After hanging up their boots, it’s natural for football players to desire to pursue a career in coaching. Many football giants have retired from the game only to go on to learn the ropes of coaching and management. It is unquestionably a different ballgame. Football’s finest players aren’t usually the best managers. Jose Mourinho did not have a long professional career, yet he is regarded as one of the greatest managers of all time.
As a result, when a player takes over the dugout as a manager, he could benefit from some familiarity. Perhaps this is why some managers have chosen to bring in former players to their new organizations. Let’s take a look at five managers who signed their former players.
Top 5 football managers who have signed their former teammates
Thierry Henry: Cesc Fabregas (AS Monaco)
AS Monaco admired Thierry Henry’s work as an assistant coach for the Belgian national team and offered him the managing role in October 2018. After only three months on the job, the great striker was fired.
He did, however, sign Cesc Fabregas in the January 2019 transfer window. From his time at Arsenal, the Spaniard was one of Henry’s favourite teammates. However, because Henry was fired just 13 days after Fabregas joined the club, their reunion may have gone unnoticed.
Frank Lampard: Ashley Cole (Derby County)
Two Premier League legends are Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole. They won one Premier League title, one Champions League, five FA Cups, one Europa League, and one League Cup together during their eight years at Chelsea.
Lampard went into coaching after retirement and landed his first position at Derby County. Lampard performed a decent job leading the erstwhile giants back into the Premier League, leading them to the playoffs.
In January 2019, he recruited free agent Ashley Cole, a former associate. Lampard left Derby County to take over as manager of the duo’s former club Chelsea when Cole retired at the end of the 2018-19 season. Cole scored a goal and added two assists in 12 appearances for Derby County under Lampard.
Xavi Hernandez: Dani Alves (Barcelona)
An extremely high number of former teammates have reunited for the 2021-22 season. Barcelona fired manager Ronald Koeman early in the season and replaced him with Xavi Hernandez, a former player.
Xavi was dissatisfied with the personnel at his disposal and requested that the board bring in reinforcements. Dani Alves, an experienced right-back who spent his finest years at Barcelona, was one of the most important of these additions.
Xavi and Dani Alves were teammates on the Barcelona team that won two European trebles. After the 2021-22 season began, Alves remained a free agent, and Xavi was able to sign his former teammate.
The 38-year-old had just won Olympic Gold with the Brazilian national team and showed that he still had what it took to compete at the highest level. Alves has had two assists in four appearances for Barcelona in all competitions since joining the club.
Steven Gerrard: Philippe Coutinho (Aston Villa)
This is the most recent high-profile reunion among Europe’s top five leagues. Steven Gerrard had a successful career with the Rangers before being signed by Aston Villa to replace Dean Smith. So far, Gerrard has done an excellent job. Philippe Coutinho had a fantastic first season in the Premier League with Liverpool, which helped him establish himself as a football superstar.
He was one of Barcelona’s most costly signings in 2018. Coutinho, on the other hand, was unable to reproduce his Liverpool form at the Camp Nou, and his progress was impeded by several injuries.
Barcelona had to sell Coutinho due to financial difficulties, and Steven Gerrard jumped at the chance to sign his old comrade. The Brazilian immediately rewarded his former teammate’s faith in him.
Coutinho made his debut against Manchester United, scoring and assisting a goal to help Aston Villa come back from a 2-0 deficit to level the game in the final 15 minutes. Although the reunion is barely two games old, it has a lot of promise, especially given how brilliantly Coutinho used to play in the Premier League during his prime.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer: Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)
Manchester United fans had been waiting for this reunion for a long time. That is exactly what happened. Manchester United worked quickly to bring Cristiano Ronaldo back to Old Trafford after he departed Juventus. Ronaldo returned to his former club to play for his former teammate, who had now been promoted to the position of manager.
In his second appearance for Manchester United, the Portuguese international got off to a flying start, scoring a brace. He also pulled off several heroics in the Champions League to keep Solskjaer in the job for a little longer. But, in the end, the players were underwhelming, and something had to go.
After his right intentions, Solskjaer was fired. But it was a once-in-a-lifetime reunion for two stars who had shared one Premier League title, one FA Cup, and one League Cup.
Read: Top 5 Premier League clubs with the highest amount spent in the January 2022 winter transfer window
