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It's natural for football players to want to move into coaching once they hang up their boots. Plenty of footballing legends have called it a day on their playing careers only to go ahead and learn the ropes of coaching and management.
Great players needn't become great managers
It definitely is a different ballgame altogether. The best footballers don't always make the best managers. Jose Mourinho didn't have much of a professional career but he is one of the best managers of all time.
So when a player joins the dugout in the capacity of a manager, he could definitely do with a bit of familiarity. Maybe that's the reason why some managers have chosen to sign their former teammates at their new clubs.
Without further ado, let's take a look at five managers who signed their former teammates.
#5 Thierry Henry - Cesc Fabregas (AS Monaco)
Thierry Henry's work as assistant coach of the Belgian national side was noticed by AS Monaco, who offered him the managerial position in October 2018. The legendary striker didn't last long and was sacked after just three months.
However, in the January 2019 transfer window, he roped in Cesc Fabregas. The Spaniard is one of Henry's favorite teammates from his latter years at Arsenal. But this reunion may have slipped under the radar owing to the fact that Henry was sacked just 13 days after Fabregas joined the club.
#4 Frank Lampard - Ashley Cole (Derby County)
Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole are two Premier League legends. They played together at Chelsea for eight years, winning one Premier League title, one Champions League, five FA Cups, one Europa League and one League Cup together.
After retiring, Lampard headed into coaching and landed his first job at Derby County. Tasked with leading the former giants back into the Premier League, Lampard did a decent job and led his side to the playoffs.
He signed his former teammate Ashley Cole as a free agent in January 2019. Cole retired at the end of the 2018-19 season and Lampard left Derby County to take up the managerial position at the duo's former club Chelsea.
In 12 appearances for Derby County under Lampard, Cole scored a goal and provided two assists.
#3 Xavi Hernandez - Dani Alves (Barcelona)
The 2021-22 season has seen an unusually high number of former teammates reuniting. Barcelona sacked manager Ronald Koeman early in the season and brought in former player Xavi Hernandez to replace him.
Xavi was not very pleased with the personnel he had at his disposal and asked the board to bring in reinforcements. Key among such signings was veteran right-back Dani Alves, who enjoyed his best years at Barcelona.
Xavi and Dani Alves were part of the Barcelona side that won two continental trebles together. Alves remained a free agent after the 2021-22 season had started and Xavi had his former teammate signed up.
The 38 year old had just won Olympic Gold with the Brazilian national team and there were clear indications that he still got what it takes to be playing at the highest level. Since joining Barcelona, Alves has provided two assists in four appearances across all competitions.
#2 Steven Gerrard - Philippe Coutinho (Aston Villa)
This is the latest high-profile reunion to have happened across Europe's top five leagues. Steven Gerrard enjoyed great success with Rangers before he was brought in by Aston Villa to replace Dean Smith. Gerrard has done a good job so far.
Philippe Coutinho had a great first stint in the Premier League with Liverpool and that went a long way towards making him a superstar in the world of football.
Barcelona made him one of their most expensive signings in 2018. However, Coutinho failed to replicate his Liverpool form at the Camp Nou and multiple injury issues hampered his progress.
Due to their financial woes, Barcelona had to offload Coutinho and Steven Gerrard pounced on the chance to sign his former teammate. The Brazilian repaid the faith his former teammate showed in him immediatey.
Coutinho scored and assisted a goal in his debut against Manchester United to help Aston Villa come back from 2-0 down to draw the game in the last 15 minutes. The reunion is still just two games old but this one has a lot of potential especially since we know how well Coutinho used to play in the Premier League in his prime.
#1 Ole Gunnar Solskjaer - Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)
It was a reunion that Manchester United fans desperately wanted to happen. And it did. Once Cristiano Ronaldo left Juventus, Manchester United moved swiftly to bring him back to Old Trafford. Ronaldo returned to his former club to play under his former teammate who had now become the manager.
The Portuguese international got off to a flying start, bagging a brace in his second debut for Manchester United. He also produced multiple rescue acts in the Champions League to help keep Solskjaer in the job for a bit longer. But ultimately, the players were performing awfully and something had to give.
So Solskjaer was sacked despite his best intentions. But it was a reunion for the ages of two stars who had won one Premier League title, one FA Cup and one League Cup together.
