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The Only South American Winning Managers in Ligue 1

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Only a few South American managers have been able to win the French top tier in history.

Ligue 1 is one of the European top five leagues today. Despite its decline following the departure of their global stars such as Neymar Jr, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe, it remains attractive to lure new stars to compete there. 

The most recent one is Georgia sensation, Kvicha Kvaratashelia who decided to leave Napoli and joined PSG in the transfer window or Argentine young star, Thiago Almada who signed for Lyon last January. Ligue 1’s reputation as the league which provides more chances for young players in the first team continue to be its main interests. 

The well-known foreign managers are also keen on plying their trade there. The likes of Carlo Ancelotti, Marcelo Bielsa, Thomas Tuchel, and currently Luis Enrique and Roberto De Zerbi are some of those top names from abroad who have signed for the Ligue 1 sides. 

Unfortunately, very few of them are from South America. The last Latino boss in charge of a French club was Jorge Sampaoli. Sadly, the former Chile and Argentina national team boss was relieved from his duties in Rennes last January, or only three months from his appointment.

In Ligue 1 history, the number of South American gaffers who thrived and snatched league titles is so low in contrast to French and European bosses. These three are the exceptional figures who did. Unsurprisingly, none of them is from Brazil.

Conrad Ross (Uruguay)

The Uruguayan boss was the first notable South American coach in French top flight history. He had a glorious stint in Sochaux in the 1930s as he delivered prestigious silverware, two league titles in 1935 and 1938 and French Cup in 1937. 

Ross initially was recruited as a player-manager in the 1934/35 season before fully working on the sideline from 1936 to 1939. His success with his previous club, Switzerland’s Urania Geneve Sport as he helped them reach Championship playoff in the 1931/32 season marked his potential as a manager. 

However, he did not continue his managerial career in Europe as World War II escalated. The former Portuguese man opted to return to South America in 1940 and took charge of his former club for a year. Ross spent his remaining career in Brazil with brief stints in Sao Paulo, Palmeiras, Guarani and America FC.

Luis Carniglia (Argentina)

The Argentine boss was famous for his spell in Madrid as he brought them to lift the European Cup trophy twice in 1958 and 1959, plus win La Liga 1958. Yet, before he wandered around Spain and Italy, Carniglia started off his remarkable career as a manager with OGC Nice. He was able to clinch the league title in his first season in charge in the1955/56 season. Unfortunately, his team’s form dipped in the following season leading to his departure to La Liga powerhouse. 

After spending most of his career in Italy with Fiorentina, AS Bari, AS Roma, AC Milan, Bologna and Juventus,with brief stint in Deportivo La Coruna and his home soil, San Lorenzo, the ex-striker returned to France one last time to be at the helm of Bordeaux in 1978. Carniglia failed to replicate his success with Nice there as his team only finished tenth in the standings. 

Apart from his impressive stint in Nice and Real Madrid, Carniglia only thrived in AS Roma, Fiorentina and Bologna. He led Giallorossi to snatch their first continental trophy, Fairs Cup 1961, the predecessor of UEFA Cup. The Argentine boss also guided La Viola and Rossoblu to finish second in 1960 and 1966. 

Mauricio Pochettino (Argentina)

The current USMNT boss is the last manager from CONMEBOL who won the French top tier league. Poch did it inhis second season in the 2021/22 with Lionel Messi,Neymar and Kylian Mbappe in the squad. He also clinched the French Cup in 2021. 

The Argentine boss has yet really been successful in delivering silverware elsewhere. His best achievement was guiding Tottenham to advance to their first ever Champions League final in 2019 and finish second in the Premier League 2017. 

His last club was Chelsea in the 2023/24 season. He managed to steady the ship in Stamford Bridge and brought them to finish sixth. Unfortunately, his spell there was cut short as his contract was terminated on mutual consent. It was due to his disagreement with the club management on the transfer strategy for the upcoming season. 

Prior to taking charge of Spurs, the former defender was at the helm of Espanyol and Southampton. Their best finish during his tenure was only in the eighth place on the table. 


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