA World Cup in 1979. Adding to his supremacy, he won a treble of Copa del Rey, Copa de La Liga and Supercopa de Espana with Barcelona in his only year with them.

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#1 Diego Simeone

Valencia CF v Club Atletico de Madrid - La Liga Santander

With a decent playing and an exquisite managerial career, Diego Simeone grabs the top spot as the greatest Argentine manager of all time. One can debate as much as they want, but the things achieved by Atletico Madrid during Simeone's tenure would not have been possible without him.

The 51-year-old can always flaunt himself for representing Inter Milan, Lazio, Sevilla and Atletico Madrid as a player, but his managerial reign at Atletico still stands tall. Simeone took over the duties at Atletico Madrid in 2011. The rest, as they say, is history.

In his first season, he won the UEFA Europa League. In the 2013-14 season, he was the one who broke the Barcelona-Real Madrid dominance by winning the La Liga title. He did the same again in the 2020-21 season.

Along with this, Simeone has won five more trophies and that is something to boast about in a league dominated by two clubs before his arrival. There has been plenty of criticism regarding his defensive tactics. But as long as his tactics deliver results, no critics are worth heeding to.