Luis Enrique is chasing back-to-back Coach of the Year awards, and it's hard to argue he doesn't deserve to be in the conversation. France Football have confirmed the full shortlist for the 2026 Johan Cruyff Coach of the Year prize — and the PSG boss is right in the middle of it again.
The award, first handed out in 2024 when Carlo Ancelotti claimed it, now sits in its third edition. Enrique won it in 2025, and this time he's up against four rivals who each have a legitimate case.
The men's shortlist
The strongest counter-argument to Enrique comes from Mikel Arteta. Arsenal finally ended their 22-year wait for the Premier League title — the longest drought in the club's modern history — only to fall to PSG in the Champions League final. That final defeat is the reason he's on the shortlist rather than running away with it. Win that game, and this conversation probably isn't close.
Luis de la Fuente is back after finishing third in 2024. Spain won Euro 2024 on his watch, and now La Roja have added a World Cup. Two major international tournaments in two years is a record that demands recognition, even if international managers rarely win these things.
Unai Emery's Aston Villa picked up the Europa League and finished fourth in the Premier League — qualifying for the Champions League in the process. For a club of Villa's resources, that's punching well above their weight. His odds for this award are probably longer than they should be.
Vincent Kompany rounds out the men's list after delivering a dominant Bundesliga title with Bayern Munich. He's the only non-Spaniard in the mix, which tells you something about how the season went for Iberian football.
The women's award
The Women's Coach of the Year prize is guaranteed a first-time winner after Emma Hayes (2024) and Sarina Wiegman (2025) are both off the shortlist. OL Lyon's Jonatan Giráldez leads a five-strong field that also includes Manchester City's Andrée Jeglertz, former Japan boss Nils Nielsen, Barcelona's Pere Romeu, and BK Häcken's Elena Sadiku — who started the season at Celtic before taking Häcken to Europa Cup glory.
- Men's nominees: Luis Enrique (PSG), Mikel Arteta (Arsenal), Luis de la Fuente (Spain), Unai Emery (Aston Villa), Vincent Kompany (Bayern Munich)
- Women's nominees: Jonatan Giráldez (OL Lyon), Andrée Jeglertz (Manchester City), Nils Nielsen (former Japan), Pere Romeu (Barcelona), Elena Sadiku (BK Häcken)
On the men's side, Enrique is the favourite — consecutive Champions League titles with PSG makes him genuinely difficult to beat. But if voters weigh Arteta's Premier League title more heavily than the European final loss, the margin could be tighter than it looks. Either way, the award is almost certainly going to a Spaniard.
