Top 5 players from the 21st century who became excellent managers

In the world of professional football, the job of the manager is arguably the most difficult. It serves as a source of fame and glamour when results go smoothly, but it could turn into a poisoned chalice when things go south.

The manager is the man tasked with motivating players to perform at their optimum, in addition to devising tactical methods to achieve victory and though the players might be more revered and rewarded, coaches are equally or even more important to the overall success of a team.

Football management is rather dicey and there is no sure-fire blueprint for success, with there being many examples of men who were successful on the bench despite having little to no success on the playing field.

By contrast, there are also some legendary players of the distant past such as Franz Beckenbauer, Berti Vogts, Johan Cruyff, Carlo Ancelotti, and Fabio Capello who excelled both on the field and dugout, while others faltered as managers despite having iconic playing careers.

In this piece, with emphasis on players whose playing career extended into the 21st century, we shall be taking a look at the five greatest footballers who have excelled as coaches.

Honourable mentions: Didier Deschamps, Laurent Blanc

#5 Antonio Conte

As a player, Antonio Conte started his professional career with Lecce with whom he spent six years, but it was his transfer to Juventus in 1991 that brought him into the public consciousness.

Conte spent the next 13 years with the Bianconerri, playing as a central midfielder and rose through the ranks to become club captain, while also winning numerous honours including the Serie A, the UEFA Cup, and the Champions League.

The presence of multiple world-beaters in midfield at this time meant that he was not a regular with the Azurri of Italy, but he still managed to make 20 appearances for his national team and represented his country at Euro 2000 as well as the 1994 World Cup.

The Lecce native cut his managerial teeth at several Italian clubs, before landing the biggest one of them all when he was appointed as Juventus coach in May 2011.

The Turin giants were far from the dominant force they are today and were still reeling from the 2006 Calciopoli scandal, but with Conte's revolutionary three-at-the-back system, he led his former side to unprecedented success, winning the next four league titles, with the first of those coming in an unbeaten campaign in just his first season with the club.

Further success was enjoyed on the bench with Chelsea and he is currently the manager of Inter Milan where he is attempting to break the stranglehold of the Serie A which he helped create at Juventus.

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#4 Luis Enrique

Luis Enrique was a product of the Sporting Gijon youth academy, before going on to achieve success in a five-year stint with Real Madrid.

In 1996, after stating that he did not feel appreciated by the Real Madrid supporters, Enrique took the rather daring path of signing for Barcelona on a free transfer.

Despite initial skepticism from fans of the Blaugrana owing to his Real Madrid ties, Enrique soon won them over and spent eight years with the club, rising to be named team captain and won several trophies including LaLiga, Copa del Rey, UEFA Cup Winners Cup, and the UEFA Super Cup.

He was also a regular with the Spanish national team, making 62 appearances and representing his country at three World Cups although his international career did not nearly match his club exploits.

Managerial spells with the Barcelona B team, as well as AS Roma and Celta Vigo brought limited acclaim, but his biggest achievements came with Barcelona where he led the club to a second treble in his first season with the senior team in addition to other triumphs in later years.

A stint as coach of the Spanish national team was tragically cut short when he took a sabbatical to look after his sick daughter Xana who unfortunately passed on to bone cancer in August 2019.

#3 Zinedine Zidane

In terms of playing career, Zinedine Zidane was unarguably the most successful of everyone on this list and to a larger extent one of the most successful of all time.

In a glittering playing career that saw him represent clubs like Bordeaux, Juventus, and Real Madrid, Zizou won everything there was to win at club level, in addition to a Ballon d'Or and three FIFA World Best Player wins, while also starring in the French sides that won the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000.

Upon his retirement, the Marseille native tried his hands at coaching, first with the youth sides of Real Madrid before being promoted to become Carlo Ancelotti's assistant at the helm from where he helped the club win the long-sought-after La Decima in 2014.

The sacking of Rafa Benitez in February 2016 saw Zidane appointed as the first-team manager and he went on to record unprecedented success particularly on the continent, with a three-peat in the Champions League as well LaLiga and FIFA Club World Club triumphs added to his managerial CV.

He is currently handling Los Blancos for a second spell but it remains to be seen if he can match his lofty standards.

#2 Diego Simeone

Diego Simone played as an all-action defensive midfielder for some notable clubs like Inter Milan, Sevilla, Lazio, and Atletico Madrid and won fans over due to his never-say-die attitude and passion with which he played the game.

His club career was littered with medals from multiple competitions including LaLiga, Serie A, and UEFA Super Cup.

It goes without saying that he was a bonafide Argentine regular and he won the Copa America on two occasions and retired as one of the greatest players in La Albiceleste history, having made a then-record 106 caps for Argentina.

Success has also come on the manager's bench and Simeone won led Argentine side Estudiantes to their first league title in 23 years in 2006, a feat he repeated with River Plate two years later.

His biggest exploits have, however, come at his former club Atletico Madrid who he has transformed from outsiders in Spain into one of the genuine heavyweights on the continent and his exploits in leading an unfancied side to the league title and Champions League final in 2014 ranks as one of the greatest in managerial history.

#1 Pep Guardiola

Guardiola is arguably the greatest manager in history

Pep Guardiola was one of the earliest products from the newly introduced La Masia program at Barcelona and he went on to play a starring role in the 'dream team' that won the European Cup and four consecutive LaLiga titles under the management of none other than the legendary Cruyff himself.

In his role as a deep-lying playmaker, Guardiola was central to everything the Dutch legend demanded tactically and even during his playing days, Guardiola absorbed everything from a tactical point which went on to play a key role in his success as a manager.

After 11 years with the Barcelona first team, Guardiola spent the last few years of his playing career with clubs like Brescia, AS Roma and Al-Ahli before returning to Catalunya as the coach of the Barcelona B team.

After just one year there, Pep was promoted to the senior team at the age of just 38 and he wrote his name into immortality by becoming the youngest coach in history to win the Champions League as well as the first to win six trophies in a year.

He departed Barcelona as the most successful manager in the club's illustrious history, having won 14 major honours in just four years.

Further success has been enjoyed with Bayern Munich and Manchester City, with record-breaking feats recorded along the way to cement Guardiola's legacy as one of the greatest coaches in history.

Edited by Zaid Khan