Greatest players-turned-managers

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With Zidane's continued success I wondered who was RedCafe's vote for the greatest player-turned-manager, considering only those who have a genuine claim to greatness in both roles.

(I searched for a similar thread but didn't find one with a cumbersome title like this one. Maybe someone found a more elegant way to ask the question. Apologies if I missed it).
 
Cruyff is still the man.
I'll also throw in Happel.
 
I think it's slim pickens to be honest. Not to derail your thread or anything but a better criteria IMO would be players turned great managers. More area for debate there.

Stein
Busby
Ferguson
Shankly

....
 
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Zagallo and Beckenbauer won the World Cup as a player and a manger.
 
You'll be hard pressed to better Vicente Del Bosque.

Player[edit]
Real Madrid
Manager[edit]
Real Madrid

Spain

Individual[edit]

Franz Beckenbauer is a good shout.

Player[edit]
Bayern Munich[32]
Hamburger SV[32]
New York Cosmos
West Germany[33]
Manager[edit]
West Germany[32]
Marseille
Bayern Munich[32]
Individual[edit]
Player
Manager

They did alright in the game I suppose.
 
Glaswegian said:
I think it's slim pickens to be honest. Not to derail your thread or anything but a better criteria IMO would be players turned great managers. More area for debate there.
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Almost every great manager ever was a player. Who is a great manager that never played at a decent level? Mourinho? I can't think of any others.
 
Zidane, Beckenbauer, cruyff are the only 3 I can think of who can claim 'greatness' in both. There are plenty who were fantastic players and even greater managers though.
 
duffer said:
Almost every great manager ever was a player. Who is a great manager that never played at a decent level? Mourinho? I can't think of any others.
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Just widens the scope I thought. Equally hard trying to think of greatest players ever to be a great manager.

Ian Cathro no previous experience as a player, though he definitely hasn't gone on to greatness haha.
 
A certain Chelsea-manager probably deserves a mention.
Mario Zagallo had good careers as both player and manager
Brian Clough was a brilliant goalscorer but strangely overlooked by England despite an average of 0.9 goals for each game.
Alf Ramsey had a good career for both Spurs and England before creating the wingless wonder
 
Fabio Capello wasn't a bad player - maybe not a great but won quite a bit both as player and coach
 
lysglimt said:
A certain Chelsea-manager probably deserves a mention.
Mario Zagallo had good careers as both player and manager
Brian Clough was a brilliant goalscorer but strangely overlooked by England despite an average of 0.9 goals for each game.
Alf Ramsey had a good career for both Spurs and England before creating the wingless wonder
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Just about to post Clough .... his goal scoring record was phenomenal before injury.

England appearances 2 - guess Greaves and Charlton were in his way? Hard to argue over them?
 
Cruyff by a mile probably (top 5-10 player of all-time and hugely influential and successful manager) . To me the debate is still out on Guardiola (who was a very good, but not great player) and Zidane (obviously a great player), Simeone definitely deserves to be mentioned. Excellent player and huge difference making manager so far.
 
Moonred said:
Zidane, Beckenbauer, cruyff are the only 3 I can think of who can claim 'greatness' in both. There are plenty who were fantastic players and even greater managers though.
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I thought the same, and maybe Dalglish, but wondered if there was someone I was overlooking, perhaps from South America.
 
Beckenbauer, Zagallo, Cruyff and Zidane if going by accolades as both manager and player. Very tough to come close to them.
 
Not exactly a coaching all time great, but Matthias Sammer won Bundesliga (afaik he's still the youngest to do so) and made it to the UEFA Cup final in his second season as head coach.
Soon after he decided to switch to DoF roles though.
 
Rijkaard, won 2 la liga titles and CL as a manager. As a player I won't even list them.

Ancelotti too.
 
greatest player-turned-manager: Cruyff, Beckenbauer, Zidane, and Rijkaard
decent player-turned great manager: Guardiola, Happel, Dalglish, Zagallo, Ancelotti, Trappatoni, Simeone, Conte, Ramsey, Clough, Del Bosque, and Munoz.
ordinary player-turned great manager: Ferguson, Guttmann, Michels, Lattek, Schon, Herberger, Stein, Jacquet, Lippi, Pozzo, Shankly, Low, Rocco, and Herrera.
 
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lysglimt said:
A certain Chelsea-manager probably deserves a mention.
Mario Zagallo had good careers as both player and manager
Brian Clough was a brilliant goalscorer but strangely overlooked by England despite an average of 0.9 goals for each game.
Alf Ramsey had a good career for both Spurs and England before creating the wingless wonder
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Is my answer!
 
Eire Red United said:
Did big Sam ever play any ball?
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yes
sam_allardyce_1_1910209i.jpg
 
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Zidane, Cruyjff, del Bosque, Clough are the standouts for me. Beckenbauer, Rijkaard, Heynckes, Trappatoni, Zagallo, Conte, Guardiola all honourable mentions.
 
Keano. Great player, but obviously nowhere near as successful as the rest of the manager's mentioned, but he did do an excellent job in his first year at Sunderland and is also doing well as O'Neills number 2 and I'd fancy him to take over a club in the future and do well.
 
Eire Red United said:
Keano. Great player, but obviously nowhere near as successful as the rest of the manager's mentioned, but he did do an excellent job in his first year at Sunderland and is also doing well as O'Neills number 2 and I'd fancy him to take over a club in the future and do well.
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Keane was a terrible manager. He was given loads of money to bring players in and used his past connections with great players to bring them to Sunderland. He managed to survive his 1st season in the Premier League by 3 pts, hardly anything too incredible. By the time Keane was forced to resign all the Sunderland players hated him. He then went on to do absolutely nothing impressive with Ipswich and had them just outside the relegation zone by the time he was sacked. Great player, absolutely awful manager (up to this point at least)
 
Mauricio Pochettino. He wasn't a great player. But he had a decent career, with some success at Newell Old Boys and Espanyol. Think he earned twenty-odd caps for Argentina too.

Teddy Sheringham had a decent playing career. One of the top goalscorers in Premiership history. He is currently managing an Indian Super League team.
 
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BlackShark_80 said:
greatest player-turned-manager: Cruyff, Beckenbauer, Zidane, and Rijkaard
decent player-turned great manager: Guardiola, Happel, Dalglish, Zagallo, Ancelotti, Trappatoni, Simeone, Conte, Ramsey, Clough, Del Bosque, and Munoz.
ordinary player-turned great manager: Ferguson, Guttmann, Michels, Lattek, Schon, Herberger, Stein, Jacquet, Lippi, Pozzo, Shankly, Low, Rocco, and Herrera.
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I'm sorry but some of those so called decent players ie Dalglish Conte Simeone. Really.....
As much as I dislike Dalglish was Rijkaard better? Likewise the other 2?
Has anyone mentioned Laurent Blanc?
 
Token Sheet said:
I'm sorry but some of those so called decent players ie Dalglish Conte Simeone. Really.....
As much as I dislike Dalglish was Rijkaard better? Likewise the other 2?
Has anyone mentioned Laurent Blanc?
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Dalglish was great but unlike Rijkaard, he wasn't one of the greatest player in his position (Forward). Conte and Simeone were decent but nothing more than that.
 
Cruyff, Beckenbauer, Zidane, Rijkaard, Koeman - only coach names that come to mind who I'd consider to be some of the true greats in the pantheon of former players.
 
lysglimt said:
Brian Clough was a brilliant goalscorer but strangely overlooked by England despite an average of 0.9 goals for each game.
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Carlos Bianchi had a similar career trajectory. Prolific goalscorer at club level but a strangely brief international career, then a highly successful career as a manager.

Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1967–1973 Vélez Sarsfield 165 (121)
1973–1977 Reims 124 (107)
1977–1979 Paris Saint-Germain 74 (64)
1979–1980 Strasbourg 22 (8)
1980–1984 Vélez Sarsfield 159 (85)
1984–1985 Reims 18 (8)
Total
562 (393)
National team
1970–1972 Argentina 14 (7)

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Manager
Club
Vélez Sarsfield
Boca Juniors
Individual
 
Don't think SAF ever got a proper fair shout at professional football. Was always out of favor despite scoring goals but eventually became a record fee signing in Scotland for the European Cup runners-up only to fall out of favor with Rangers for sentimental reasons.
 
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