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Many successful managers such as Pep Guardiola, Zinedine Zidane and Didier Deschamps enjoyed great spells as players. During their time as footballers, they won trophies and gained international recognition. And that seems to be true for the majority of top-level managers.
However, there are some reputable managers who did not get much fame as a player, or had their careers shortened due to injuries. Despite that, they overcame the odds to emerge as some of the best coaches in the world.
The likes of Arsene Wenger and Jose Mourinho were relatively unknown during their playing years, but they turned out to be immensely talented football tacticians.
Besides Wenger and Mourinho, three others feature on the list of great managers with mediocre playing career. That said, Sir Alex Ferguson and Joachim Low deserve honorable mentions.
Ferguson's greatest achievement came during his days as Manchester United manager, but unbeknownst to many, he scored over 170 goals in 317 appearances for various Scottish clubs. Similarly, Low used to play for SC Freiburg and Eintracht Frankfurt before he was appointed as the manager of Germany's national team in 2006.
#5 Julian Nagelsmann
The youngest manager in history to win a UEFA Champions League (UCL) knockout tie, Julian Nagelsmann has all the attributes to become a great manager in the coming years. The 32-year-old had previously been linked to jobs at Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, but he chose to join RB Leipzig last year and is doing pretty well at the club.
Nagelsmann started his playing career as a centre-back, but persistent knee injuries forced him to stop playing at U19 level in 2008. Thereafter, he turned to coaching and worked under Thomas Tuchel for a short period of time.
Despite being the youngest coach in Bundesliga, the German has earned praise from many other managers and players. When Manchester City faced Hoffenheim in the UCL two years ago, Guardiola claimed:
"There are young coaches who have come through like Julian Nagelsmann or Thomas Tuchel, who, if they coached in Spain, you’d think they were Spanish."
"Taking over Hoffenheim in such a bad situation so young. He will have a lot of success in his career."
Nagelsmann may not have won many trophies so far, but he is already getting plenty of recognition for his hard work and is widely expected to become a successful manager.
#4 Rafael Benitez
Rafael Benitez graduated from Los Blancos' youth academy in 1978 and went on to join Real Madrid C. However, recurring injury problems hampered his career as a footballer and he was forced to retire from the sport at the prime age of 26.
Thereafter, Benitez joined the Los Blancos' coaching staff, which kick-started his managerial career.
In 2002, the 59-year-old won his first La Liga title after taking over the reins at Valencia. Although the following season ended in disappointment, Benitez and his side rebounded quickly to lift both the domestic trophy and the UEFA Cup in 2004.
His success in Spain earned him widespread recognition, and he was eventually asked to take charge of Liverpool in June 2004. As the first Spaniard to manage a club in the Premier League, Benitez had a huge responsibility on his shoulders.
He won a total of four competitions, including the Champions League title in 2006, with the Reds.
For someone who failed to find much success as a footballer, Benitez turned into one of the best managers in the world. Currently, he is the manager of Chinese Super League team Dalian Yifang.
#3 Jurgen Klopp
When he was a player, Jurgen Klopp had already set his sights on becoming a manager. The German international described himself as having "fourth-division feet and a first-division head".
Even though he was a record goalscorer at Mainz 05, scoring 56 goals in 52 league games, Klopp was never really in the running to become a world-class player.
His retirement marked the start of a new career path and, for seven years, Klopp dedicated his time to Mainz as a manager. By 2008, the German attracted attention from bigger clubs, namely Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund.
Eventually, Klopp decided to sign for the latter. And through his seven years with BVB, he won the Bundesliga twice.
In October 2015 Klopp signed for Liverpool, replacing the sacked Brendan Rodgers. It took the German a couple of transfer windows to finally get the players he wanted on his side and in 2017, the 52-year-old led Liverpool to their first UCL final since 2007.
Despite the defeat to Real Madrid, fans knew that Klopp's tactics were working, and that the club was on the right track.
A year later, the Reds qualified for the Champions League final once again. Eager to not let history repeat itself, they beat domestic rivals Tottenham Hotspur and lifted the club's sixth UCL title overall.
Before the suspension of the current 2019-20 campaign, Liverpool were inches away from winning the domestic trophy. They sat on top of the Premier League table with 82 points.
Regardless of whether the season continues in the later part of the year, Klopp has undeniably done a remarkable job at Anfield as compared to his mediocre playing career.
#2 Jose Mourinho
As a manager, Jose Mourinho has a penchant for winning trophies. He has coached top European clubs such as Chelsea, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Inter Milan and won multiple accolades. Presently, he is the manager of Tottenham Hotspur.
The 57-year-old became a manager in 2000, and his first test was at Benfica. Although Mourinho did well there, the newly elected club president Manuel Vilarinho refused to offer him a contract extension at once. This resulted in the Portuguese manager submitting his resignation after just nine games.
After leaving Benfica, Mourinho went on to manage two other Portuguese clubs, including Porto, where he won the Champions League. He then made a move abroad, joining Chelsea on a three-year contract in 2004.
In a memorable press conference, Mourinho emphasized that he was a top manager even though he did not have much experience. And from then on, he was nicknamed "The Special One".
Mourinho's success at Stamford Bridge gained much attention, and proved his capabilities of managing a top club.
While The Special One is often able to bring out the best in his players and team, he was not that special during his playing career. Mourinho's career as a midfielder spanned just seven years (1980-1987), where he accumulated only 94 appearances.
Needless to say, the former Real Madrid manager never made it to Portugal's national team. In fact, barely anyone knew about him as a player.
#1 Arsene Wenger
Often regarded as Mourinho's nemesis, Arsene Wenger spent over 20 years managing Arsenal. He was the longest-serving manager in the Premier League.
The Frenchman will definitely be remembered for the incredible 2003-04 title-winning season where they emerged unbeaten throughout the campaign. Till date only Klopp's Liverpool have come close to replicating that success, but even their hopes were dashed after a 3-0 loss to Watford away from home earlier this season.
During his time at Arsenal, Wenger worked with the likes of Thierry Henry, Cesc Fabregas and Robin van Persie, grooming them to become future stars. While not every player has succeeded under the 70-year-old, almost everyone respected his dedication as a manager.
A midfielder by trade, the former Monaco manager was a player at a couple of lower-league clubs such as Mutzig and Mulhouse. The only Ligue 1 club he played for was Strasbourg from 1978-1981, where he made 11 appearances.
Like Mourinho, Wenger never made it to the national team and was also a relatively unknown player. Football fans only started to take notice of him when he was appointed Arsenal's manager.
After leaving the Gunners, Wenger joined FIFA as the Chief of Global Football Development in November 2019.
