Zizou and company: 15 best players-turned-managers
With Jose Mourinho's time at Manchester United seemingly nearing an unceremonious end, the name most frequently linked with succeeding the Portuguese gaffer at Old Trafford is that of Zinedine Zidane.
World football has been privy to a near-countless number of tacticians like Zidane who've excelled both on the pitch and on the other side of the touchline. Here's a look at a star-studded list of the 15-best players-turned-managers, weighing equally accomplishments as a player and the exploits of decorated managerial tenures.
15. Antonio Conte: The first of an abundance of Italians on this list, Conte was a versatile midfielder with energy to burn who won five Scudettos to go with a treble of continental conquests with Juventus. As a manager, he won Serie B with Bari, kick-started the Old Lady's run of dominance with three league titles on the trot, and captured the Premier League in his first season in charge of Chelsea, righting the ship following a disastrous 10th-place finish under Jose Mourinho. Conte also won 14 of his 25 matches managing Italy before leaving his post after Euro 2016.
14. Fabio Capello: Like Conte, Capello was an accomplished Italy international who won three straight Scudettos with Juventus paired with a trio of domestic trophies with Roma and AC Milan before cutting his top-flight teeth in charge of the Rossoneri. The pragmatist led Milan to four Serie A crowns in five seasons and a stunning European Cup victory over Barcelona before winning a slew of trophies with Real Madrid and Roma. His two titles bossing Juventus in the mid-2000s were stripped courtesy of the Calciopoli scandal.
13. Kenny Dalglish: The only Brit on the list, the Glaswegian Dalglish was widely considered Scotland's greatest-ever player while also playing a pivotal role at Celtic and Liverpool, winning six English titles in eight years and three European Cups with the latter. King Kenny then won a domestic double in his first season managing the Reds to go with two FA Cups and two more leagues. Before returning to Anfield a second time, Dalglish won the Premier League with Blackburn Rovers and the Scottish League Cup with the Hoops.
12. Jupp Heynckes: Forward-turned-gaffer Heynckes made a habit of winning with hometown Borussia Monchengladbach while notching 39 caps for the West Germany side that captured the 1974 World Cup. Three permanent spells and a caretaker stretch with Bayern Munich saw Heynckes capture individual accolades, the 2012-13 Champions League, and a quartet of Bundesliga titles. Heynckes also bossed Real Madrid to a Champions League victory in 1997-98.
11. Miguel Munoz: In a decade as Los Blancos' midfield mastermind, Madrid-born Munoz won the Spanish top flight on four occasions to go with a trio of European Cups and a Copa Latina. A 14-year spell as Madrid manager yielded even more silverware, as he became the first to win the continent's top prize as a player and coach in 1960. Munoz would add to that tally with another European Cup and nine La Liga crowns, and a pair of Copa del Rey wins.
10. Giovani Trapattoni: Another former Azzurro, Trapattoni made 274 league bows for Milan as a defender and deep-lying midfielder, seizing a pair of European Cups and Serie A titles. A five-year spell with Ireland notwithstanding, Trapattoni's career on the sidelines is up there with the best. With Juventus, Trap became the only boss to capture the European Cup, UEFA Cup, and now-defunct Cup Winners' Cup, winning the league five times for good measure before a slew of trophies with Inter, Bayern Munich, and Benfica.
9. Didier Deschamps: The current France boss wore the captain's armband as a no-nonsense defensive mid for both the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000 successes while playing an integral role in Champions League conquests for Marseille and Juventus. Deschamps also finished runner-up in two European top-tier finals with Juve and one with Valencia before launching a successful coaching career that has seen him become one of three to win a World Cup as a player and a manager.
8. Luis Alberto Cubilla: If Pele is considered one of football's greatest ever despite not playing in Europe, then so too should the Uruguayan, Cubilla. As a winger - a decorated 19-year spell that included three years with Barcelona - Cubilla won nine Uruguayan titles, three Copa Libertadores, and several others. As manager, Cubilla lifted 17 major trophies in South America with Olimpia Asuncion and Penarol, winning the Copa Libertadores twice with the former. Arguably South America's most successful manager.
7. Zinedine Zidane: One of the most accomplished players on this list, attacking midfield magician Zizou stuffed a trophy case as a player during spells with Bordeaux, Juventus, and Real Madrid to go with a 1998 World Cup winner's medal. He then set the standard for swift returns as a manager, lifting the Champions League with Los Blancos three times on the bounce in less than three years in charge and guiding the capital city colossi to their first La Liga/European Cup double since 1958.
6. Vicente Del Bosque: Owner of football's best mustache (apologies, Luiz Gustavo), former technically gifted defensive mid Del Bosque made over 400 appearances for an unplayable Real Madrid side that paired five La Liga titles with a four-pack of Copa del Reys in a five-year window. As a manager, Del Bosque won nearly every individual accolade whilst leading Los Blancos to two leagues and two Champions League before bossing Spain to a maiden World Cup success in 2010 followed two years later by a Euro 2012 crown.
5. Mario Zagallo: The first man to win the World Cup as player and manager, Zagallo was a diminutive winger who twice hoisted the Jules Rimet with Brazil while capturing a slew of domestic honors with Flamengo and Botafogo. Three separate permanent tenures managing Brazil witnessed the tactically astute boss lead Pele and Co. to the 1970 World Cup win in Mexico, widely considered one of world football's best-ever teams. Zagallo was also assistant to Carlos Alberto when La Canarinhas won the 1994 installment.
4. Pep Guardiola: Ask Samuel Eto'o, and he'll say his former Barcelona teammate Guardiola wasn't much of a player, Still, the defensive midfielder (one of many on this list) played a part in Johan Cruyff's Barca "Dream Team," winning just about everything domestically. Guardiola's has tasted more success as a manager, however, capturing seven leagues with La Blaugrana, Bayern Munich, and Manchester City, collecting 22 different honors with the three European giants.
3. Franz Beckenbauer: The final of three to win the World Cup as both player and manager on this list, West Germany legend Beckenbauer is simply put one of the most influential men in the history of the sport. The original sweeper, Der Kaiser also won the Euros and a litany of titles with Bayern Munich and Hamburg. He's also one of three on this list to win a Ballon d'Or, doing so twice. Beckenbauer then guided the West Germans to the 1990 World Cup before lifting league honors with Marseille and Bayern Munich.
2. Carlo Ancelotti: A creative and technically gifted midfielder, Ancelotti was the engine for a Roma side that won the league and three Coppa Italias, and a Milan team that was the class of European competition in the late 1980s. A stellar playing career set the table for one of the most decorated modern managerial spells, winning continental trophies with Juventus, Milan, and Real Madrid alongside league successes with the Rossoneri, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, and Bayern. One of three bosses to win the Champions League three times.
1. Johan Cruyff: A trendsetting pioneer both as a player and manager, there is no comparison to Dutch wizard Cruyff. Winner of a treble of Ballon d'Or awards, the footballing deity and European Player of the Century led Ajax to their most decorated stretch in the 1970s before starring at Barca. As a manager with the Amsterdam lot and the Catalans, Cruyff was almost as successful, nabbing two European Cups, two Cup Winners' Cups, four Spanish league titles, and a quintet of domestic cups.
Honorable mention: Jock Stein, Brian Clough, Ernst Happel, Bobby Robson, Diego Simeone, Frank Rijkaard
(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)