Generally, a footballer’s life has two phases. One, when they play the game on the pitch with their mates. Two, after their body is incapable of the rigor the game demands due to the age and call it a day on their paying career, they apply their tread on the management side of the game. They pass on what they have learnt from their gaffers during their playing days to the next generation of players.

Now let’s take a look at some of the greatest players in the history of the beautiful game who managed to stay on top of the game managing their team to the glory once they tasted as a player.

Johan Cruyff

Barcelona 2 v Sampdoria 0, Barcelona Manager Johan Cruyff watches from the dug-out

The legend himself. Johan Cruyff is considered first modern day superstar of the European football. He added “BEAUTIFUL” to the beautiful game. Cruyff was advocate of the “Total Football” philosophy, implemented by Rinus Michels, which has a tremendous influence over many of the players and managers in the game.

His playing career started at Ajax youth academy before getting a promotion to the first team in 1964. During his stay at Ajax, till 1973, he scored 190 goals in 240 appearances and helped the Amsterdam team to 8 Eredivisie titles, 3 UCL titles (then known as European Cup). He became the first ever footballer to win the Ballon D’or three times in 1971, 1973, and 1974. He then went on to play for FC Barcelona and helped them to win 4 La Liga titles and one UCL title. He was the main creative outlet of the team. In the Ajax team managed by Rinus Michels, playing total football, Johan served as a on-field tactician and was pioneer of the modern “False 9” position.

After retiring at Feyenoord, helping them to a Eredivisie title, he started his managing career at Ajax which lasted 3 years. His best managerial stint was at Barcelona. He molded Barça to his ideology of football. This Barcelona dream team won four consecutive La Liga titles and one UCL title in 1992. His list of silverware might be short but his impact on the FC Barcelona was massive. The much coveted academy of football, La Masia, was his brain child. He laid the foundations of “Barçajax School of Football”. The Barcelona we know and love today finds its foundation in the Cruyff era of the club.

Josep “Pep” Guardiola

Josep Guardiola, Manager of Manchester City celebrates as Sergio Aguero of Manchester City scores his team’s second goal during a PL match.

We move from Cruyff to a well seasoned Cruyffista. Pep Guardiloa is the mastermind behind the dominant Barça side from 2008 – 2012. He perfected the “Tiki Taka” style of play which also was the core idea behind the Spanish national team’s domination between those years. He gave Leo Messi his trademark False 9 role which was a massive success as Messi went on to score 91 goals in a calendar year breaking Gerd Müller’s long standing record.

Guardiola played in a defensive midfielder role as a deep-lying playmaker. He was very technically and tactically gifted player with a great creative vision and an astute understanding of the game. He was the gem in Cruyff’s Barcelona dream team of 1992 which won the ol’ big ears. He helped the barça side win 6 La Liga titles during his career spanning 11 years making almost 300 apps. He had short stints at Roma, Brescia, and Al Ahli in some retirement league before finally retiring in 2006.

Pep’s managerial career started at Barcelona “B” side getting them promoted through the play-offs. He was then appointed as the head coach of Barça first team. He went on to win the historic continental treble in his first season in 2008-2009 season. Before leaving Barcelona, Guardiola won another 2 league titles in Spain along with a UCL title in 2010-2011 season. After taking a year long sabbatical, Bayern announced Pep as their head coach. He retained Die FCB’s dominance in the Bundesliga along with winning a Club World Cup title but failed to beat any team slightly close to Bayern in terms of quality in the UCL. After Bayern he was assigned a job to convert Manchester City from an oil rich club with good players to oil rich club with good players who actually play good football. The first season was an utter failure; the first time Pep finished a season without any trophy. Although, from the second season on, he took the Premier League by storm winning consecutive PL titles, breaking the record of the highest point tally with 100 points. He won a domestic treble in his second season at the Empty-had.

Bob Paisley

15th May 1982, Anfield, Liverpool, Liverpool FC Manager Bob Paisley toasts his sides Division One Championship success in the boot room with the trophy.

After some modern we take a look at a player from the war era. For the perspective on how ancient era we are talking here, when Bob Paisley was first signed for Liverpool, his salary was £8 a week. He was rejected by Sunderland, his dream club, for being too small. But he went on to play for Liverpool and became a fan favorite.

Bob Paisley played as a left half starting at Bishop Auckland and then for Liverpool. His playing style was very rugged, as a proper English bulldog defending. He served Liverpool for 15 years from 1939 to 1954 playing over 250 games winning one English First Division Title. He is an example of a quality player who failed to win multiple major trophies. This is mainly because of the stature of the Liverpool team; in those days Liverpool did back and forth between the Div. 1 and Div. 2. He also became the Liverpool club captain. He hanged his boots in 1954.

Paisley’s coaching career started as a physio at Liverpool. He had the ability to identify the injury by just looking at the player. He then served as assistant to then manager Bill Shankly. Paisley was the tactician to Shankly’s team. He then reluctantly inherited the role from Shankly as the manager of Liverpool. Still, he went on to win 6x First Division titles and 3x UCL titles with Liverpool. The club legends like Ian Rush, Greame Souness and Sir Kenny Dalglish were brought in by Paisley. This era, The Shankly-Paisley era, is considered the most successful in the Liverpool’s history.

Brian Clough

Nottingham Forest manager Brian Clough (1935 – 2004, right) and his assistant Peter Taylor after their success in the European Cup final at the Olympiastadion, Munich, 30th May 1979.

“The Damned United”. One of many things comes to mind hearing Clough’s name, though being a bit controversial. He was famous for being outspoken and frequently being in the quarrel with the media and some opposition managers, especially then Leeds United manager Don Revie. The duo of Brian Clough and Peter Taylor was very successful at many clubs.

Clough started his senior playing career at Middlesbrough, appearing 222 times scoring 204 goals. He left the Borough for Sunderland to play only 4 seasons before his career was cut short at the age of just 29 due to injury in the knee (a torn ACL). He mainly played his tread in the Second Division, only playing one season in the First Division with Sunderland. But he is still one of the top goal scorers of the Second Division (now known as The Championship). He played as a striker and was the team’s main goal getter. With a goals per game ratio of 0.9161 (meaning he scored in 91.61% of games he played in), he is one of the most prolific scorers in the league, a pure Fox-in-the-box.

After retiring, Clough had managerial stints at Hartlepool United, Derby County, Brighton & Hove Albion before a controversial season at Leeds United and the most famous and the most successful stint with Nottingham Forest. He steered Derby from being a fringe Second Division club to the champions of England. But Clough’s greatest work was during his time at the Forest. During his 18 years career at the club, he managed to win a First Division title, 4x League Cup (Yeah! Big deal back then) and two consecutive UCL titles, wonderful achievement for as club like Forest. As a manager he was very ruthless to his players and staff, demanding absolute efficiency from them, even firing the canteen staff at Derby County. He is considered one of the best English managers ever. Though never got the England job, hence dubbed as “the best Manager England never had”.

Zinedine Zidane

Real Madrid’s coach Zinedine Zidane during the Spanish League football match between Real Madrid and Real Betis at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Member of the famous “Galácticos”, Zidane is the icon of modern football. One of the best midfielders ever graced the pitch, he played the game with elegance and panache with some moments of controversy – headbutting Marco Materazzi in the chest during the 2006 World Cup Final.

Zizou played in the midfield as the main creative force for his teams. He started his senior career at Cannes and then Bordeaux. Juve signed him after impressive performances in the French league and for the national team. He helped the Old Lady to win the Scudetto twice. He joined the already star studded Real Madrid for then world record fee €72 million. He went on to win UCL title in his first season in Madrid along with a league title. Zidane was instrumental in France’s world cup win in 1998, scoring 2 goals in final. He won the Ballon D’or in the same year. He was renowned for his elegance, vision and technique. He played the game on the highest level without breaking any sweat and with a swagger.

Zidane started his managerial career at Real Madrid Castilla and then promoted to the senior team in 2016. He guided Madrid to the league title in 2016-17. From his first year, Zizou took the UCL by storm winning it 3 consecutive times, a feat that has been never achieved by any manager. He came back to Bernabéu after a year. He proved himself as a manager at the highest level and is looking forward at the success with Los Blancos with his youthful team.

Some honourable mentions

Franz Beckenbauer, or as many know him as “Der Kaiser”, was the defensive general for the teams he played. He is one of only 3 managers to win the World Cup also as a player. Another prolific tactician who just missed the list is Carlo Ancelotti. Don Carlo won 2 European Cups while playing for AC Milan and 3 UCL titles as a manager. Then there is Juve midfield maestro Antonio Conte who won league titles in Italy and England. Kenny Dalglish, Luis Enrique, Jupp Heynckes, Didier Deschamps, Gheorghe Hagi, Diego Simeone, and many many more great ex-players who went on to become great coaches.

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