Top 10 Great Players Who Didn't Make Great Managers
Gary Neville suffered another humbling experience as Valencia manager on Wednesday as his side endured a 7-0 thrashing at the hands of Barcelona.
The former Manchester United full-back has struggled to improve Valencia's fortunes since accepting his first managerial position in December and is still without a league win. He described Wednesday's Copa del Rey defeat as one of his "worst experiences" in football, per BBC Sport.
But the veteran of 602 appearances and 16 major honours in 19 years at Old Trafford isn't the first ex-pro to struggle in the world of football management. Here we look at a number of great players who failed to replicate their success on the touchline.
Neville, meanwhile, still has plenty of time to prove his worth as a manager—don't write him off just yet.
Bobby Moore (Oxford City, Eastern AA, Southend United)
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A natural-born leader and England's only World Cup-winning captain, it seemed inevitable that a successful career in football management beckoned for Bobby Moore when he hung up his boots in 1978.
It proved not to be so, as Moore failed to establish himself in brief spells in charge of Oxford City, Southend United and Hong Kong side Eastern AA.
It is for his time at Southend that Moore is best remembered as a manager, rebuilding a side plagued by financial difficulties before accepting a role on the board, which he held until his death in 1993.
Diego Maradona (Argentina)
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Widely considered one of the greatest players of all time, Diego Maradona failed to inspire the brilliance he so often produced as a player during his two years in charge of the Argentina national team.
With Maradona in charge, the South American giants narrowly qualified for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, where they suffered a 4-0 thrashing at the hands of Germany in the quarter-finals.
His contract with the Argentine Football Association was not renewed after the World Cup. Fourteen months later, he took charge of United Arab Emirates side Al Wasl, guiding the team to an eighth-place finish in his one season in charge.
Alan Shearer (Newcastle United)
3 of 10
Club legend Alan Shearer was the man trusted with the unenviable task of saving Newcastle United from Premier League relegation when he took over with eight games remaining of the 2008/09 season.
He failed to do so, winning only once as the Magpies dropped out of the top division for the first time since 1993.
The Premier League's all-time leading goalscorer hasn't returned to management since, instead forging a reputation as a respected pundit for the BBC.
Hristo Stoichkov (Bulgaria, Celta Vigo)
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Winner of the 1994 Ballon d'Or after finishing joint-top scorer at the World Cup that year, Hristo Stoichkov would have hoped to repeat his international success from his playing days as a manager when he took charge of Bulgaria in 2004.
Failure to qualify for both the 2006 World Cup and UEFA Euro 2008 put an end to that dream, with Stoichkov then presiding over a disastrous spell as manager of Celta Vigo, which saw the Spanish club relegated from La Liga in 2007.
Stints as manager of Mamelodi Sundowns, Litex Lovech and CSKA Sofia followed with no great success.
Stoichkov once famously declared "I don't believe in tactics"—easy to believe when you look at his managerial record.
Glenn Hoddle (Swindon, Chelsea, England, Southampton, Tottenham, Wolves)
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Veteran of 53 England caps, Glenn Hoddle failed to reproduce his on-field success in a long but generally fruitless career in football management.
Hoddle began his coaching career when he took over as player-manager of Swindon Town in 1991 before taking a similar role at Chelsea in 1993. He guided the Blues to an FA Cup final in 1994, only to suffer a 4-0 defeat to Manchester United at Wembley.
He left the Chelsea job in 1996 when he was named England manager, leading the team into the 1998 World Cup, where the Three Lions crashed out at the round of 16 after a shootout defeat to Argentina.
He left that role in 1999 and went on to enjoy stints in charge of Southampton, Tottenham Hotspur and Wolverhampton Wanderers before moving into media work.
Lothar Matthaus (Rapid Wien, Partizan Belgrade, Hungary, Bulgaria)
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Germany's most capped player of all time struggled to cut it as a manager with a range of clubs, including Partizan Belgrade, Atletico Paranaense and Red Bull Salzburg.
He also attempted two stints as an international coach, leading Hungary between 2004 and 2006 and Bulgaria from 2010 to 2011, but he failed to qualify for either the 2006 World Cup or Euro 2012 respectively.
His departures were often acrimonious, leaving Atletico Paranaense, Partizan, Hungary and Bulgaria in controversial circumstances.
Paul Ince (Macclesfield Town, MK Dons, Blackburn, Notts County, Blackpool)
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It hasn't all been bad times for Paul Ince as a manager. The former Manchester United and Liverpool midfielder got off to a positive start when he saved Macclesfield Town from League Two relegation in 2007 before leading MK Dons out of the same division in 2008.
Ince was then given a go in the Premier League with Blackburn Rovers the following season, but he was sacked after just six wins from 21 games.
He has since held brief roles at Notts County and Blackpool, whom he saved from Championship relegation in 2013 before getting the sack in 2014.
Michael Laudrup (Brondby, Getafe, Spartak Moscow, Mallorca, Swansea City)
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Michael Laudrup's managerial career started well, with four trophies in three years with Brondby followed by jobs with Getafe, Spartak Moscow and Mallorca.
Relative success in these roles earned Laudrup a move to the Premier League with Swansea City, with whom he won the Capital One Cup in 2013.
But things went downhill fast in south Wales, where the former Juventus, Barcelona and Real Madrid midfielder received the sack with the club threatened by relegation in February 2014.
Sir Bobby Charlton (Preston North End)
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Until recently England's all-time leading goalscorer, Sir Bobby Charlton's managerial career was brief and unsuccessful to say the least.
The 1966 World Cup winner and scorer of 49 international goals took over as manager of Preston North End in 1973, but he oversaw the club's relegation from the Second Division that season. He resumed playing but left the following year, making three appearances for Waterford United in 1976.
After a brief role as caretaker manager at Wigan Athletic, Charlton joined the Manchester United board in 1984, where he has remained ever since.
Ruud Gullit (Chelsea, Newcastle United, Feyenoord, LA Galaxy, Terek Grozny)
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Dutch midfielder Ruud Gullit won two European Cups and numerous other major honours in a glittering career as a player with clubs such as Feyenoord, AC Milan and Chelsea.
The 1987 Ballon d'Or winner started his coaching career when he took over as player-manager at Stamford Bridge in 1996, winning the FA Cup in 1997.
That's where the success began and ended for Gullit as a manager, who was controversially sacked by Chelsea in 1998 before presiding over trophyless spells with Newcastle United, Feyenoord, LA Galaxy and Russian side Terek Grozny.
