Best Sporting Directors In Football
A Sporting Director (also known as a Football Director) is an executive management position in a sports organisation. In football, the sporting director acts as a liaison between the manager and the board, giving the manager more freedom to focus on what happens on the field. A sporting director’s role has become integral and important in modern football, particularly at the highest level.
The duties of a sporting director vary depending on the club; some are given more authority over all aspects of the club, such as hiring and firing managers, scouting recruitment, signing/renewing contracts, and managing the club’s facilities, while others are appointed for specific roles.
1. GUISEPPE MAROTTA (INTER MILAN)
![](https://jaybesttrends.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/images-72-1.jpg)
Marotta, 63, oversaw one of football’s greatest comebacks, as Juventus rose from Serie B to become the dominant team in Serie A and a global force.
Andrea Pirlo, Paul Pogba, Sami Khedira, Aaron Ramsey, and Adrien Rabiot all joined the Old Lady on free transfers.
He signed Arturo Vidal, Andrian Barzagli, Carlos Tevez, Patrice Evra, and Dani Alves on cheap deals. During his tenure, he appointed Antonio Conte and later Maximiliano Allegri as managers.
Cristiano Ronaldo, who was signed from Real Madrid, is arguably his best signing. Marotta was inducted into the Italian Football Hall of Fame in 2014.
He joined Inter Milan in 2018 and has helped the club’s fortunes since then as the Nerrazurri gradually return to the top.
2. MICHAEL EDWARDS (LIVERPOOL)
![](https://jaybesttrends.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/images-73-2.jpg)
Top Football Sporting Directors
Edwards is known for his attention to detail and has helped Liverpool go from underachievers to the best team in the world.
He oversaw the appointment of Jurgen Klopp as manager and the signings of Sadio Mane, Mohammed Salah, Andrew Robertson, Giogino Wijnaldum, Virgil Van Dijk, Allison, Fabinho, and Diogo Jota, among others, on fantastic deals.
He has also proven to be a good seller, selling surplus players like Jordan Ibe, Dominic Solanke, Mammadu Sako, Christian Benteke, and Danny Ings on profitable deals, with his most notable sale being Phillipe Coutinho to Barcelona.
Edwards has also been impressive commercially, with Liverpool raking in millions as one of the best brands on the planet.
3. MICHAEL ZORC (BORUSSIA DORTMUND)
![](https://jaybesttrends.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/images-74-2.jpg)
Zorc is unquestionably one of the best in the business. He has made Dortmund one of the top teams in Germany and Europe, with the club competing well with Bayern despite their limited resources.
In the last decade, the club won two Bundesliga titles at the expense of Bayern Munich and advanced to the UEFA Champions League final in 2013.
Zorc has overseen the development of great young players from the academy, including Mario Gotze, Thomas Hummels, Ilkay Gundogan, Christian Pulisic, Giovanni Reyna, and now Yousouffa Moukoko.
As we’ve seen with Robert Lewandowski, Ousmane Dembele, Erling Haaland, Jadon Sancho, and now Jude Bellingham, he has the ability to spot promising young players and turn them into superstars.
Zorc has also made a fortune for Dortmund by selling Christian Pulisic, Henrik Mkhitaryan, Emerick Aubameyang, and Ousmane Dembele.
4. MONCHI (SEVILLA)
![](https://jaybesttrends.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/images-75.jpg)
Football’s Best Sporting Director
Ramon Rodriguez Verdejo, also known as Monchi, is a powerful sporting director in the world of football. He is currently in his second stint at Sevilla.
During his first tenure, Monchi raised the standard of the club’s academy, which eventually produced fantastic talents such as Sergio Ramos, Jesus Navas, Albert Moreno, and Jose Reyes.
He also signed young players on the cheap and sold them for huge profits, with Dani Alves, Ivan Rakitic, Jukes Koundé, Diego Carlos, Federico Fazio, Carlos Bacca, and Julio Baptista being prime examples.
Monchi also relaunched the careers of Ever Banega, Luis Fabinho, and Frederick Kanoute.
He brought Julian Kluivert and Robin Olsen to Roma. Sevilla has won several Europa League titles during Monchi’s two tenures, the most recent being last season.
5. RALF RANGNICK (AUSTRIA)
![](https://jaybesttrends.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/images-77-1.jpg)
Rangnick, a former coach, identifies and signs players or managers who are a perfect fit for his club’s playing style.
Rangnick is highly regarded by the Red Bull Group, which owns Red Bull clubs, two of which he has successfully worked at (RB Salzburg and RB Leipzig).
He was instrumental in bringing Roger Schmidt to Salzburg and, later, Ralph Hassenhuttl to Leipzig. Rangnick replaced Hassenhuttl with Julien Nagelsmann, who has led Leipzig to greater success.
The 62-year-old has a knack for spotting and recruiting young players and then selling them for huge profits, as he did with Sadio Mane, Joshua Kimmich, and Naby Keita.
6. TXIXI BEGIRISTAIN (MANCHESTER CITY)
![](https://jaybesttrends.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/images-76-1.jpg)
Txixi is simply the best when it comes to sporting directors who can assist a club in developing a specific philosophy and playing style.
The Catalan is well-known for promoting and establishing the “tiki-taka” possession style of football, having been a member of Johan Cruyff’s “Dream Team” at Barcelona.
Begiristain, as sporting director, has executed the style flawlessly at both Barcelona and Manchester City. He oversaw the rise of Pep Guardiola’s famous all-conquering side at Camp Nou.
He has been at City since 2012 and has seen the club win the Premier League three times during that time. He was instrumental in bringing Guardiola to Manchester City.
7. LUIS CAMPOS (PSG)
![](https://jaybesttrends.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/images-78-1.jpg)
Lus Campos Campos is a highly experienced veteran in football management, having worked in various roles with top clubs (notably Real Madrid) and top managers (including Jose Mourinho).
As Monaco’s sporting director, he helped the club win the Ligue 1 title over PSG and reach the Champions League semi-finals.
Monaco produced great youngsters who went on to become excellent superstars under his direction, including Kylian Mbappe, Anthony Martial, Bernardo Silva, Thomas Lemar, and others.
He left Monaco to join Ligue 1 rivals Lille. And has continued from where he left off as Lille has progressed from a mid-table club to a Champions League participant.
Campos has brought in young players on cheap deals and sold them on huge deals at Lille, as examples Nicolas Pepe and Victor Osimhen. He also relaunched the careers of Renato Sanches, Jose Fonte, and Loic Remy.
Luis Campos joined French champions Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) as Football Advisor in 2022. He is, however, primarily a sporting director at the club, having already brought in Hugo Ekitiké, Renato Sanches, and Nordi Mukiele.
8. MARCEL BRANDS (PSV EINDHOVEN)
![](https://jaybesttrends.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/images-79-1.jpg)
Brands began his career as a sporting director with RKC Waalwijk in the Dutch Eredivise. He appointed Martin Jol as manager and transformed the club from a relegation contender to a mid-table club.
He left Waalwijk to join AZ, where he hired Louis Van Gaal as coach, and the club went on to win their second league title in history.
His next job was at PSV, where he hired Philip Cocu as manager, and the club went on to win three league titles and produce some incredible young players, most notably Giogino Wijnaldum and Memphis Depay.
Brands joined Everton in 2018 and has rapidly transformed the club. He oversaw the appointment of Carlo Ancelloti as manager as well as the signings of Richarlison, Alex Iwobi, Allan, James Rodriguez, and Abdoulaye Doucoure.
Brands will leave Everton to become the sporting director of PSV Eindhoven on December 5, 2021.
9. MATEU ALEMANY FONT (BARCELONA)
![](https://jaybesttrends.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/images-80.jpg)
During the 2022 summer transfer window, many football fans heard the name Mateu Alemany repeatedly. This is no coincidence, as the Spaniard completed one of the most significant transfer deals of the summer with Barcelona.
Mateu Alemany was previously the manager of Valencia before joining Barcelona. When Joan Laporta was elected President of Barcelona, he was appointed Director of Football.
Alemany has been instrumental in assembling Barcelona’s squad for the upcoming seasons since his appointment. He played a critical role in determining who stayed, who left, and, perhaps more importantly, who came in.
He was able to bring in Ferran Torres, Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha, and Jules Koundé.
Alemany has been described as a ‘killer,’ a master negotiator, and a football expert.
10. ANDRE BERTA (ATHLETICO MADRID)
![](https://jaybesttrends.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/images-81-1.jpg)
Berta, a former banker, rose through the ranks of football management to become Athletico’s sporting director in 2017.
His most notable achievements thus far have been keeping the volatile Diego Simeone at the club (despite the coach’s misunderstandings with the board) and moving to the club’s new ultramodern Wanda Metropolitano Stadium.
When the club lost some of its best players in 2019, there were fears that it would fall from grace, but Berta quickly dispelled those fears by signing capable replacements and making the transition to a new era almost seamless.
As sporting director, he oversaw the signings of Joe Oblak, Antoine Greizman, Joao Felix, Kieran Trippier, Renan Lodi, Felipe, Marcos Llorente, and Luis Suarez.
The Globe Soccer Awards named Andre Berta the best football sporting director in 2019.