5 great players who failed as managers

#3 Alan Shearer

(Newcastle United)

Alan Shearer

Alan Shearer is regarded as one of the greats in the history of English football and is the Premier League's all-time highest goalscorer. Shearer was arguably the biggest Newcastle icon in his playing days as the club enjoyed one of their most successful spells during Shearer's stint at Tyneside.

While Shearer did the impossible time and time again for the Bagpipers on the football pitch, he failed to achieve the same success on the sidelines. Shearer was brought in as Newcastle's manager and was given the seemingly improbable task of saving the team from relegation, with just eight games to go.

With no managerial experience beforehand, Shearer struggled at the job and needed time to pick up the tricks of the trade. However, time wasn't on his side; Newcastle were relegated that season, and Shearer was released from his temporary managerial position.

Nevertheless, the Englishman will always be remembered for his 260-goal tally in the Premier League, miles ahead of second-placed Wayne Rooney (208).

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#2 Sir Bobby Charlton

(Preston North End)

Sir Bobby Charlton

England and Manchester United legend Sir Bobby Charlton is another great who will be revered for his time on the football pitch and forgotten for his time off it.

The Englishman enjoyed a brief managerial career in 1973, taking charge of second-tier team, Preston North End.

Charlton enjoyed a good start to his managerial career, propelling the team to second place briefly. However, things swiftly went downhill; Preston North End endured relegation and were demoted to the third tier. Charlton returned as a player-coach in the next season but called it quits after a dispute with the board.

Sir Bobby Charlton was one of the most lethal goalscorers back in the day, scoring 113 times in 396 appearances for the Red Devils.

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#1 Diego Maradona

(Argentina, Al Wasl)

Diego Maradona on the Argentina sidelines at the 2010 FIFA World Cup

Late Argentine legend and one of football's all-time greats, Diego Armando Maradona had a forgettable managerial stint. The FIFA World Cup winner is regarded by many as the greatest Argentine to grace the game and is revered worldwide.

Maradona, who was renowned for his eccentricity both on and off the pitch, represented the likes of Barcelona, Napoli, Sevilla and Newell's Old Boys. The South American achieved a god-like status, especially in the city of Naples, where he enjoyed some of his best days in club football.

Diego Maradona held the record of being Napoli's highest goalscorer, with 115 goals, before he was overtaken by Marek Hamsik in 2017. Despite his exploits as a player, his time as a manager was rather unremarkable.

There were huge expectations from Maradona when he was appointed Argentina's manager ahead of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

La Albiceleste survived a scare in the World Cup qualifiers but managed to scrape through to the main event. But Maradona faced the boot after Argentina crashed out in the quarter-finals before he made a managerial return with Dubai's Al Wasl. But he was sacked after a year at the top job, though.