Footballers have a relatively short career compared to most jobs. When it comes to hanging up the boots on their professional playing career, many footballers find new roles, whether it is punditry, taking up their side hustle full-time, or becoming a manager. There have been numerous cases where big-name players have swapped the pitch for the dugout and become renowned coaches, such as Pep Guardiola, Zinedine Zidane, and even Xabi Alonso. However, there are also many footballers who seem to just fall off the radar, never to be seen again after retirement. In some cases, former players choose to go into management, but they often find it more challenging than they expected, struggling to achieve the same level of success they experienced during their playing career. So today, we are going to be taking a look at ex-footballers who you didn’t know became managers.
Carlos Tevez
Carlos Tevez is a highly controversial figure in football, particularly in Manchester, with numerous controversies surrounding the Argentine forward. He started his career at his boyhood club, Boca Juniors, before making a big move to the Premier League, signing for West Ham in what would turn out to be an extremely drama-filled move. Throughout his career, he played for major clubs such as Manchester United, Manchester City, and Juventus, but after retiring in 2021, Tevez chose to venture into the world of management.
He started out in 2022 in the Argentine Primera Division at Rosario Central, where he lasted around 130 days in charge, winning 8, losing 8, and drawing 10. He was sacked that same year, but then joined fellow Primera Division side Independiente, where he remained in charge for a year. After leaving in 2023, Tevez hasn’t stepped back into the dugout, so who knows if he will ever make a return to the tactics board.
Dirk Kuyt
The extremely talented Dutch winger and forward had a long career in the professional game, playing for 21 years at a senior level, and even making over 100 appearances for his national side. Despite his career not being filled with as many trophies as he may have deserved, Kuyt became an iconic player in Dutch football and cemented his name in the history of Liverpool FC, being a part of the first team for 6 years. He made over 600 career appearances and scored over 230 goals, but hung up his boots after spells in both Turkey and the Netherlands.
Kuyt retired in 2018 after spending his last years at his original side, Quick Boys. In 2018, Kuyt spent two years learning the trade at Feyenoord’s under-19s side before accepting a first-team job at ADO Den Haag in 2022, following a two-year hiatus from the sport. He parted ways that same year and returned to the dugout a year later in 2023 for the Belgian second division side Beerschot, where he took the side to the Belgian Pro League in the 2023/24 season.
Arda Turan
Arda Turan is a name well-known in the football world, but more so because of the disappointment with how his playing career has turned out. The young talent began his career at Galatasaray, where he made a significant name for himself. His playing style was so skillful and quick, with a great final product, often likened to that of Lionel Messi. In fact, the star was tipped to be the next Messi, and as a result, was awarded a move to La Liga in 2011 with Atlético Madrid. He spent four years at the club, building hype around his name even more, until he eventually moved to Barcelona in 2015. Despite being tipped to be Messi’s successor, he made just over 30 appearances in 5 years for Barcelona, spending 2 years on loan at Istanbul.
Turan retired in 2022, back at Galatasaray, and joined the management career path at Eyüpspor a year later. For 2 years, the Turkish international took charge, before moving to a bigger project at Shakhtar Donetsk in 2025.
John Arne Riise
Remembered for possibly having one of the most powerful left feet the Premier League has seen, John Arne Riise had a very mixed career, playing in Norway, England, Italy, Cyprus, and France, winning a whole host of trophies and cementing his name as a Liverpool legend. He’s mainly associated with the 7 years he spent on Merseyside with Liverpool, where he was involved in one of the greatest Champions League finals of all time, the 2005 Istanbul final. He made over 550 career appearances and also made more than 100 appearances for the Norwegian national team, until he chose to retire from the game in 2023, following his second attempt at retirement.
John Arne Riise’s career technically spanned over 21 years before he decided to attempt a career in management in 2019. His first managerial job found Riise at Flint Tonsberg, a lower-league Norwegian side, where he lasted two years before being sacked. In 2021, he continued his management career with the Avaldsnes women’s side, where he spent 2 years, leaving in 2023 after making an appearance for the men’s side, coming on and scoring within 24 minutes of his only appearance.