Football management and football playing are often treated as completely different professions. Some of the greatest players in history have struggled in the dugout, while managers with modest playing careers have gone on to dominate the sport.
Yet in the Premier League, the connection between player and manager remains fascinating. Many of today’s top coaches were once Premier League footballers themselves, while others built careers in different leagues before stepping into management.
Some were superstars. Others were hardworking squad players. A few barely played professionally at all.
Looking at current and past Premier League managers as players reveals how different football journeys can still lead to elite coaching careers.
Pep Guardiola: The Midfield Brain
Before becoming one of football’s most influential coaches, Pep Guardiola was already a deeply intelligent player.
At FC Barcelona, Guardiola operated as a deep-lying midfielder under Johan Cruyff’s famous “Dream Team.” He was never the quickest or most athletic player, but his positional awareness and understanding of possession football were exceptional.
Everything Guardiola now demands from his Manchester City side can be traced back to his playing career. Control, passing angles, pressing structures, and patient build-up play all defined him as a midfielder.
Even then, he looked like a future coach.
Mikel Arteta: The Organiser
Mikel Arteta followed a similar path.
As a player for clubs including Everton FC and Arsenal FC, Arteta was respected for his composure, leadership, and tactical intelligence rather than flashy brilliance.
He controlled tempo, organised teammates, and constantly communicated during matches. Former teammates frequently describe him as obsessive about details and preparation — qualities now visible in his managerial career.
Watching Arteta as a player, the signs of a future manager were impossible to miss.
Jurgen Klopp: From Hardworking Striker to Elite Motivator
Unlike Guardiola or Arteta, Jürgen Klopp was not an elite-level footballer.
Klopp spent most of his playing career with 1. FSV Mainz 05, initially as a…
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