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Football is indeed a beautiful game, and there is much to focus on apart from the goals and the results.
The relationships and connections built between certain individuals in the game tend to last forever. Especially between managers and players, there can be a special bond and mutual respect.
There have been some incredible partnerships between players and managers, which have changed the game in various ways. Some of the greatest players and managers in the game have enjoyed a fruitful relationship.
We look at the 5 best player-manager relationships in football.
#5 Jose Mourinho- Didier Drogba (Chelsea)
Jose Mourinho was one of the most exciting young coaches in world football when he was appointed as the manager of Chelsea in 2004.
Having led Porto to Champions League success the season before, Mourinho was tasked with establishing Chelsea as one of the biggest clubs in England. New owner Roman Abramovich was willing to spend extravagant amounts to make that happen, and Chelsea signed Didier Drogba from Marseille in 2004 for a fee of £24 million.
Years later, while discussing how Chelsea signed Didier Drogba, Mourinho had this to say:
"With all the big names in Europe at that time, I said Drogba. ‘Who is he? Where's he playing?' [I said] 'Mr Abramovich—pay. Pay, and don't speak."
The Ivory Coast international would prove to be a shrewd acquisition. Now regarded as one of Chelsea's greatest ever players, Drogba made 341 appearances in all competitions during his first spell at the club, scoring 157 goals.
Such was the relationship between Dorgba and Mourinho that the former was signed again during Mourinho's second tenure as Chelsea boss. An iconic player, the striker won four Premier League titles at Chelsea, as well as a Champions League title.
#4 Arsene Wenger- Thierry Henry (Arsenal)
Questions were raised when Arsene Wenger decided to splurge £11 million to sign Thierry Henry from Juventus in 1999.
Wenger had coached Henry for a little while during his spell as AS Monaco boss. Henry's talent was undeniable, and he left AS Monaco in January 1999 to join Juventus. However, the forward struggled at the Italian giants. Even so, Arsenal decided to pay a hefty amount to get him to the club.
Eventually, Wenger mentored Henry, converting the Frenchman into one of the deadliest strikers in the world.
"He was like a father figure for me. So, as you can imagine, with your dad, you argue, you scream, he punishes you. But that’s what happens when you love someone. Because you care, that’s why you argue. Arsene triggered my brain, and every day, it was something about my brain, about asking myself the right questions," Henry said when asked about Wenger's role in his career.
Such were Henry's performances that he is now widely seen as one of the greatest players to have played in the Premier League. The France international made 376 appearances in all competitions across two spells for the Gunners, scoring 228 goals and providing 104 assists.
He was part of the Invincibles side and won the Premier League Golden Boot a record four times, as well as two Premier League titles.
Also Read: Top 5 contenders for the PFA Young Player of the Year award (2020-21)
#3 Sir Alex Ferguson- Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)
One of the greatest players of all time, Cristiano Ronaldo made his name at Manchester United under the management of Sir Alex Ferguson.
Ronaldo was bought from Sporting CP in 2003 for a fee of £12 million, amid interest from several other European clubs. The Portuguese was a raw prospect at the time, but at Manchester United, he refined his skills under the tutelage of Ferguson and established himself as one of the best in the world.
"He was a football father for me," Ronaldo said about Ferguson.
Ronaldo's admiration for Ferguson is well-known, and the Portugal international has not shied away from reiterating his respect for the legendary manager. The attacker is regarded as one of Ferguson's best-ever signings. Ronaldo won three Premier League titles, a Champions League trophy as well as a Ballon d'Or during his spell with Manchester United.
The 36-year old made 292 appearances in all competitions for the club, scoring 118 goals. He joined Real Madrid in 2009 for a then-world record fee of £80 million, and is currently playing for Italian giants Juventus.
#2 Pep Guardiola- Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
Pep Guardiola's Barcelona side are regarded as one of the greatest ever to have played the game, and Lionel Messi was the star player of that team.
Guardiola was appointed as Barcelona manager in 2008, and Messi was already regarded as one of the best young players in the world during that time. However, under Guardiola's guidance, Messi became arguably the greatest player in world football.
"He (Guardiola) has something special about him. I don't know. He makes you see things in a certain way in terms of how he prepares for games, both defensively and going forward. He could tell you exactly how the match is going and how you have to attack to win," Messi said about Guardiola.
It was Guardiola who decided to play Messi as a false nine. The Argentine was a striker who would drop deep to help out in midfield, with his exceptional creativity and dribbling ability creating immense problems for the opposition defense.
Messi arguably played his best football under Guardiola's management. Messi's contract with Barcelona expires in the summer and he has been heavily linked with a move to Guardiola's Manchester City.
#1 Rinus Michels- Johan Cruyff (Ajax, Barcelona and the Netherlands)
The two people who have had an incredible influence on how football is thought of and played were Rinus Michels and Johan Cruyff.
The two Dutchmen were proponents of "Total Football," a philosophy which would go on to embody Ajax, Barcelona and the Netherlands national team. Under Total Football, a highly fluid structure was deployed, with no player having a fixed position on the field.
"I always greatly admired his leadership. Both as a player and as a coach there is nobody who taught me as much as him. He was a sportsman who put the Netherlands on the map in such a way that almost everybody still benefits from it. There is no one I learnt from more than Rinus Michels. I often tried to imitate him, and that's the greatest compliment one could give," Cruyff said about Michels.
Cruyff's impact in football is heavily visible, both as a player and as a manager. The influence he has had on Ajax and Barcelona is still felt at the clubs, from the youth academy to the style of play their fans want to see on a consistent basis.
Michels, on the other hand, played a crucial role alongside Cruyff in ensuring that Ajax were regarded as one of the biggest clubs in the world. He won the European Cup with the club in 1971, and was renowned for his leadership qualities. It is hard to imagine what football would be like without Michels and Cruyff.
Also Read: Ranking the 5 best penalty takers in the world this season (2020/21)
