Nobody would argue that both Sir Alex Ferguson and Pep Guardiola are two of the Premier League's best ever managers. What the pair have accomplished on English soil is a remarkable feat.
While Manchester United boss, 'Fergie' created multiple title-winning teams which dominated in England and in Europe. His 13 Premier League trophies remain a record, and likely will do for some time. Guardiola, meanwhile, trails just behind him in terms of all-time career trophies, but his Manchester City teams were just as impressive. Winning four league titles on the spin and amassing the most points in a single season are both remarkable achievements in their own right.
But for Jose Mourinho, another iconic manager in the annals of the English top tier, neither Ferguson nor Guardiola deserve the moniker 'Greatest Premier League Manager of All Time'. For the Chelsea legend, another gaffer is more deserving of the honour.
Mourinho's Best Premier League Manager
Hailed his achievements as 'unique'
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Speaking to former Chelsea player John Obi Mikel in 2025, Mourinho was asked to pick between Ferguson and Guardiola for the Premier League's best coach. The Fenerbahce boss couldn't decide between the pair, describing the choice as "impossible."
However, Mourinho did say that when it came to debating the greats, Claudio Ranieri would be his personal pick. He labelled the Italian coach "the historical one" for his surprise title-winning 2015/16 season at Leicester City. He said:
"Fergie or Pep? Impossible to compare [Ferguson and Guardiola] generations, impossible to compare the potential to do things
"But both of them are historical in the Premier League. But I would still say, for me, the historical one in the Premier League is Ranieri.
"Because to win with Leicester, it’s something unique."
Mourinho certainly has a point about how unique Ranieri's triumph at the King Power was. While Ferguson and Guardiola led powerhouses to England's summit, the former Chelsea boss overcame the traditional "Big Six" to lift silverware, amassing 81 points as Leicester finished 10 ahead of second-placed Arsenal.
Mourinho Once Labelled Ranieri a 'Loser'
Portuguese manager changed his tune after Leicester triumph
However, Mourinho was not always so quick to praise Ranieri, who he succeeded as Chelsea boss in 2004. The Portuguese manager had been particularly disparaging of his predecessor after first arriving in England, labelling him "a loser."
"In 2004, after coming to Chelsea and asking why Ranieri was replaced, I was told they wanted to win and it was never going to happen with him.
"It is really not my fault if he was considered a loser at Chelsea."
He followed up on that insult in 2008, stating that the Italian had not won anything important in his career. Yet, after Leicester won the Premier League in 2016, Mourinho changed his tune. Not only did he rank the Italian above the likes of Ferguson and Guardiola, but he also confessed that what Ranieri had achieved at Leicester trumped all of the league titles he won while at Stamford Bridge.
"Chelsea supporters do not forget what I did and in my opinion Claudio did even more for Leicester," he said. "What he did there was bigger than all of the titles I won at Chelsea and in 50 years’ time the Leicester fans will still know that."
Unfortunately for Ranieri, his demise at the City Ground followed shortly after his success. Dragged into a relegation battle in 2016/17, he was harshly dismissed by the board in February 2017. But like Mourinho said, no Foxes fan will ever forget the remarkable achievement he accomplished while their manager.