The Best FIFA Men’s Coach Nominees in focus
Some of football’s finest coaches have been shortlisted for the award. Guardiola, Inzaghi, Postecoglou, Spalletti and Xavi nominated for the award. Winner will be announced at The Best FIFA Football Awards
The five candidates for the Best FIFA Men’s Coach Award have each led their respective sides to glory during 2023.
FIFA profiles the men who have made the shortlist and highlights their standout successes.
Pep Guardiola
The trophy-laden career of Pep Guardiola reached new heights during 2023, as he became the first coach to lift a second European treble, adding to his 2009 exploits with Barcelona.
His Manchester City side battled their way to a third consecutive Premier League title and defeated Manchester United in the FA Cup final, before the Spaniard masterminded his crowning glory. A 1-0 UEFA Champions League final victory over Inter Milan – secured by Rodri, a fellow nominee in The Best FIFA Football Awards™ – rounded off the stunning achievement.
Did you know?
Guardiola is the first coach since Alex Ferguson in 1999 to win the treble with an English club.
Simone Inzaghi
Inzaghi lifted both the Supercoppa Italia and the Coppa Italia with Inter Milan during a hugely-successful year, all while taking the Nerazzurri to a first Champions League final since 2010.
The Italian negotiated a group stage which included tournament heavyweights Bayern Munich and Barcelona, and presided over knockout-stage wins against Porto and Benfica before a historic semi-final defeat of city rivals AC Milan.
Did you know?
This was the second consecutive season that Inzaghi had won both domestic trophies with Inter Milan.
Ange Postecoglou
Postecoglou’s swashbuckling style of play brought Celtic just the eighth domestic treble of the club’s history.
That achievement didn’t go unrecognised, as the Australian was named the Professional Footballers’ Association Scotland Manager of the Season and the Scottish Football Writer’s Manager of the Season for 2022/23.
Did you know?
During 22/23, Postecoglou’s Celtic scored a remarkable 114 league goals. The total set a new post-war record for the Bhoys.
Luciano Spalletti
An unforgettable year for Napoli fans, 2023 saw the Scudetto return to Naples for the first time in more than 30 years. At the heart of it was the much-heralded Spalletti.
In just the 64-year-old’s second season, the Gli Azzurri romped to the title with a record-equalling five games to spare, while reaching the quarter-finals of the Champions League for the first time in the club’s history. Following the achievement, Spalletti was named the Serie A coach of the year for the first time.
Did you know?
Spalletti is the first Napoli coach to win the Scuedetto without Diego Maradona in his side, with the club’s only other title successes coming in 1987 and 1990.
Xavi
After returning in 2021 to the club he featured for more than 500 times as a player, Xavi lifted his first trophies as Barcelona’s coach during a memorable 22/23 campaign. A 3-1 Supercopa de Espana victory over Real Madrid in Riyadh in January set the tone for a supremely impressive second half of the season.
The Blaugrana lost just two league games in 2023 before confirming their 27th league title and their first since 2019. Over the course of the season, Xavi’s men conceded just 20 goals in La Liga, the fewest across Europe’s five major leagues last term.
Did you know?
Xavi is the first-ever Barça coach to be nominated for the Best FIFA Men’s Coach award.
