Managers who didn't play football at the highest level

Most famous football managers played professionally, usually to a fairly high level, with coaching a logical career choice after hanging up their boots.

But some did not make it in their careers as footballers and took the decision to become coaches instead.

Those managers were often forced to work even harder, taking a longer and more arduous route to the top.

Here, a look at some of the most high-profile managers who did not play the game at the highest level and how they worked their way up...

32. Pablo Machín

Pablo Machín played just a handful of first-team games for Numancia in Spain's Segunda División B, but the right-back was forced to retire at the age of 23 after suffering a serious knee injury.

Machín went on to coach Numancia's youth side and then the B team before becoming assistant and finally taking over as manager at the Soria-based club in 2011. Since leaving in 2013, he has had spells at Girona, Espanyol and Sevilla, among others, as well as working in Saudi Arabia and more recently, in Cyprus. 

31. John Herdman

John Herdman began coaching for Sunderland's youth academy in 2001, while he was a student and part-time lecturer at Northumbria University.

Herdman later moved to New Zealand, where he ended up in charge of the women's national team. After coaching Canada's women for seven years, he took over the men's team and led the Reds to the 2022 World Cup. Upon leaving that post in 2023, he took over at Toronto FC.

30. Pako Ayestarán

A former youth player at Real Sociedad, Pako Ayestarán never made it to the first team and began his career as a fitness coach.

Ayestarán worked alongside side Rafa Benítez at Osasuna, Extremadura, Tenerife, Valencia and Liverpool. Later, he had a season as Unai Emery's assistant at Valencia before going on to coach in his own right in Mexico, Israel, Spain and Portugal. The Basque took Tecos back to Mexico's top flight in 2014 and won an Israeli Premier League title with Maccabi Tel Aviv the following year, but short spells at Valencia and Las Palmas were less successful. He returned to England as Emery's assistant at Aston Villa in November 2022.

29. Juanma Lillo

Juanma Lillo began coaching local club Amaroz KE as a 16-year-old and before turning 30, he had become the youngest manager in La Liga as he took over at Salamanca.

Lillo has worked with a series of Spanish sides, including Almería, Zaragoza and Real Sociedad, as well as coaching Millonarios and Atlético Nacional in Colombia. He has been most successful as an assistant, though, alongside Pep Guardiola at Manchester City and previously Jorge Sampaoli with Chile and at Sevilla.

28. Jorge Luis Pinto

Jorge Luis Pinto studied physical education at university in Bogotá and embarked on a long coaching career, taking over at Colombian giants Millonarios at 31 years old in 1984.

Pinto later coached Colombia and Costa Rica twice, memorably leading the Central Americans to top spot in a group featuring Italy, England and Uruguay at the 2014 World Cup and then to a place in the quarter-finals. He has also managed Honduras and won club championships in Colombia, Costa Rica, Peru and Venezuela.

27. Sergio Markarían

Born in Uruguay of Armenian descent, Sergio Markarían spent much of his childhood in Argentina. He played as a centre-back until the age of 17, but never made it as a professional.

Against the advice of friends and colleagues, Markarían gave up his job as general manager in a distribution company in Uruguay and spent a decade working his way up the coaching ladder. Eventually, bigger opportunities arrived in Uruguay, Paraguay and later in Peru. Highlights of a 39-year coaching career include Paraguayan titles with Olimpia and Cerro Porteño, Peruvian championships with Universidad de Deportes and Sporting Cristal, plus a run to the final of the Copa Libertadores with the latter in 1997. He also led Peru to third place at the 2011 Copa América, coached Panathinaikos and had a brief spell in charge of Greece, from which he resigned after a shock defeat to the Faroe Islands.

26. Gregorio Manzano

Frustrated in his hopes of making it as a professional footballer, Gregorio Manzano worked as a school teacher and a psychologist in his 20s while studying to become a coach.

Manzano has revealed he travelled over 760 kilometres a day just to train Segunda División B side Talavera. The hard work paid off with an offer from second-tier Toledo and then a series of La Liga clubs, including Mallorca (three times), Atlético Madrid (twice), Sevilla, Racing Santander and Rayo Vallecano. His biggest success was winning Mallorca their first-ever trophy – the Copa del Rey in 2002/03. Later, he worked for several years in China.

25. Lars Lagerbäck

After an uneventful playing career in Sweden's lower leagues in the late 1960s and early 1970s, Lars Lagerbäck began coaching in 1977.

His big breakthrough came when took a job with the Swedish Football Federation in 1990, initially as youth coach, and went on to spend nine years in charge of the senior side between 2000 and 2009 – alongside Tommy Söderberg as dual manager for the first four of those. Later, he had spells with Nigeria, Iceland and Norway.

24. Joaquín Caparrós

Joaquín Caparrós came through the youth ranks at Sevilla, but the highlight of his playing career was a spell with Leganés in Spain's fourth tier in the late 1970s.

Caparrós began his coaching career at the age of just 26. He led Sevilla back into La Liga in 2001 and went on to manage Deportivo de La Coruña, Athletic Club, Mallorca, Levante, Granada and Osasuna in Spain's top flight. Later, he worked in Switzerland and Qatar, before two years as Armenia coach between 2020 and 2022.

23. Bob Bradley

Bob Bradley played football at high school and university, but opted for a career in coaching and was named as head coach of the Ohio University Bobcats' NCAA Division I soccer program at the age of just 22.

Bradley went on to win an MLS Cup and two US Open Cups with Chicago Fire, a Supporters' Shield at Los Angeles FC and a CONCACAF Gold Cup with the United States. He also had spells in Egypt, Norway, France, Canada and – very briefly – at Swansea City.

22. Jesualdo Ferreira

Jesualdo Ferreira was born in Portugal and grew up in Angola. Back in his homeland, he was a midfielder for Ovarense's youth side, but hung up his boots at the age of 20 in order to concentrate on coaching.

Once criticised by José Mourinho for failing to win trophies in a long career, Ferreira went on to lead Porto to three championships between 2006 and 2009. Later, he won two Egyptian titles across two spells with Zamalek and another in Qatar with Al Sadd.

21. Domenico Tedesco

Domenico Tedesco was born in Italy but moved to Germany with his family at a young age and went on to play amateur football in the country.

The Italian-German began working in youth development at VfB Stuttgart in his early 20s. After a short spell with second-tier side Erzgebirge Aue in 2017, he went on to coach Schalke and Spartak Moscow and led RB Leipzig to a German cup. Tedesco was appointed as Belgium boss in February 2023.

20. Reinaldo Rueda

Reinaldo Rueda played football at amateur and college level, but opted to cut short his career to concentrate on coaching.

Rueda has dedicated much of his career to managing international teams, with two spells in charge of Colombia, two with Honduras and one each with Chile and Ecuador. At club level, he led Atlético Nacional to the Copa Libertadores in 2016 and reached two finals with Flamengo the following year.

19. José Bordalás

José Bordalás came through the youth ranks at Alicante-based club Hércules but never made an appearance for the first team. After periods on loan at Español de San Vicente, Orihuela Deportiva, Villajoyosa, Rayo Ibense and Benidorm, he played for Denia, Torrevieja, Petrelense, Español de San Vicente and Altea.

Never featuring higher than the Tercera División (Spain's non-professional fourth tier, with 80 teams featuring in the old Segunda B at the time), Bordalás ended his career due to injuries at the age of 28. He began his coaching career at Alicante in 1994 and his best known for his two tenures at Getafe and a short spell at Valencia.

18. Ante Čačić

Ante Čačić graduated from the Faculty of Physical Education at the University of Zagreb and was one of the first 10 coaches in Croatia to acquire the UEFA Pro Licence qualification.

A two-time Croatian champion at the helm of Dinamo Zagreb, Čačić coached Croatia between 2015 and 2017 and has also worked in Slovenia, Libya and Egypt in a career dating back to the mid-1980s.

17. Will Still

Will Still played youth and amateur football as a teenager but decided at an early age to concentrate on management and began his coaching career at just 17 years old.

Partly inspired by the Championship Manager and Football Manager video games, the Belgium-born Still moved to England to study at Myerscough College in Preston. He began his managerial career at Belgian club Lierse in 2017. After a short spell at Beerschot and two years with French side Stade de Reims, he was appointed as coach of fellow Ligue 1 outfit Lens in 2024.

16. Zdeněk Zeman

Born in Czechoslovakia, Zdeněk Zeman has lived in Italy since the 1960s and has spent the majority of his five decades of coaching in the country.

After studying at a sports school and acquiring his coaching licenses, Zeman's first role as head coach came at Sicilian side Licata. He has gone on to manage the likes of Roma, Lazio, Napoli, Parma, Fenerbahçe and Pescara in a long career. After undergoing heart surgery, he stepped down from his third spell at Pescara in February 2024.

15. Avram Grant

Avram Grant began his coaching career as an 18-year-old at hometown club Hapoel Petah Tikva. In charge of the youth side for 14 years, he eventually took the top job and led the team to two Toto Cup titles.

After spells withs Maccabi Tel Aviv, Maccabi Haifa and the Israel national team, Grant moved to Portsmouth as technical director and was appointed as Chelsea manager by his friend Roman Abramovich following José Mourinho's sacking in 2007, famously losing his job despite finishing as a runner-up in the Premier League, Champions League and the League Cup. He has since had spells with Portsmouth, West Ham, Ghana and Zambia.

14. Mano Menezes

As of 2024, Mano Menezes had coached seven of Brazil's biggest 12 clubs and also had a spell in charge of the national team.

Menezes was a forward as a youngster, but dropped into midfield and later became a centre-back. However, he only played at amateur level in Brazil and retired before the age of 30 to concentrate on his coaching career.

13. Brendan Rodgers

Brendan Rodgers saw a promising career as a defender end prematurely at the age of 20 due to a chronic knee problem, having moved from Ballymena to Reading as an 18-year-old.

Rodgers continued to play non-league football. Later, he spent time in Spain studying coaching methods. He was offered a job with the youth team at Chelsea by José Mourinho and went on to manage Swansea, Liverpool, Celtic and Leicester. The Northern Irishman led the Swans to the Championship play-off trophy, was a Premier League runner-up with the Reds, won an FA Cup with the Foxes and a series of trophies at Celtic across two spells.

12. Guy Roux

Guy Roux spent three years at Auxerre as a midfielder between 1954 and 1957 in France's fourth tier and later became the club's player-manager.

When Auxerre were promoted to France's third division in 1970, Roux retired to concentrate solely on coaching. He went on to manage the club for over 40 years, winning the title in 1995/96 and four French Cups in an unbelievable career. He briefly came out of retirement to coach Lens in 2007, but lasted just seven games.

11. Leonardo Jardim

Born in Venezuela to Portuguese parents, Leonardo Jardim grew up on the island of Madeira and began his coaching career as an assistant at local side Camacha at the age of just 27.

After spells in charge at Camacha and then with Chaves in Portugal's third tier, Jardim steered Beira-Mar to Portugal's top flight and impressed at Braga. Later, he led Olympiacos to a Greek Super League title, finished second in a season with Sporting CP and then won Ligue 1 with Monaco in a four-year spell. After briefly returning for a second stint, Jardim has added titles in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

10. Alberto Zaccheroni

A full-back who played youth football for Cesenatico and Bologna, Alberto Zaccheroni's playing career was curtailed by a lung disease which kept him out for two years. And when he returned, he played only for amateur clubs Meldola, Civitella and Savio.

After coaching a series of smaller sides, his breakthrough came at Udinese as he guided the Bianconeri to an impressive third-placed finish in Serie A. In 1998/99, he led AC Milan to the Scudetto and later became the first Italian coach to win an international trophy with a foreign team as steered Japan to the Asian Cup in 2011. He also had spells at Lazio, Inter, Torino and Juventus and finished his career with just over a year in charge of the United Arab Emirates.

9. Jorge Sampaoli

Born in Argentina, Jorge Sampaoli led Chile to the Copa América crown – the first major football title in the nation's history – in 2015.

Sampaoli later coached Argentina, along with a number of top clubs – including Sevilla (twice), Marseille, Santos and Flamengo.  A youth player at Newell's Old Boys in his homeland, he failed to make an impact, citing "stage fright", and retired at the age of 19 after suffering a serious injury. Later, he worked part-time in a bank, before slowly making his mark as a coach at a series of South American sides. Eventually, he won titles at Universidad de Chile in a two-year spell between 2010 and 2012, which led to his appointment with Chile's national side later that year.

8. Maurizio Sarri

Maurizio Sarri played his entire career as a centre-back for amateur club Figline after failed trials with Torino and Fiorentina.

In a coaching career which began way back in 1990, the chain-smoking Italian slowly worked his way up through the divisions. After taking Empoli up to Serie A, he earned rave reviews at Napoli and was later appointed by Chelsea, where he won the Europa League in 2019. He went on to add a Serie A title at Juventus in 2020 and joined Lazio the following year.

7. Gérard Houllier

Born in Paris, Gérard Houllier played as a midfielder for Le Touquet and began his coaching career with the amateur club in 1973.

Houllier later coached Lens and Paris Saint-Germain, winning a French title in 1985/86, and also had a spell in charge of France. But he is probably best remembered for his time at Liverpool, where he won two League Cups, an FA Cup and a UEFA Cup. He also led Lyon to two Ligue titles and had a short spell at Aston Villa.

6. André Villas Boas

André Villas-Boas lived in the same apartment block as Bobby Robson and was given a job in Porto's observation department by the late former England manager at Porto as a 16-year-old.

Villas-Boas later worked as an assistant to José Mourinho at Porto, Chelsea and Inter. After a spell at Académica, he led Porto to a Primeira Liga title and a Europa League crown. He was less successful at Chelsea and Tottenham, but won a Russian Premier League title with Zenit Saint-Petersburg in 2014/15 and became Porto's president in 2024.

5. Julian Nagelsmann

Julian Nagelsmann was a promising player at youth level, but the former centre-back was forced to retire at the age of 20 after failing to make any senior appearances at either 1860 Munich or FC Augsburg due to injuries.

He focused on coaching instead, and having helped Thomas Tuchel with some scouting at Augsburg, he went on to study business administration and sports science. After impressing at Hoffenheim's youth sides and even earning the nickname "mini-Mourinho" from former goalkeeper Tim Wiese, he became first-team coach at the age of just 28. German Manager of the Year in 2017, Nagelsemann went on to work for RB Leipzig, Bayern Munich and the German national team.

4. Rafa Benítez

A promising young defender at Real Madrid, Rafa Benítez suffered a serious injury while playing for a Spanish University XI in Mexico and was unable to feature for Los Blancos' youth team, Castilla, in Spain's Segunda División.

Benítez went on to play for Parla and Linares in Spain's third and fourth tier, but retired in 1986 after another injury setback. His coaching career began with Real Madrid's youth sides, before spells at Valladolid, Osasuna, Extremadura and Tenerife. His big break came at Valencia, where he won two La Liga titles and a UEFA Cup, before leading Liverpool to the Champions League, an FA Cup and a UEFA Super Cup. Later, he won trophies at Inter, Chelsea and Napoli, and led Newcastle to the Championship title in 2016/17. More recently, Benítez has also had spells in charge of Real Madrid, Everton and Celta Vigo.

3. Carlos Alberto Parreira

Carlos Alberto Parreira was Brazil's coach for the South Americans' fourth World Cup win, in 1994, and was in charge of the national team for three spells in total.

Parreira has taken five different nations – Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Brazil on two occasions, Saudi Arabia and South Africa – to the World Cup. He never played professional football, instead concentrating on a career in coaching, which began with a spell in charge of Ghana's national team at the age of just 23.

2. Arrigo Sacchi

Not good enough to play for local club Baracca lugo, Arrigo Sacchi coached the team instead at the age of 26 and had to win over players who were much his senior.

Sacchi worked as a shoe salesman for years, while coaching at the likes of Bellaria, Cesena and Rimini in the lower leagues. Eventually, he impressed at Parma and earned a move to AC Milan in 1987. Even then, some were suspicious of his non-playing past. "I never realised that in order to become a jockey you have to have been a horse first," he famously said, going on to lead the Rossoneri to a Serie A title and back-to-back European Cups in 1989 and 1990. He later led Italy to the 1994 World Cup final, narrowly missing out on penalties to Brazil. Even more significantly, he is considered one of the most revolutionary coaches in football history for popularising the use of high pressing, the offside trap and a high defensive line.

1. José Mourinho

The son of a former goalkeeper, José Mourinho played briefly under his father at Rio Ave and Belenenses, before short spells at Sesimbra and Comércio e Indústria in Portugal's lower leagues. Looking ahead to a career in coaching, he had hung up his boots by the age of 23.

Mourinho went on to study sport science and take coaching courses. He even worked as a PE teacher before taking on assistant roles and then earning his break alongside Bobby Robson at Sporting CP, Porto and Barcelona. Later, he went on to become one of the most successful coaches in history, winning a series of major trophies at Porto, Chelsea, Inter, Real Madrid, Manchester United and Roma.