Soccer opens multiple opportunities for players with an outstanding career. Now hanging up their boots does not necessarily mean the end of their career. Some veteran players have decided to continue from the other side of the field after retirement, not only to ensure their continuity in the sport, but also to contribute to the team with their individual knowledge and experience.
The most recent case is that of Guido Pizarro, ex-captain of the Mexican domestic league Tigres, where you can bet with the bet365 BonoPizarro, who went from being an active player to the team’s Technical Director last weekend. What is most impressive about his historic transition is that he became a coach in record time, just 24 hours.
Although this is not the first time this type of promotion has occurred in Mexican or international soccer, the immediate manner of his appointment is surprising. He boarded a direct, non-stop flight to take over as coach of one of today’s strongest Aztec teams.
Ricardo La Volpe and Ricardo Ferretti are two memorable examples from the local scene, while at the international level there are names such as Pep Guardiola, Zinedine Zidane, Carlos Ancelotti, Diego Simone, Ryan Giggs, Jürgen Klopp and Kenny Dalglish.
Ricardo LaVolpe announced his retirement in 1983 while playing for Oaxtepec, and was immediately appointed as the team’s coach for the following season. For his part, Ricardo Ferretti ended his role as a player in 1991 with the Puma jersey, and immediately became part of the coaching staff until his rise as technical director.
The current Bayern Munich manager Vincent Company, who started out in the Anderlecht youth academy and was later signed as a defender by Manchester City in 2008, at the age of 22, has also been added to the above list.
In a short time, Kompany demonstrated his maturity and natural leadership, and by the time he left the club in 2019 he had already registered four Premier League titles, two FA Cups, four League Cups and two Community Shields in his trophy cabinet.
The Belgian helped Premier League side City to several trophies, achievements that catapulted him to another level. After managing Anderlecht in Belgium, Kompany helped Burnley win the Championship and return to the Premier League. The historic Vinotinto player now manages Bayern Munich in the German Bundesliga.
Other similar cases include success stories such as Matías Almeyda with River Plate, Romario with Vasco da Gama, Wayne Rooney, Sebastián Abreu, Roberto Carlos, Gianluca Zambrotta, Gennaro Gattuso, Edgar Davids, Bobby Robson, among many others…
