Ranking the 5 worst managers in Real Madrid's history
Managing a club like Real Madrid requires great attention to detail and an eye for talent. It is one of the toughest jobs in the sport, as the stakes are very high. The standards set at the club are high. So a manager is expected to hit the ground running as soon as they are appointed.
Many past Real Madrid managers have done so at the club, and in great style. They have been part of the reason Los Blancos have a legacy of being serial winners.
Under chairman Florentino Perez, Real Madrid have gone from strength to strength, winning every major trophy on multiple occasions. He is the think-tank and mastermind behind Real Madrid's rise to global recognition. Madrid have won 26 trophies during Perez's near two-decade-long reign as president.
Real Madrid have won 26 trophies during Florentino Perez's 18 years as club president 🤩 https://t.co/WlWuTnDjCM
One can argue that Real Madrid have always had the world's resources at their disposal. They have made record-breaking signings like Cristiano Ronaldo (£80 million from Manchester United) or Gareth Bale (£85 million from Tottenham Hotspur). They have also spent the big bucks to appoint a plethora of world-class managers.
However, like any other club, Real Madrid have also made managerial mistakes. Whether it is a lack of prior research, a stop-gap appointment or a shot in the dark - Los Blancos have had their share of misfits at their helm.
While most Real Madrid managers won a trophy or two and had a good win rate, there are some who were abysmal, to say the least. They did not manage to win the board over, let alone the raucous and passionate Santiago Bernabeu crowd.
On that note, here's a look at five such managers whose tenures in Madrid were forgettable:
#5 John Toshack (February 1999 - November 1999; 51.35% win rate)
John Toshack was a prolific striker in his playing days, netting 172 goals over 397 games for Cardiff City, Liverpool and Swansea City.
It was during his spell with the mighty Liverpool side of the 1980s that saw him reach the pinnacle of club football. Toshack won the European Cup (1976-77) and the UEFA Cup (1972-73, 1975-76) with The Reds.
The Welshman later went on to manage several sides across Europe in a career that spanned nearly 40 years. He also fittingly handed a Wales debut to Gareth Bale, who would play for Real Madrid later in his career.
May 2006
A series of injuries forced John Toshack, the veteran coach of the national team, to call upon Bale, then just 16-year-old.
He became Wales’ youngest player aged 16 years and 315 days in his debut, a friendly against Trinidad and Tobago.
thetimes.co.uk/article/gareth… https://t.co/YlHoJo8Xdw
In 1999, following the mid-season sacking of manager Guus Hiddink, Real Madrid were on the lookout for an immediate replacement ,and turned to the Welshman. John Toshack had previously managed the Los Blancos between July 1989 and November 1990, winning the La Liga title. It seemed like a smart appointment to bring him in Toshack to try and stabilise the ship mid-season.
However, in his second spell, things were not as good as they were in his first. In 37 games, Toshack's team registered only 19 wins, nine draws and nine losses. His winning percentage was down from 64% in his first spell to 51%. What was even more alarming was that Real Madrid conceded more goals (62) in Toshack's second spell than they did in his first (56) - in nearly half the number of games.
In hindsight, Toshack's appointment was nothing more than a panicked move. Real Madrid spent a huge sum to prise away the Welshman from Besiktas, whom he was managing until then. Alas, the move did not work out well for either party.
#4 Juan Ramon Lopez Caro (December 2005 - June 2006; 50% win rate)
Juan Ramon Lopez Caro has managed several club and national sides over his nearly 20-year-long career. During the 1990s, he had successive jobs in the Spanish divisions, earning a good reputation in Spain.
In his first managerial job in the 1998-99 season with UD Melilla, he propelled the side to first position in Segunda Division B. He later became manager of RCD Mallorca B, and managed them in the UEFA Intertoto Cup. Following these successes, he was snapped up by Los Blancos in 2001 as the coach of Real Madrid Castilla, the club's reserve team.
In 2005, Caro helped Castilla achieve promotion to the Segunda Division. Later that year, he was appointed as the manager of the first team after Vanderlei Luxemburgo was sacked.
In 24 games, Lopez Caro's Madrid won 12, drew nine games and lost three, though. They played a cautious style of football and lacked killer instinct on the pitch. Their win percentage was down to 50% as compared to 63% under previous manager Luxemburgo.
The opportunity to manage the main team probably came too soon for Caro, and he was soon replaced by Fabio Capello the next summer. The Italian ended up winning the La Liga title in 2006, further proving that his predecessor's appointment was a wrong one.