Top 10 best football sporting directors today

In the world of football, the role of a sports director is extremely important and has a great influence on the success of a club or team. The best people in this field are not only excellent managers but also talented leaders, with vision and the ability to make the right strategic decisions. They not only know how to build a strong squad, but also have the ability to negotiate, find potential talents and make responsible strategic decisions. The best football sports directors are those who have contributed significantly to the success of top clubs and teams around the world. Join king soccer tips experts to look back at the list of 10 best football sporting directors today and discover their achievements and influence in the international football industry.

Top best sporting directors in football of all time

1. Guiseppe Marotta (Inter Milan)

Marotta, 63, witnessed one of the most incredible revivals in football history when Juventus rose from Serie B to become a dominant team in Serie A and a formidable force on the football front. global rock.

He became famous for signing top players on free transfers such as Andrea Pirlo, Paul Pogba, Sami Khedira, Aaron Ramsey and Adrien Rabiot, all of whom joined the Bianconeri for free. transfer. Marotta has also signed Arturo Vidal, Andrian Barzagli, Carlos Tevez, Patrice Evra and Dani Alves at very reasonable prices. He also invited Antonio Conte and then Maximiliano Allegri to lead the club during his tenure.

However, it can be said that his greatest contract was when he brought Cristiano Ronaldo back from Real Madrid. Marotta was inducted into the Italian Football Hall of Fame in 2014. After moving to Inter Milan in 2018, he was involved in improving the club’s fortunes, resulting in the Nerazzurri’s gradual return to prominence. leading in the football industry.

2. Michael Edwards (Liverpool)

Edwards is famous for his focus on detail and has made a key contribution in transforming Liverpool from an often struggling team into one of the world’s top teams.

He oversaw the appointment of Jurgen Klopp as coach and made contract deals with outstanding players such as Sadio Mane, Mohammed Salah, Andrew Robertson, Giogino Wijnaldum, Virgil Van Dijk, Allison, Fabinho, Diogo Jota, and many others, were all bold decisions that brought great results to the team.

He has also proven to be a good seller by handling transfer deals intelligently. The sale of surplus players such as Jordan Ibe, Dominic Solanke, Mammadu Sako, Christian Benteke and Danny Ings has created huge profits for Liverpool, with the highlight being the sale of Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona. Not only successful on the field, Edwards also made a strong impression in the commercial field when Liverpool earned millions of dollars from sponsorship and advertising contracts, while building a strong brand image for the team. strong and create a strong global presence.

3. Michael Zorc (Borussia Dortmund)

Michael Zorc is truly one of the masters of the football business. He shaped Borussia Dortmund into one of the top teams in both Germany and Europe, although the club faced stiff competition from Bayern Munich with its larger capital base.

Under Zorc’s leadership, Dortmund won two Bundesliga titles and reached the UEFA Champions League final in 2013, proving their competitive strength. Zorc has also played a key role in developing and promoting the careers of many promising young players from Dortmund’s academy. Talents such as Mario Gotze, Mats Hummels, Ilkay Gundogan, Christian Pulisic, Giovanni Reyna and now Yousouffa Moukoko are all products of his professional development and talent.

Zorc’s ingenuity does not stop at discovering young talents, but also turns them into superstars. This has been seen through the prominence of players such as Robert Lewandowski, Ousmane Dembele, Erling Haaland, Jadon Sancho, and now Jude Bellingham. It is a clear testament to Michael Zorc’s talent and undeniable contribution to the development of Borussia Dortmund.

4. Monchi (Sevilla)

Ramon Rodriguez Verdejo, also known by his nickname Monchi, is a powerful sports director in world football. During his first term, Monchi raised the standards of the club’s academy, which has produced outstanding talents such as Sergio Ramos, Jesus Navas, Albert Moreno and Jose Reyes.

He has also signed young players on the cheap and sold them for huge profits, with prime examples being Dani Alves, Ivan Rakitic, Jules Koundé, Diego Carlos, Federico Fazio, Carlos Bacca and Julio Baptista. Monchi has also contributed to the career development of stars such as Ever Banega, Luis Fabinho and Frederick Kanoute.

At AS Roma, he signed Julian Kluivert and Robin Olsen. Under Monchi, Sevilla have won several Europa League titles, with the latest coming last season.

5. Ralf Rangnick (Austria)

As a former coach, Rangnick identified and signed players or managers who suited the playing style of the clubs he was in charge of. He is extremely respected by the Red Bull Group, especially when working successfully at two clubs owned by this group, RB Salzburg and RB Leipzig.

In 2012, Rangnick became Red Bull’s director of football, where he played a key role in expanding the group’s presence in European football. He emphasized recruiting untested players and developing the youth system, utilizing a worldwide network of scouts and championing the attacking philosophy on the field of all the Group’s clubs. Red Bull.

Under his leadership, the clubs’ market value has skyrocketed from €120 million to €1.2 billion and they have enjoyed consistent domestic success, while also generating significant profits from player transfer. Rangnick also headed the appointment of Roger Schmidt at Salzburg and then Ralph Hassenhuttl at Leipzig. After Hassenhuttl left Leipzig, Rangnick appointed Julien Nagelsmann, who took Leipzig to a more successful level.

6. Txixi Begiristain (Manchester City)

When it comes to sporting directors capable of shaping the club’s philosophy and style of play, Txixi Begiristain is simply the best. The Catalan player is famous for promoting and establishing the “tiki-taka” style of ball possession when he was a member of Johan Cruyff’s “Dream Team” at Barcelona.

As sporting director, Begiristain implemented this style to perfection both at Barcelona and Manchester City. He oversaw the rise of Pep Guardiola’s famously winning team at Camp Nou.

He has stayed at Manchester City since 2012 and has seen the club win the Premier League three times in that time. He also played an important role in bringing Pep Guardiola to Manchester City.

7. Luis Campos (PSG)

Campos is an experienced veteran of football management, having worked with top clubs, notably Real Madrid, and with top coaches such as Jose Mourinho, in a variety of other roles. together. As Monaco’s sporting director, he changed the club’s fortunes as they won Ligue 1 against PSG and also reached the semi-finals of the Champions League.

Under his guidance, Monaco has produced outstanding young players such as Kylian Mbappé, Anthony Martial, Bernardo Silva, Thomas Lemar, and many others. After leaving his position at Monaco, Campos joined Lille, a club from mid-tier to the Champions League.

At Lille, he continued his strategy of bringing in cheap young players and selling them at high prices, such as Nicolas Pepe and Victor Osimhen. In 2022, Luis Campos joined PSG and was appointed Football Advisor. However, he essentially took on the role of sporting director of the club and brought Hugo Ekitiké, Renato Sanches and Nordi Mukiele to PSG.

8. Marcel Brands (PSV Eindhoven)

Brands began his career as sporting director of RKC Waalwijk in the Dutch Eredivisie. Under his leadership, the club went through a period of transformation from a relegation candidate to a stable mid-table side. He then left Waalwijk to join AZ and worked with Louis Van Gaal, helping the club win their second championship in their history.

After his success at AZ, Brands continued his career at PSV, where he appointed Philip Cocu as coach. Here, he and the team won three championships and especially contributed to the development of young talents such as Giogino Wijnaldum and Memphis Depay.

In 2018, Brands moved to Everton and quickly drove change at the club. He oversaw the appointment of Carlo Ancelotti as coach and also brought in many quality players such as Richarlison, Alex Iwobi, Allan, James Rodriguez and Abdoulaye Doucoure. However, on 5 December 2021, Brands left Everton to join PSV Eindhoven as sporting director.

9. Mateu Alemany Font (Barcelona)

During the 2022 summer transfer window, the name Mateu Alemany was constantly mentioned in the football fan community. This is no coincidence as he achieved one of the biggest transfer deals with Barcelona. Before joining Barcelona, Mateu Alemany had a remarkable time as coach of Valencia. His arrival at Barcelona began when Joan Laporta became President of the club and appointed Alemany to the position of Director of Football.

Alemany has played a key role in building a new squad for Barcelona in the upcoming campaigns. His task is not only to decide whether to keep or let go, but also to negotiate and recruit new players.

With excellent negotiating skills, Mateu Alemany succeeded in bringing big names such as Ferran Torres, Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha and Jules Koundé to Barcelona. With his talent and experience, he is described as an ‘assassin’ in the world of football, an expert in negotiations and knows how to make a difference.

10. Andre Berta (Athletico Madrid)

Berta is a former banker who rose from that position to become Athletico’s Sporting Director in 2017. One of his most notable achievements to date has been keeping Diego Simeone at the club. club, despite misunderstandings between the coach and the board, and the move to the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium, an extremely modern step forward for the club.

When Athletico lost a number of outstanding players in 2019, many feared that the team would go through a period of decline, but Berta quickly dispelled those fears by signing replacement stars. capable position, contributing to making the transition to a new era almost without obstacles. In his role as Sporting Director, he oversaw the signing of players such as Joe Oblak, Antoine Greizman, Joao Felix, Kieran Trippier, Renan Lodi, Felipe, Marcos Llorente and Luis Suarez.

Conclude

Looking back at the careers of the top 10 best football sporting directors, we see that they are not only talented managers but also dedicated, creative and visionary leaders. From building strong squads, creating winning strategies to developing youth systems and successfully managing the transfer market, they have made a vital contribution to the success of their clubs and brought football to a new level. Their mission is not only to win on the field but also to build and celebrate the passion, team spirit and pride of fans around the world!

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