With a new contract for Arsene Wenger, the Frenchman is on his way to extending his record amongst the longest serving managers of all time.
Next season, Wenger will enter his 22nd season at the club, a feat that hasn’t been achieved by many managers and is occupied by some of the best in the business.
So where does Wenger ranked amongst the longest serving managers in football?
Sir Alex Ferguson – 27 years, Manchester United
1986 – 2013
Possibly Arsene Wenger’s greatest rival, Sir Alex Ferguson lead Manchester United for 27 years.
Ferguson is the most successful manager of all time, and during his time at Manchester United, there weren’t plenty of honours and titles on offer for other clubs.
Honours: Premier League (13), FA Cup (5), League Cup (4), Champions League (2), Cup Winners’ Cup (1), Club World Cup (1), Premier League Manager of the Season (11), UEFA Manager of the Year (1), LMA Manager of the Year (4), LMA Manager of the Decade (1)
Willie Maley – 43 years, Celtic
1897 – 1940
Maley was offered a managerial role at Celtic when he was just 29-years-old and led the club for the astonishing 43 seasons. He won 30 major trophies and his team still holds the British record of 62-matches unbeaten between 1915 and 1917.
Honours: Scottish League (16), Scottish Cup (14)
Bill Struth – 34 years, Rangers
1920 – 1954
Leading Celtic’s fiercest rivals, Struth picked up 30 major trophies, managing to win five successive league titles for Rangers. In his honour, the main stand of Ibrox is named after him.
Honours: Scottish League (18), Scottish Cup (10), Scottish League Cup (2)
Guy Roux – 44 years, Auxerre
1961 – 2005
The second longest serving manger on this list spent over four decades as Auxerre manager but also had few spells outside the club when he took over French national squad in 1962, and in 2000 when he was assigned as general manager. During his time, Auxerre moved from amateur leagues participants to Ligue 1 title challengers.
Honours: Ligue 1 (1), Ligue 2 (1), Coupe de France (4), Intertoto Cup (1), Ligue 1 Manager of the Year (1)
Vittorio Pozzo – 19 years, Italy
1929 – 1948
Pozzo holds the record for the longest serving national manager in Europe. He was the first official coach of Italy and won two World Cups while also managing to win Olympic gold medal between the tournaments.
He is credited with the tactical development of the “Metodo” formation also known as “WW”.
Honours: World Cup (2), Olympic gold medal (1)
Sir Walter Winterbottom – 16 years, England
1946 – 1962
The longest serving England national coach led them to four consecutive World Cups, reaching the quarter-final in three. He was knighted for his services to sport and his bust was unveiled on the 100th anniversary of his birth at the team’s base at St George’s Park.
Honours: Brittish Home Championship (10)
Fred Everiss – 46 years, West Brom
1902 – 1948
The longest serving “secretary manager” of English football, even though his official role didn’t include picking the team. Everiss started working at the club when he was 14-years-old and stayed there until his death in 1951. Truly a man who lived for his club.
Honours: First Division (1), Secon Division (2), FA Cup (1)
Ignacio Quereda – 27 years, Spain Women
1988 – 2015
The Spaniard led the woman’s team for 139 matches, and managed to reach European Championships on two occasions as well as their first ever appearance at the Women’s World Cup in 2015.