Premier League managers RANKED based on their playing careers
Pep Guardiola narrowly missed out on the top spot.
The Premier League is the most popular football league in the world. It features some of the best players playing for some of the biggest clubs in the world like Liverpool, Manchester United, and Manchester City, among others. However, in modern times, managers are just as important as players and the stature of the clubs.
We have seen many examples of big clubs failing to achieve success despite having good players and unfathomable resources. Pep Guardiola, Mikel Arteta, and Unai Emery are perfect examples of managers who are changing the fortunes of a football club. All three are examples of players turned managers and that raises one question, How were they as players?
So, today we will take a look at the playing careers of all the current Premier League managers.
20. Thomas Frank (Brentford)
Thomas Frank had a brief amateur career but never made it as a professional footballer. He played for Frederiksværk during his playing days as a midfielder. He retired early and started coaching back in 1995.
19. Fabian Hürzeler (Brighton & Hove Albion)
He started playing in the youth academy of Bayern Munich at just 10. However, Fabian was never able to break out into the first team. His career mainly took place in lower-ranked leagues of German football and represented Bayern Munich ll, 1899 Hoffenheim II, and 1860 Munich II. He retired from the sport at just 22.
18. Vítor Pereira (Wolverhampton Wanderers)
The Portuguese only played on the Amateur level as a player and retired at just 28. He made 197 appearances and scored 44 goals during his career. He represented clubs like Avanca, Oliveirense, and Estarreja during his playing days. His managerial career is certainly more successful than his playing career was.
17. Kieran Mckenna (Ipswich Town)
Kieran started his career in Enniskillen Town United’s youth team. After seeing his immense quality, Tottenham Hotspur decided to sign him on a scholarship contract in 2002. He represented his country of Northern Ireland at both Under-19 and Under-21 level. However, he was forced to retire at just 22 due to a hip injury.
16. Marco Silva (Fulham)
Silva played as a right-back for the likes of Belenenses and Campomaiorense. However, he only made two Primeira Liga appearances and mostly spent his career in the second and third divisions. He saw far more success as a manager and managed the likes of Sporting CP, Watford, and Everton before joining Fulham.
15. Unai Emery (Aston Villa)
The Spaniard was a youth graduate of Real Sociedad but was never given many chances to play in the first team. He spent the majority of his career in the second division playing for the likes of Toledo and Racing Ferrol. He retired with more than 330 senior appearances and scored 18 goals in his professional career.
14. Sean Dyche (Everton)
The current Everton manager played as a center-back for clubs like Chesterfield, Millwall, Watford, and Luton Town. His highlight as a player came in 1997 when he scored a penalty against Everton in the FA Cup semi-finals. He also won the second division of English football with Millwall in the 2000/01 season.
13. Julen Lopetegui (West Ham United)
The Spanish goalkeeper is one of only a few players who have represented both Real Madrid and FC Barcelona. He struggled for game time throughout his career and remained a second choice for the most part. However, he still has a LaLiga and two Supercopa de España titles to show for from his playing career.
12. Oliver Glasner (Crystal Palace)
He played as a defender and spent most of his career at SV Ried in Austria. He made 516 appearances for the club and also scored 27 goals. He won two Austrian Cups with the club and that serves as his highest achievement as a player.
11. Eddie Howe (Newcastle United)
The Englishman spent most of his playing career at AFC Bournemouth. He made over 300 appearances throughout his career and scored 15 goals. Eddie Howe was a promising talent but his career was plagued with injuries. He retired in 2007 and moved straight to coaching with the reserved squad.
10. Nuno Espírito Santo (Nottingham Forest)
The Portuguese played as a goalkeeper in his playing days and first made a name for himself in Spain. He was part of clubs like Vila Real and Osusuna. He also played for Porto from 2002 to 2004 and was part of the iconic UEFA Champions League winning side. His other achievements as a player are a Copa del Rey and four Primeira Liga titles.
9. Ivan Juric (Southampton)
Ivan operated as a midfielder and was rated highly for his versatility and technical ability on the ball. He started his career at Hajduk Split and then moved to Sevilla. He also represented his national team five times in 2009. However, he could not win any trophy during the entirety of his career.
8. Ange Postecoglou (Tottenham Hotspur)
Ange played as a centre-back for South Melbourne throughout his career and retired as a one-club player. He won two National Soccer Leagues in his career and also represented Australia four times between 1986 to 1988. His career was ended at just 27 due to a knee injury.
7. Ruben Amorim (Manchester United)
The latest manager of the Red Devils played as a midfielder. He spent most of his career in Belenenses (Five years) and Benfica (nine years). He also represented the Portuguese national team 14 times in the early 2010s. He won 11 titles throughout his career.
6. Andoni Iraola (AFC Bournemouth)
Andoni spent most of his playing career in LaLiga, playing for Athletic Bilbao. He was very unfortunate to never win a trophy with them as he lost three Copa Del Rey, one Supercopa de España, and one UEFA Europa League final. He moved to the MLS in 2015 during the tail end of his career and retired the next year capping off a successful playing career.
5. Arne Slot (Liverpool)
Arne Slot was an attacking midfielder as a player. He scored 100 goals in 462 appearances throughout his career. He was known for his passing and vision. He played for clubs like FC Zwolle, NAC Breda, and Sparta Rotterdam. He also won two Eerste Divisie titles during his time as a player.
4. Enzo Maresca (Chelsea)
The Italian started his footballing career at AC Milan at just 11 years of age. He then went on to represent West Brom, Juventus, Sevilla, and Fiorentina during his almost 20-year-long career. He was fairly successful in the case of trophies as well.
His most notable achievements are, Serie A, Copa Del Rey, UEFA Cup, and UEFA Super Cup titles. He is one of the young managers on the list and should be applauded for his quick transition from a player to a manager.
3. Mikel Arteta (Arsenal)
Arteta refined his football fundamentals in the FC Barcelona’s La Masia and made his debut for the club in 1999. He played more than 400 professional games as a midfielder and represented clubs like Paris Saint Germain, Everton, and Arsenal. He had a very successful playing career as he won nine trophies in total.
2. Pep Guardiola (Manchester City)
Arguably the greatest manager of all time had an incredible playing career as well. He was a key piece of Johan Cruyff’s now iconic, “The Dream Team.” His reading of the game was phenomenal even as a player and that translated into his successful coaching career. His long list of honours includes six LaLiga titles, two Copa Del Rey titles, four Supercopa de España, and a UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup.
1. Ruud van Nistelrooy (Leicester City)
Ruud is widely regarded as one of the best strikers of this century and played for some elite clubs like Manchester United and Real Madrid. In 449 appearances, Van Nistelrooy scored 249 goals. He was very lethal and consistent for the entirety of the 2000s. He was announced as the manager of Leicester City last month after a brief but successful run as an interim coach at Manchester United.
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