Have you ever been in a position where your equal becomes your superior later on? Perhaps one of your secondary school classmates will become a university lecturer. Things happen in life for a variety of reasons.
Take a look at ten former colleagues who went on to become managers and coaches.
1. Diego Simeone and Fernando Torres: Atletico Madrid captain Torres was a teammate of Simeone’s. Years later, Simeone became Atletico Madrid’s manager, while Torres, who had already played for Liverpool, Chelsea, and AC Milan, returned to the club as a player under his former comrade.
2. Zinedine Zidane and Sergio Ramos: At Real Madrid, Zidane and Ramos were teammates. Zidane took over as manager of Real Madrid in 2016, when Ramos was still a player for the club.
3. Ryan Giggs and Wayne Rooney: For many years, Ryan Giggs and Wayne Rooney were teammates at Manchester United, winning the Champions League, numerous Premier League titles, and numerous other trophies. Later, Giggs became Manchester United’s temporary manager and mentored his former player, Wayne Rooney.
4. Antonio Conte and Gianluigi Buffon: On May 22, 2011, Conte took over as Juventus manager from Giussepe Marotta. Conte’s former comrade Buffon was still a player at the club.
5. Pep Guardiola and Xavi Hernandez: Guardiola was named Barcelona’s coach in 2002. Xavi, a former teammate, was one of his main players, assisting him in winning the Champions League and La Liga.
6. Luis Enrique and Lionel Messi: During the 2003/04 season, Barcelona manager Frank Rijkaard selected a young Messi from the reserve team to face Porto. Enrique was one of Messi’s first-team teammates, and years later, Enrique became Barcelona’s manager, while Messi continued to play.
7. Carlo Ancelotti and Paolo Maldini: During his eight-year tenure at AC Milan, Ancelotti coached his former teammate Maldini, winning the Serie A, two Champions League titles, and numerous other trophies.
8. Roberto Mancini and Juan Sebastian Veron: In the 1990s, Mancini and Veron were teammates at Sampdoria, and years later, Mancini became the coach of Inter Milan, where Veron had previously played.
9. Austin Eguavoen and Jay-Jay Okocha: In 1994, both Eguavoen and Okocha played for Nigeria at the FIFA World Cup. At the 2006 Africa Cup of Nations, Eguavoen was Okocha’s coach.
10. Mikel Arteta and Mesut Ozil: Former Arsenal captain Arteta was named manager of the Gunners in 2019, and ex-teammate Ozil was a player under him.
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