Liam Rosenior joins Michael Carrick as only English managers to win first two UCL matches

English football has produced some of the sport’s most iconic players. English managers winning Champions League matches right out of the gate? That’s been a considerably shorter list.

Liam Rosenior became just the second English manager in history to win his first two UEFA Champions League matches, joining Michael Carrick in a club so exclusive it makes Champions League qualification itself look common by comparison.

How Rosenior got here

Rosenior was appointed Chelsea head coach on January 6, 2026, stepping into what is arguably the most volatile managerial seat in world football.

His first Champions League test came against Pafos FC, a match Chelsea won 1-0 thanks to a decisive strike from Moisés Caicedo.

Before Rosenior took charge, both Graham Potter and Frank Lampard failed to win their Champions League debuts at Chelsea.

Rosenior’s tenure at Chelsea ultimately proved brief. He was dismissed on April 22, 2026, lasting just over three months in the role. By July 2026, he had moved on to Paris FC, taking his talents across the Channel.

Carrick’s precedent

The only other English manager to pull off this feat did so under similarly unusual circumstances. Michael Carrick stepped into the Manchester United dugout as interim manager in November 2021, following Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s departure.

Carrick’s first Champions League match as a manager was a 2-0 victory over Villarreal. Cristiano Ronaldo and Jadon Sancho provided the goals that night.

During their initial managerial spells, both Rosenior and Carrick posted points-per-game averages of 2.6.

Why this matters more than a trivia question

The Champions League has not been particularly kind to English managers over the decades. While English clubs have regularly featured among Europe’s elite, the men leading them from the touchline have overwhelmingly come from elsewhere. The competition’s history is dominated by Italian, Spanish, German, and Portuguese tacticians.

The list of English managers who have even participated in the Champions League is remarkably thin. Bobby Robson managed in the competition with Porto and Barcelona, but in an era before the tournament adopted its current format.

Both tenures were relatively short — Carrick’s by design as an interim and Rosenior’s ending after less than four months. Carrick is now managing Middlesbrough, while Rosenior has moved to Paris FC.

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