22 Great Player-Coach Partnerships from World Football History

Behind every great player is a great coach, or something like that. When the player-coach partnership is at its best, it's a Luke Skywalker-Yoda situation, with the defeat of the Emperor coming in the form of lots and lots of silverware. They bring out the best in one another and the team itself, and in turn even change the course of footballing history. 

Here are 22 (well, 26 in all, if you count some groups) of the top player-coach partnerships in world football history. There are certainly plenty more where that came from, so as always, tell us your favorites in the comments. 

Vicente Del Bosque and Zinedine Zidane

Zidane was already an iconic megastar by the time he got to the Santiago Bernabéu, but his time there under Vicente del Bosque would be the icing on the cake of a legendary career. 

The Spaniard, del Bosque, was given the all-important task of being the Real Madrid manager to usher in the first 'Galácticos' era, and Zidane, who cost the club a hefty €75 million transfer fee, was perhaps its biggest and most important signing.

Naturally, he didn't disappoint. He scored the match-winning goal in Los Merengues' Champions League final victory over German side Bayer Leverkusen, a triumph for him, del Bosque and the club. Together, del Bosque, Zidane and the rest of the Galácticos would also capture a La Liga title and a Supercopa de España and bring in a new era of management, signing tactics and overall success for Real Madrid.

Pelé and Lula

O Rei will always be recognized as one of the greatest, but the architect behind the "Santásticos" Santos side that dominated South America throughout the 1950s and '60s, Luís Alonso Pérez, aka Lula, often falls under the radar in comparison to his juggernaut player.

It was Waldemar de Brito, the former Brazilian star and Santos scout, who spotted Pelé playing at the age of 15. It was with Santos coach Lula at the helm that Pelé exploded and the team rose to global dominance on the domestic and international circuit: the duo helped Santos take home five consecutive Taça Brazil cups (the precursor to the current Campeonato Brasilerão), eight Campeonatos Paulista, two FIFA Intercontinental Cups and two Copa Libertadores. 

Ottmar Hitzfeld and Lothar Matthäus

The legendary Bayern Munich boss saw great success in the Bundesliga, taking his side to five Bundesliga titles, a Champions League cup, three DFB-Pokal titles and an Intercontinental Cup. Matthäus was part of the side for two of those Bundesliga titles, and his relationship with Hitzfeld is similar, in a way, to the one between Paul Gascoigne and Bobby Robson (we'll get to that in a second). Hitzfeld served as a mentor for the German international and comforted him at the lowest point of his career—Bayern's eleventh-hour Champions League final defeat at the hands of Manchester United.

The two have faced one another since in European competition, as Hitzfeld coaches Switzerland and Matthäus, Bulgaria. Even as competitors though, Matthäus still looks to Hitzfeld for guidance on the pitch when needed:

"

"Ottmar is a fantastic coach. I played under many great coaches, but the one I learned the most from is Ottmar. I know I can always rely on him for advice."

"

Juan Carlos Lorenzo and Hugo Gatti

Juan Carlos Lorenzo is one of the most successful managers of one of the most successful clubs in footballing history, Argentina's Boca Juniors, and at the backbone of his success, of all players, was his starting keeper, Hugo Gatti. 

Gatti, an unorthodox, innovative presence on the pitch and a longtime Boca Juniors supporter, fulfilled his dream of playing for the club near the end of his footballing career. Gatti's status as an Argentine footballing legend was cemented under Lorenzo, and the two brought the club five titles for Boca, including two Copa Libertadores titles. Gatti would go on to hold the record for the Argentine player with the most appearances in the Argentine First Division, with a whopping 765.

Bill Shankly and Kevin Keegan

Keegan was one of a number of great Reds to play under the legendary Bill Shankly, but their partnership was particularly noteworthy. Like many players on this list, Keegan viewed his manager as a father figure and under Shankly's direction, Keegan's performances would make the Number 7 kit a badge of honor. 

Toward the end of Shankly's tenure at Anfield, with Keegan leading the attack, the Reds took home a league title, the FA Cup and their first European honor, a UEFA Cup win over Borussia Mönchengladbach.

Keegan, who went on to a managerial career himself and won the Liverpool Echo's Sports Personality of the Year award in 2010 (an award named after Shankly), said he still carries a picture of Shankly with him and still often brings up his former manager in conversation.

As he told the Echo upon receiving the award:

"

“He was an inspiration to me from the day I first walked into the club. When he left, for me, a little a bit of the club died because he meant that much to everyone."

"

Marcello Lippi and Alessandro Del Piero

Gianluigi Buffon was an honorable mention for best partnership with the Italian genius, but no player has spent more time by Marcello Lippi's side and excelled more while doing so than Juventus great Alessandro Del Piero. 

During Lippi's first stint in charge of Juve, Del Piero was placed at the forefront of his attacking tactics, the primarily second striker support leg of the three-man "trident." When the rest of the personnel around him changed, Del Piero remained in that constant position, as his partners changed over time (Zinedine Zidane, Filippo Inzaghi and Pavel Nedved being among them), and he adapted to them all.

In the time the duo were at the Bianconeri, the club saw five Scudettos, four Supercoppa Italianas and a Champions League title. Del Piero and Lippi would reunite again on the international circuit and help bring Italy a World Cup victory in 2006, along with an impressive run in the Euro 2008 tournament, where Del Piero captained and led the Azzurri to the quarter-finals.

Arrigo Sacchi and the AC Milan Dutch Contingent

AC Milan took a risk when he brought on Dutch trio Marco van Basten, Ruud Gullit and Frank Rijkaard but their combined talent and Arrigo Sacchi at the helm saw a revitalized Rossoneri that became a significant force in Europe throughout the late 1980s and early '90s and gave AC Milan fans "90 minutes of joy."

Sacchi's transfers and tactics paid off, most notably the transformation of Frank Rijkaard from a defender into a top-notch holding midfielder. The squad under Sacchi became known as 'Gli Immortali' ('The Immortals') and with the Dutch trio acting as its nerve centre, they saw three Scudettos and back-to-back European Cups. 

Josep Guardiola and Andrés Iniesta / Xavi Hernández

There are a lot of cases one could make for great partnerships within this successful Barcelona team. One could easily argue for Guardiola and Lionel Messi as the more effective partnership, and indeed, Messi has exploded in recent years and is one of the best footballers in the world. But judging by his international performances and natural ability, it's clear Messi would have excelled really anywhere regardless of who coached him. 

But no members of Josep Guardiola's Blaugrana squad have personified his teachings and the club's style of play quite like Barça's dynamic midfield duo of Xavi Hernández and Andrés Iniesta. The duo were already well-established by the time Guardiola took over as Barça boss, but they have mastered, if not exemplified the techniques their manager favors. Guardiola learned the Dutch "total football" and tiki-taka passing game from his manager, Johan Cruyff, and in turn, imparted these onto his squad. Xavi and Iniesta have since mastered the art of the tiki-taka and have established themselves as perhaps the best midfield partnership in all of football.

Ricardo Carvalho and Jose Mourinho

The "Special One" has brought along his favored centre-back for the ride for successful runs at three different clubs now. Carvalho and Mou first linked up when Mourinho joined Porto in 2002, and the manager helped mold his countryman into a world-class defender. Carvalho would prove instrumental in Porto's back-to-back Portuguese Liga titles in 2003 and 2004 as well as the 2004 Champions League title, the real breakout moment of Mourinho's career.

The two would remain together at Chelsea, with Mourinho bringing on his compatriot for a £20 million fee when he became manager of the London club. Carvalho would be employed in central defense alongside skipper John Terry and helped bring the club back-to-back Premiership titles as he had done at Porto. When 'the Special One' left Stamford Bridge, Carvalho's profile began to fade and when Guus Hiddink took over, Alex replaced him as the favored starting centre-back, leading Carvalho to seek a transfer to reunite with his former manager.

He finally got his wish in the summer of 2010, joining Mou at Real Madrid, where both are continuing to shape one of the hardest defensive squads in Europe. 

Arsene Wenger and Dennis Bergkamp

The former Ajax man was perhaps the greatest student of Le Professeur, the kind of cerebral, cool and cohesive player Wenger loved. Under Wenger, Bergkamp became a star at Arsenal, praised for his dazzling skill, ability to read the game and brilliant handling of attacking partnerships with Ian Wright and Thierry Henry. The two helped bring the Gunners three Premiership titles (including the "Invincibles" year) and four FA Cups.

Even with all the criticism of Wenger from fans and detractors alike in recent seasons, Bergkamp has remained one of his biggest advocates, calling his haters "non-believers", while also being one of his most honest and constructive critics–offering advice on how to most effectively use striker Robin van Persie. He remains a reference point when talking about effective attacking tactics, and his significance within the club has led to speculation about him joining the coaching staff and even replacing Wenger as manager when he retires. 

Jose Mourinho and Frank Lampard

The second entry on this list for the "Special One," Mourinho and Chelsea mainstay Frank Lampard got along famously during Mou's spell as Chelsea manager and the payoff for the Blues was clear.

A confident, passionate manager to the core, Mourinho passed those attributes on to Lampard and made him a more self-assured player. Lampard returned the favor with a string of stellar performances at Stamford Bridge and a stronger leadership role within the team, and the Blues took home two Premiership titles, two Carling Cups and an FA Cup in the process.

It was almost an extended partnership. Lampard considered joining Mourinho when he left to coach Inter Milan and Mourinho, too, considered a bid to bring Lampard to the Bernabéu over this past summer. As Chelsea prepared to face Mourinho's Inter in the Champions League in 2010, he said the motivation of playing against Mourinho made him want to win more, as if a manifestation of everything Mou had taught him about confidence and drive. 

As Lampard said of the "Special One":

"

"He carried that aura around with him. It's very obvious that he believes in himself as a manager, and as a man, but he had this way of transmitting that confidence to his players. He just tried to make me believe in the player I could be, and helped me get to where I wanted to be. It was sad losing someone like that who you respect, but what he gave me stays with me. I'm a better player and a better person for having worked with him."

 

"

Sir Bobby Robson and Ronaldo

Throughout his long, diverse and illustrious career, the late, great Sir Bobby Robson managed and molded a host of fantastic players: Luís Figo, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Bryan Robson, Paul Gascoigne, Terry Butcher, Romario and Alan Shearer. But his partnership with Brazilian legend Ronaldo was something special. 

Robson signed the two-time Ballon d'Or winner and instant-legend striker to his Barcelona squad in 1996, and although Ronaldo's time at the Camp Nou was brief, it was certainly memorable. With Robson at the helm, Ronaldo scored 47 goals in 49 appearances and helped the Blaugrana win the Supercopa de España, Copa del Rey and European Cup Winners' Cup.

In a guest column for the Daily Mail published following his retirement from footballing activities, Robson named Ronaldo as his favorite individual player to work with:

"

"The best player I ever worked with? Tough competition, but it has to be Brazil's Ronaldo. I signed him for Barcelona in 1996 after I failed to get Alan Shearer from Blackburn.

Ronaldo was lean, mean, as quick as an Olympic sprinter and some of the goals he scored had me shaking my head in disbelief."

"

And for Ronaldo, the feeling was mutual:

"

"He was like a father to me. Bobby Robson helped me to be consistent and helped me a lot with my career. Today he can enjoy the fruits of his labour."

 

"

Eusébio and Béla Guttmann

It was an unlikely pairing but ultimately a wildly successful one: an itinerant, highly unorthodox Hungarian manager constantly on the move early in his career in an effort to escape anti-Semitic persecution and a Mozambican-Portuguese striker who learned to play with self-made balls and pitches. Together, Béla Guttmann and Eusébio changed the course of history and wrote a legendary chapter in the history of S.L. Benfica. 

Guttmann is credited with discovering and mentoring Eusébio, bringing him over from Sporting Clube de Lourenço Marques in a controversial transfer that ruffled feathers with Benfica's rival, Sporting Lisbon. It ended up being a move that paid off for Benfica though—Eusébio scored a hat-trick in his debut performance for the Eagles and the duo would go on to lead Benfica to back-to-back European Cups. 

In the process, Eusébio made strides for the game on a global scale, as he became one of the first world-class African players to gain success and recognition in the top tiers of the game, setting a precedent for many, many more. 

Sir Bobby Robson and Paul Gascoigne

Ironically, the moment which best exemplifies the incredible partnership between midfielder Paul Gascoigne and his England manager, Bobby Robson, came from one of Gascoigne's biggest failures as a player. When Gazza fouled West Germany's Thomas Berthold in the 1990 World Cup semi-final, he was booked, meaning he would miss the final if England made it there. Distraught, he left the pitch in tears.

Instead of dwelling on the booking, Robson chose to focus on Gazza's performance in the rest of the cup and comforted his dejected, apologetic midfielder.

Their friendship and mutual respect is the stuff most players and managers wish they could have had with one another. When Robson passed away in 2009 after a long battle with cancer, Gascoigne said he wept for hours upon hearing the news.

As he told ITV News:

"

 "I'm speechless. I'm devastated. Bobby was like my second dad. I was like a son to him. I've had loads of texts from football players, managers, everybody."

"

Giovanni Trapattoni and Michel Platini

The most successful coach in Serie A history and his star attacker were a match made in heaven for supporters of the Bianconeri. With Trapattoni crafting an excellent midfield and Platini delivering with gifted passing and stellar finishing, the two led Juventus to a Coppa Italia, two European Cup finals, a UEFA Super Cup, two Scudettos and an Intercontinental Cup.

Although Trapattoni and Platini's crowning moment of glory came in the midst of a tragedy—Juventus' 1985 European Cup victory tainted by the shock and horror of the Heysel Stadium Disaster—Platini emerged as a leader in the wake of the disaster, visiting his compatriots who had been injured in the hospital, and the duo remained the figureheads of Juve's dominance throughout the 1980s. 

John McGovern and Brian Clough

The saga of John McGovern and Brian Clough is the stuff English football mythology is made of. The itinerant midfielder first saw Ol' Big 'Ead play his final match for Sunderland at Roker Park after suffering a career-ending ligament injury. Several years later, Cloughie was urging him to get a haircut when he joined Hartlepool United, and McGovern would follow the legendary manager to Derby County and even to his ill-fated spell at Elland Road with Leeds United. 

McGovern became an instrumental part of the Clough-led Hartlepool and Derby County squads that saw promotion, but the greatest triumph of that partnership came at Nottingham Forest. Clough brought McGovern on and the Scotsman eventually became captain, leading Forest to two Football League Cups and back-to-back European Cups in 1979 and 1980. 

As McGovern explained their relationship to the Telegraph: 

"

"My greatest achievement was being lucky enough to be a footballer. I'm a great believer in fate and from that first day I met him as a 15-year-old I thought there was a lot of fate rolled up into the relationship we had. Every medal I won in the game I owe to him. I wasn't the greatest player but he gave me that belief and put me in with good players."

 

"

Sir Alex Ferguson and Ryan Giggs

No partnership has better personified Manchester United's recent dominance in English football better than manager Sir Alex Ferguson and Ryan Giggs. 

Sir Alex developed Giggs from the beginning, the second generation of "Fergie's Fledglings," with the Welsh international starting in the first team at the age of 17, a huge vote of confidence from the United manager. He rose up the ranks in the years that followed, scoring spectacular goals and impressing with his leadership and skill. And, of course, there's the silverware: 12 Premier League titles, four FA Cups, two Champions League titles.

Perhaps most telling of all, they've always been one another's biggest advocates. In recent times, Fergie has been protective of his veteran star and when the end of Giggs' season was overshadowed by the super-injunction scandal, he did his best to keep everyone focused on the game. When an Associated Press reporter asked him about the scandal, the manager requested to have him banned from the next match.

And although Giggs' career on the pitch looks as though it may be in its twilight years, the partnership between him and Sir Alex may continue. Fergie has hinted at bringing Giggs on to the coaching staff when he retires, as he did with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. 

Bob Paisley and Kenny Dalglish

Arguably the greatest player to ever grace the Kop and Liverpool's most successful manager, these two icons of Anfield royalty were made for each other. 

Paisley spent an astounding £440,000 to bring Dalglish to Liverpool from Celtic, a move some fans met with skepticism, as it was thought no one could effectively replace Kevin Keegan. Not only did the Scottish striking machine flourish under Paisley, scoring 30 league goals in his debut season at the club, but he quickly became a club legend like the manager who mentored him.

Together, they would lead the Reds to four domestic league championships, three European Cups (still a record held by Paisley) and three Football League Cups. And the partnership did not end with Paisley's retirement: he returned to Anfield to give counsel to Dalglish when he took over as player-manager in 1985. 

Oriol Tort and Most of FC Barcelona

This isn't an individual dynamic pairing, but the impact Oriol Tort had on several generations of FC Barcelona players was something truly remarkable, too essential not to include. Youth-team and reserves coaches are often forgotten on lists such as these, and Tort, who up until his passing in 1999 served as the director of Barça's famed youth academy, La Masia, was perhaps the best of his era.

Among his successful La Masia protégés were Josep Guardiola, Guillermo Amor, Xavi Hernández, Carles Puyol and toward the end of his career, Andrés Iniesta. As these players ascended the ranks and excelled at Camp Nou, even after Tort's passing, it set the wheels in motion for a host of other stellar La Masia alumni, among them Gerard Piqué, Cesc Fábregas, Thiago Alcântara and of course, Lionel Messi, and making the Barcelona youth academy one of, if not the best, in all of football.

Sir Matt Busby and George Best

The legacy of this partnership can still be seen in full force outside Old Trafford–legendary Manchester United winger George Best is one of three figures in the "holy trinity" statue outside the ground, situated on Sir Matt Busby Way.

Before the signing of George Best, Busby was faced with an extremely difficult and painful task–rebuilding his United squad following the 1958 Munich air disaster, a devastating crash in which seven of his players were killed. The survivors of the crash—Sir Bobby Charlton and Bill Foulkes among them—were the backbone of this rebuilt squad, but George Best was at its heart. Described as a "genius" by the United scout who came to watch him play, Best would flourish under Busby's tutelage and help drive the club up the ranks of English football once again. In his second season with the Red Devils, Best would see the club win a division title, with another one following in 1967 and a European Cup in 1968.

Sir Alf Ramsey and Bobby Moore

Perhaps the greatest partnership from a golden age of English football, Ramsey and Moore helped give the Three Lions their first and to this date only World Cup title in 1966.

England manager Alf Ramsey took a risk in bringing on Bobby Moore, at that point young and fairly inexperienced by comparison, and appointing him as England captain before the tournament. It ended up being a move that showed Ramsey's confidence in his young players and his gift of foresight as a manager, and the two complemented one another particularly well in sharing a calculating nature and uncanny ability to read the game. When Moore tried to leave West Ham United, it was Ramsey who convinced him to stay in order to maintain his international eligibility. 

Moore returned the favor in spades: in the final against West Germany, things looked grim for the Three Lions, as the Germans got the first strike, but Moore scored the equalizer and later maintained his composure to set up the go-ahead goal for Geoff Hurst and later setting up another goal for Hurst for a 4-2 victory and the cup. 

Upon Moore's passing from cancer in 1993, Ramsey said of his captain:

"

“My captain, my leader, my right-hand man. He was the spirit and the heartbeat of the team. A cool, calculating footballer I could trust with my life. He was the supreme professional, the best I ever worked with. Without him England would never have won the World Cup.” 

"

Rinus Michels and Johan Cruyff

A more influential pair of game-changers you'd be hard-pressed to find.

The relationship between Ajax manager Rinus Michels and his protégé Johan Cruyff is perhaps the best example in football of what happens when the student takes the advice of his mentor and in turn becomes the teacher. While in charge at Ajax, Michels developed the philosophy of "Total Football," a style built on versatility and fluidity in which one player could easily slip into the role of a teammate, with the rest of the side following suit in succession. 

Michels refined and developed the system after being inspired by Jack Reynolds, the Ajax manager who first began structuring his team with this idea in mind. He incorporated it into the fundamentals of Ajax and the Netherlands national team, where it was picked up by its brightest student, Johan Cruyff, who would in turn use "Total Football" to bring eight Eredivisie titles, five KNVB Cups and three European Cups to Ajax. Later, as both a player and a manager, he would inspire the same style of play at Barcelona, laying the framework for tactics both the Catalans and his previous Dutch side still use today.