10 finalists for FIFA's manager of the year

FIFA has broken off from the Ballon d'Or and re-instituted its own awards for 2016. "The Best" honors the top players and managers around the world, and this year's crop of 10 finalists for best manager for men's soccer is quite the list. Between Claudio Ranieri's achievement in leading Leicester City to the Premier League title and Zinedine Zidane stepping in to guide Real Madrid to an 11th Champions League trophy, there are plenty of deserving candidates. Here's who may take home the honors on Jan. 9, 2017, in Zurich.

Author:
SI Staff
Publish date:
Nov 2, 2016

10 finalists for FIFA's manager of the year

Zinedine Zidane, Real Madrid

A legend as a player, Zinedine Zidane stepped in for Rafa Benitez in January and led Real Madrid to its 11th Champions League title. Real Madrid nearly made up massive ground to win La Liga, but fell a point short of Barcelona.

Fernando Santos, Portugal

Fernando Santos oversaw Portugal's stunning run to the Euro 2016 title, overcoming an injury to Cristiano Ronaldo in the final to lift the nation's first major international trophy.

Claudio Ranieri, Leicester City

Claudio Ranieri oversaw the greatest championship story in Premier League history, pulling all the right strings in leading 3,000-1 underdog Leicester City to the title. The club is also poised to get through its first Champions League group and reach the knockout stage.

Pep Guardiola, Manchester City

Before leaving for Manchester City, Pep Guardiola led Bayern Munich to a record fourth straight Bundesliga title. Bayern bowed out of the Champions League in the semifinals.

Mauricio Pochettino, Tottenham

Mauricio Pochettino led Tottenham back to the Champions League and had Spurs in contention for the Premier League title, ultimately settling for a third-place finish.

Diego Simeone, Atletico Madrid

Diego Simeone continues to do wonders at Atletico Madrid, leading the club to the Champions League final for a second time in third years (though suffering heartbreak on the grand stage) and also guiding Atleti to within three points of La Liga's title.

Chris Coleman, Wales

Chris Coleman spearheaded Wales's stunning charge to the Euro 2016 semifinals, which included a landmark victory over world No. 2 Belgium in the quarterfinals.

Didier Deschamps, France

Didier Deschamps had France on the cusp of winning Euro 2016 on home soil, leading Les Bleus to the final, where they ultimately fell in extra time to Portugal.

Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool

Jurgen Klopp took over at Liverpool last October and helped revitalize the club, bringing it to the Europa League final.

Luis Enrique, Barcelona

Luis Enrique guided Barcelona back to the top of La Liga for a second straight season, though the club's effort to repeat in the Champions League ended in the quarterfinals.