Coaching is perhaps the most difficult task in football and not because of the tactics used by the managers or the pressure they go through.
Few managers have in one way or the other graced the football pitch, before becoming a coach. Having said that the career of a footballer is finite, and one day the boots have to be laid to rest for the next career in line as either a football agent, administrator, or manager as the case may be.
However, all their coaching badges and dressing room experience doesn’t automatically equate to instant success as a manager. But then it’s a known fact that they’re usually saddled with the responsibility of tinkering a football team to success whether being a greenhorn coach or an experienced one, all is expected of them from millions of fans across the globe and their employer is nothing but success.
Having said that, Cheapgoals will in this piece take a look at a few managers who started their managerial career early even when many felt they’re not mature enough.
When a greenhorn manager is being employed, there is always narratives concerning such manager, about if he’s prepared enough for the task at hand, smart for the job, and how well in tune the manager with the kind of pressure managerial post possess or comes with.
- Andrea Pirlo – (Juventus Manager)
In terms of footballers with a great understanding of the game, there are few better than the former AC Milan midfielder and World Cup winner.
The holding midfielder is a true tactician on the pitch prior to the time he hung his boots, he dictates the creative flow of his teams playing with amazing ease on the pitch with the ball on his feet.
The appointment of Pirlo at Juventus came as a big surprise to everyone in the world of football, he has only been appointed as the club’s U23 manager, before he was surprisingly appointed as the head coach of the Old Lady following the dismissal of Mauricio Sarri.
He hasn’t even completely finished his coaching badges according to reports and hasn’t taken a training session as a manager with the U23 team before he was handed the biggest job of his life as a manager.
Following Pirlo’s appointment, his former teammate and one of the club legend Gianluigi Buffon had to tease the new manager in town that “From now on, do I have to call you a coach”?.
Ironically, that’s certainly the situation of things at Juventus now, and Andrea Pirlo wouldn’t be the first and the last player to go straight into managing his former teammates as a coach.
The former midfielder is one of the finest Italian players ever to play the round leather game. The question now is, can he carry over his talent as a footballer to his new profession and be one of the finest managers, as he heads to his managerial call at age 41?
- Vincent Kompany – (Anderlecht’s Manager)
It takes one heck of a strong personality like the former Hamburger defender cum-midfielder to unite a dressing as talented as that of Manchester City own, full to the brim with amazing players with diverse egos.
The former Belgian defender hasn’t only been a fantastic captain for his country, he has also been an amazing leader during his stint with the Cityzens, leading the team with his experience both on and off the pitch.
In 2019, it was announced that he would be leaving City to become player-manager of Anderlecht.
However, following some couples of poor results Kompany decided to step down from his managerial post to focus primarily on being a player for the Brussels-based club, for Simon Davies to take over the tactical changes and substitutions of the team.
As results on the pitch started coming good for Anderlecht, Kompany began his managerial career fully in August 2020, when it was announced that he would be the head coach for the Brussels based club for the next four seasons, after retiring from professional football on the same day at age 34.
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- Xavi Hernandez – (Al Sadd’s Manager)
Like Pirlo, like Xavi, the former Barcelona captain his arguably one of the greatest players in the history of the round leather game.
His reading of the game is second to none when he’s on the pitch, and his well revered for his defense splitting passes for the Spanish national team and Barcelona respectively.
The current Al Sadd manager is in some ways compared to Pep Guardiola, in terms of personality but when talking about their playing pattern Xavi edges the City manager. Xavi began his managerial career following his retirement from professional football at the end of the Qatari league season.
Xavi stated that “He would like to remain in Qatar after his retirement, and he would look to begin a coaching career”, he went further by saying “The idea is to start as a coach in Qatar, to test myself and get some experience“, and since then the former World Cup winner has been the manager of the Qatari side up till this moment.
- Xabi Alonso – (Real Socieded B Manager)
The former Real Madrid, Liverpool, Bayern Munich deep line playing midfielder is no doubt one player you would love to have in your midfield, not because of anything but because of his amazing skill set, eyes for defense splitting passes, and great calmness on the ball.
Since his burgeoning days at Real Sociedad, the midfielder has always being a vital player to his teams. Alonso may be a very quiet and calm player off the pitch, but when it comes to dragging his team to the edge of success you would always count on the former Real Madrid man.
In 2018, having completed his UEFA Elite coaching course alongside former teammates Joan Capdevilla, Raul Gonzalez, Xavi, and Valdes, he returned to Madrid where he took up the position of Real Madrid’s U14 team.
Following his departure from Real Madrid, he was appointed by Real Sociedad to take over the B team playing in the Segunda Division B in 2019.
Being a loyal, a dedicated player in his day, should Alonso get a bigger managerial job compare to his current job, he would be expected to bring his years of experience, tactical proficient into managing his team.
- Steven Gerrard – (Glasgow Rangers Manager)
Being a brilliant and fantastic player doesn’t necessarily mean such a player would end up being an amazing manager dishing out instructions from the dugout.
Surprisingly, Gerrard has been able to some extent quench that assertion with the impressive work he’s been doing with Rangers since he was appointed.
The former Liverpool captain is one of the greatest midfielders of the last two decades. At age 37, he got his first managerial job as an academy coach at Liverpool after ending his playing career in 2006 and he’s made no secret of his desire to move into management prior before he took up the academy post.
The Anfield legend won the FA Cup, League Cup, UEFA Competitions both the UEFA Cup and Champions League with the Anfield side.
As a champion who has seen it all as a player, the former Three Lion captain is gradually becoming an elite manager with the fantastic job he’s doing at Rangers, if you are in doubt check out his team in the Scottish league and in Europe.
- Pep Guardiola – (Manchester City’s Manager)
Pep is another brilliant manager that has rubbished the assertion of not every great player, end up being a great manager, perhaps because he wasn’t well recognized or flamboyant in terms of his playing style in his days as much as the likes of Gerrard, or Zidane.
Pep was a very decent midfielder and he didn’t do too badly as a player. He left the Camp Nou in 2000-01 as a player, having played with the likes of Xavi, Puyol, and Valdes, albeit none of those players was a starter in the Barcelona team then.
Pep returned to the Camp Nou in 2008, tutored the La Masia team for a period of time during the reign of Frank Rijkaard, following the exit of the Dutchman he was called on to take over the team, and he did go on to rule Spanish and European football during his reign as the Catalan gaffer.
He also took his managerial brilliance to Germany with Bayern Munich, and Manchester City, where he continues to prove to the world that being a former player doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t succeed as a manager.
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- Diego Simeone – (Atletico Madrid’s Manager)
El Cholo excelled as a player both in the Spanish league and Seria A respectively, before defying the odds to turn out as the current most successful manager of Los Rojiblancos.
Simeone hung up his boots in 2006, after his last hooray with Racing Club of Argentina, thereafter he was offered a direct position to be a path to the managerial crew of the team.
His managerial path began with Estudiantes, where he claimed the Apertura title and the Clausura with River Plate, one of the biggest clubs in Argentina.
Cholo’s successes earned him a swift return to Atletico Madrid, where he won the Europa League, Spanish Cup, and La Liga title, breaking the Real Madrid and Barcelona dominance.
The former Lazio’s combative midfielder continues to show the world of football that starting early immediately you’re being trusted and called up to be in charge doesn’t mean such a manager won’t succeed and more so just like the popular saying goes thus, it isn’t about how far, but how well.
- Zinedine Zidane – (Real Madrid’s Manager)
Zizuo is no doubt one of the greatest players of his generation, and he didn’t just get all of these accolades for nothing, but because he was truly a magician on the pitch, with his second to none control of the ball and his mesmerizing skill with the ball on his foot.
Zidane didn’t just entertain his fans with his magnificent display, he did that with a lot of success stories in winning the World Cup in 1998, and the European Championship.
He was also a winner for his clubs both in Italy and Spain, where he won the Champions League and also scored one of the greatest volleys in the history of the competition in 2003 against Bayer Leverkusen.
Zidane as a manager also achieved the unimaginable by winning the Champions League in his first season, even when many thought it was a fluke or luck.
But winning it the second and third time can’t be a sheer stroke of luck just as some critics feel, it’s not true that anyone could achieve what he’s being able to achieved with Los Blancos since he took over the post that comes with a lot of pressure.
- Frank Lampard
The Chelsea Legend is a creative and technically gifted box-to-box midfielder. In his thirteen years stint with the West-London club, Lampard established himself as a prolific scorer from midfield, becoming The Blue’s all-time leading goalscorer, with 211 strikes in all competitions, 147 of them coming in the Premier League.
Lampard wins three Premier League titles, a UEFA Champions League title, four FA Cups, a UEFA Europa League title, and two Football League Cups. He finished his playing career in Major League Soccer with New York City, announcing his retirement in February 2017 at the age of 38.
He began studying for his UEFA A Licence with help from Chelsea, who allowed him to assist with academy coaching sessions.
He was given his first managerial position in May 2018, taking the reins at Championship side Derby County, whom he led to the playoff final in his only season with the club.
Just over a month after that showdown with Aston Villa at Wembley, he was appointed Chelsea’s head coach on 4 July 2019, returning to the club where he had a hugely successful 13-year playing career.
In his first season in charge, Lampard guided the Blues to a fourth-place finish, ensuring another UEFA Champions League campaign and his own nomination for the 2019/20 Barclays Manager of the Season award.
- Mikel Arteta – (Arsenal’s Manager)
Arteta is no doubt one of the finest midfielders that did grace the English Premier League with his talent, he may not be revered as much as Lampard, Gerrard, Fabregas but he’s definitely a fantastic midfielder on his own.
The Spaniard hung his boots as an Arsenal player in 2015-16 and went on to join Pep Guardiola’s managerial staff at Manchester City, where he began to understudy and also learn his managerial skill, in preparation for a future coaching role.
His first job came following the departure of Unai Emery and club legend Freddie Ljungberg, as both failed to produced good matchday results for the Gunners.
Arteta returned to London and was handed Gunner’s head coach role, and he has since being in charge of the team he once donned the jersey before retiring.
Honorable
- Ole Gunnar Solskjær
Conclusion
Having listed some of the managers that got their managerial calling quite early. The question now is how prepared are these managers in terms of learning from the greats before them, and how well could some of them impact their team with their years of experience garnered so far during their playing days, in other to provoke a successful career as a manager?
Some of these gaffers have proved to be a success, while some just started building their resume, even when the assertion that not all great footballers end up being great managers. Yet we’ve been able to see some of them dumped that assertion to the bin and went on to achieve unimaginable feats.
