When it comes to the world of soccer, it’s a commonly known fact that the team’s coach and manager are possibly some of the most important people on the team. Leadership and extensive knowledge about the sport from coaches will no doubt take the players and of course the team a very long way. Most soccer coaches have had a lot of previous experience of the game at some level before being given this awesome opportunity. However, there are a lot of different skills required to fulfill the job. Today, there some of the top soccer coaches and managers in the world have also enjoyed many years on the field as players. Here are some of the greatest examples…
The Greatest Former Soccer Stars Who Became Successful Coaches
Pep Guardiola
Joseph “Pep” Guardiola is a Spanish professional soccer manager and former player. This legend started out his career in the Barca youth system before he became part of the famous Dream Team of Johan Cruyff. He was a midfielder and won Barcelona’s first Champions League title in 1992. He also won 6 La Liga titles, out of which the first four were back to back. It was as though he was destined for greatness right from the beginning. Currently, he is the manager of Manchester City. Today, he is considered to be one of the most influential coaches of this century.
Paul Scholes
Paul Scholes is an English football coach and former soccer player. For nearly all of his career he spent playing for Manchester United and was hugely successful during his 10-year time playing for the club. Recently, the Manchester United legend was appointed as the coach of Oldham Athletic. Fans are so eager to see what this awesome former midfielder has in store for his new profession.
Zinedine Zidane
Without a doubt, Zidane needs no introduction. Firstly, he has been regarded as one of the greatest soccer players to ever step foot onto the field. Additionally, he has also scored some of the most famous goals that were able to show off his tremendous skills. The French native who is popularly known as “Zizou” is the current manager of La Liga club Real Madrid. Even though he only took up this position in 2019, Zidane has been regarded as one of the most successful managers the world has ever seen.
Steven Gerrard
Another former soccer star who is extremely popular all over the world. Steven Gerrard is a former soccer player who played for Liverpool F.C for the majority of his career as well as the English national soccer team. After Gerrard retired as a player, he went on to become the coach of Liverpool Youth Academy. Following this, in 2018, he was appointed as manager of the Scottish Premiership club Rangers, which he successfully lead the club to its first league title in over 10 years.
Kenny Dalglish
Another fantastic Brit on the list, and this time we have Sir Kenneth Mathieson Dalglish. ‘Kenny’ is a Scottish former soccer player who played for Liverpool F.C, Celtic, and the Scottish national soccer team. He has definitely proven to be a very successful manager over the years, from his time at Liverpool F.C and Blackburn Rovers.