'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Following the announcement of the appointment of Thierry Henry as the new manager of Monaco, the Frenchman becomes the latest former player to try his hand in management at the top level.
But top players don't always find making the transition to management an easy one. Many of them have failed, never to return and Henry hasn't taken an easy job. Monaco are struggling, with just one win all season leaving them languishing in 18th place in the table, and costing the man who led them to the title in 2016-17, Leonardo Jardim, his job.
The former Arsenal star has previously dipped his toes into coaching with Arsenal and the Belgian national team and is now returning to the club where he started his playing career in the late nineties to begin his managerial career.
But will he be a success or a failure? That is the big question that Henry will answer over the next few months. A man of his achievement in the game, with his personality and charisma should have the qualities to succeed. But will he have the tactical acumen? Will he know the right moment to put his arm around a player or give him the cold shoulder?
These are the questions that he will have to answer.
History tells us that success as a player doesn't always translate to success as a manager but there are many who have done well with more and more clubs inspired by the success of Pep Guardiola at Barcelona and taking a chance on former players with relatively little coaching experience.
In this article we look at some of the best managers in the modern era who made the jump from the pitch to the touchline so successfully.
#1 Pep Guardiola
Arguably the most coveted manager working in world football today, Pep Guardiola has made the jump from player to manager look effortless.
After a ten year spell as a player at the club, which saw him win six league titles and a European Cup, Guardiola returned to the club in 2007 to take his first steps into management with the Barcelona B side.
He was an instant success, winning the Spanish Tercera division and doing enough to convince the powers that be to dispense with the services of Frank Rijkaard and appoint him to the biggest job in football.
What followed was a four-year spell that changed the modern game. With the talents of Lionel Messi, Xavi and Andres Iniesta at his disposal, Guardiola's four-year spell in charge saw him win three LaLiga titles, two European Cups, two Spanish Cups, two UEFA Super Cups and two FIFA Club World Cups.
After becoming worn down by the pressure of the job he would take a year out of the game before pitching up in Germany at Bayern Munich, where he added a further three league titles to his impressive CV.
From there he headed to Manchester City and after a mixed first season, his Manchester City side dominated the English game, winning the league title with an incredible haul of 100 points.
#2 Zinedine Zidane
Unquestionably one of the greatest footballers to ever play the game, Zidane retired in 2006 and it would be eight years before he would dip his toes in the managerial world with his appointment at Real Madrid Castilla.
Before that, he served as Sporting Director of the club as well as being Carlo Ancelotti's assistant manager when Real Madrid won their tenth UEFA Champions League.
His spell at Castilla was mixed but when Madrid sacked Rafael Benitez in January 2016 it was their former hero they turned to, to replace him.
What an impact he had. During his two and a half years in charge, Zidane won nine trophies including three consecutive Champions League titles, a feat that had never previously been achieved since the format of the competition changed.
He also won one league title, a Spanish Super Cup, two FIFA Club World Cups and two UEFA Super Cups before surprising the football world by stepping down at the end of last season.
Seemingly happy to have a break, there will be many managers nervously looking over their shoulders while Zidane remains on the market.
#3 Carlo Ancelotti
A two time European Cup winner as a player, Carlo Ancelotti has enjoyed success all over Europe as a manager.
After mixed spells with Reggiana, Parma and Juventus it was back at AC Milan, where he enjoyed so much success as a player, that he really announced himself as a world class manager. His eight-year spell in charge would see him win two Champions League crowns, a Serie A title and a number of cups.
Following that successful spell, Ancelotti hasn't stayed anywhere long but has been successful everywhere he has been. He won a Premier League and FA Cup double during his first season at Chelsea and a Ligue 1 title with Paris Saint-Germain.
After Paris his next stop was Real Madrid where he managed to land the coveted tenth Champions League title that the club had craved since 2002. He then had a brief spell at Bayern Munich, winning one Bundesliga title and is now in charge of Napoli.
#4 Diego Simeone
A dogged midfielder as a player, Simeone has taken his never say die attitude into his managerial career and has proven himself among the world's very best during his seven-year spell in charge of Atletico Madrid.
Simeone was a brilliant player - enjoying success at Atletico Madrid, Inter Milan and Lazio as well as excelling on the international stage with Argentina.
Following retirement he moved into coaching in his home country, winning titles with Estudiantes de La Plata and River Plate before returning to Atletico in December 2011.
Up against the financial might of city neighbours Real Madrid, and Barcelona, Simeone has turned Los Rojiblancos into one of the most successful teams in the world through astute recruitment and inspiring leadership.
During his time at the club he has won a league title, a Spanish Cup, a Spanish Super Cup, two Europa League crowns and two UEFA Super Cups. They have also come agonisingly close to winning two Champions League titles, missing out on both occasions to Real Madrid.
#5 Luis Enrique
Much like Pep Guardiola, Luis Enrique enjoyed the best spell of his playing career at Barcelona, winning two league titles and a number of cup competitions after making the controversial switch from Real Madrid.
After retiring from the game in 2004 he took over at Barcelona B after Guardiola was promoted to the top job. It was a role he would hold for two seasons before taking his first step into senior management with Roma, signing a two-year contract.
However, he would only last one full season in charge, before leaving the club after failing to qualify for European competition.
After a year out the game, he would enjoy one season at Celta Vigo, leading them to a top ten finish which was enough to secure him an emotional return to Barcelona and once again follow in the footsteps of Pep Guardiola, winning the treble in his first season in charge.
He would win nine trophies during his three-season spell at the club before announcing his resignation at the end of 2017.
He is currently in charge of Spain, and after the chaos that was their World Cup campaign in Russia has enjoyed an excellent start, winning his first three matches, beating World Cup semi-finalists England at Wembley, and thrashing World Cup runners-up Croatia.
#6 Didier Deschamps
Didier Deschamps became part of a very exclusive club in 2018 as he became only the third individual to win the FIFA World Cup as both a player and a manager.
A defensive midfielder during his playing days, Deschamps enjoyed an outstanding career at club level with Juventus, where he would win three Serie A titles and a Champions League crown. He also won two French league titles and a Champions League with Marseille.
There was an FA Cup win at Chelsea and he reached another Champions League final with Valencia before announcing his retirement and moving into management.
His first job would see him at Monaco where he would stay for four years, which would see him reach another Champions League final, losing to Jose Mourinho's Porto, and win the French Cup.
After being sacked in September 2005 following a poor start to the season, he would return to Juventus who had just been demoted to Serie B following a match-fixing scandal. Despite starting the season with a nine-point defecit, they would lose only four matches all season finishing six points clear at the top of the table. Despite this success, Deschamps resigned from the club after just one season in charge.
It would be two years before he would find himself back in management at Marseille where he would win one league title and three French Cups, before being appointed the manager of the national team following their disappointing performance at Euro 2012.
His time in charge of France has been one of steady improvement. They were quarter finalists in Brazil in 2014, and really should have won Euro 2016 on home soil, losing to an organised Portugal side shorn of the talents of Cristiano Ronaldo in the final.
However Deschamps and his team would make up for that disappointment, winning the World Cup in fine style in Russia.
