Well, the glorious history of football, which spans over decades, has witnessed numerous legendary football players who have continued to build an extremely rich and unmatched legacy with their dominant coaching exploits even after announcing their retirement from the game as players. After successfully representing their clubs and countries at the most prestigious football tournaments, these iconic players turned out to be the ultimate guiding force for the raw talent as esteemed football coaches. From Pep Guardiola to Zinedine Zidane, numerous legendary football stalwarts have established themselves as successful coaches even after parting their ways with the game as players.
In this article we will take a look at the top four football players who became successful coaches and continued with their unmatched exploits on the field.
Top 4 Football Players Who Became Successful Coaches
Pep Guardiola
The 54-year-old legendary Spanish former professional football player and current manager of Premier League club Manchester City is at the first spot in our list of the top four legendary football players who continue to dominate the field with their formidable coaching stints. After witnessing a glorious professional football career as a player that lasted for almost seventeen years from 1990 to 2006, Pep Guardiola clinched numerous coveted titles and tournaments with FC Barcelona, including a record total of six La Liga titles, two Copa del Rey titles, one European Cup (1991-92), one UEFA Cup (1996-97) and two UEFA Super Cups (1992, 1997). Additionally, Pep Guardiola also clinched a gold medal for Spain at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.
With an overall total of 46 caps for Spain, Pep Guardiola announced his official retirement from the game as a player in 2006 and successfully transitioned into the coaching arena in 2007. Owing to his path-breaking achievements, Pep Guardiola was appointed as the head coach of Barcelona. Often hailed as one of the most successful football coaches of all-time, Pep Guardiola has successfully led FC Barcelona to three La Liga titles, two Copa del Rey titles, two UEFA Champions League titles, two UEFA Super Cup titles and two FIFA Club World Cup titles in 2009 and 2011.
Zinedine Zidane
At the second spot in our list of the top four football players who became successful coaches and continued with their unmatched exploits on the field, we have the legendary former French football player Zinedine Zidane, who played professional football for a record total of seventeen years and represented the France national team from 1994 to 2006. Zinedine Zidane earned enormous fame and recognition from football aficionados from all over the world for clinching the prestigious 1998 FIFA World Cup and the 2000 UEFA Euro Championship.
Zidane announced his retirement from the game as a player in 2006 after playing in the 2006 FIFA World Cup final and started off with his coaching in 2014 after he was appointed as the head coach for Real Madrid Castilla (B team) in June 2014. As an esteemed coach, Zinedine Zidane led Real Madrid to numerous trailblazing achievements and coveted titles, including a record total of three consecutive UEFA Champions League titles (2016,2017,2018), two La Liga titles, two Spanish Super Cup titles (2017, 2020), two UEFA Super Cups (2016, 2017) and two FIFA Club World Cup titles in 2016 and 2017.
Carlo Ancelotti
Next, at the third spot in our list of the top four legendary football players who continue to dominate the field with their formidable coaching exploits, we have the legendary former Italian professional football player Carlo Ancelotti, often popularly referred to as “Carletto” in the world of professional football. Widely regarded as one of the greatest midfielders of all-time, Carlo Ancelotti played professional football for seventeen long years, from 1976 to 1992.
After announcing an early retirement from the game in 1992 due to persistent knee injuries, Carlo Ancelotti was appointed as an assistant coach for Italy under Arrigo Sacchi in 1992. As of July 2025, Carlo is the only football manager to clinch league titles in all of Europe’s top five leagues and has also won the FIFA Club World Cup three times and has clinched the coveted UEFA Super Cup five times, which continues to be an unbeaten record for a football manager, speaking volumes about his unmatched legacy on the field.
Franz Beckenbauer
Finally, at the fourth spot in our list of the top four football players who became successful coaches and continued with their unmatched exploits on the field, we have the legendary German professional football player and manager, Franz Beckenbauer. Although initially Franz Beckenbauer started off with his professional football career as a midfielder, he evolved to become one of the greatest centre-half in the history of the game. Franz Beckenbauer’s glorious football career spanned over nineteen years from 1964 to 1983.
Franz Beckenbauer played his career’s last 1983 NASL season with the New York Cosmos in 1983 before announcing his retirement at the age of thirty-eight. Franz was appointed as the head coach of the West Germany national team without any prior coaching experience after Jupp Derwall was sacked in 1984. The German football sensation witnessed a glorious coaching career and established himself as the second footballer in football history to win the FIFA World Cup both as a player (1974) and as a manager (1990) — after Mário Zagallo.
