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The Ex-Goalkeepers Turning Successful Managers Outside the Top Leagues

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Several notable former goalkeepers who thrive as managers from outside the European top leagues deserve recognition.

The goalkeeper position has often been underrated despite its crucial role in football defence, especially in the past. Goalies tend to be deemed less likely to succeed when they become managers.

Being a tactician demands the ability to read the game in their playing career. Thus, the best head coaches are normally the former midfielders or defenders. The likes of Pep Guardiola, Carlo Ancelotti, Luis Enrique, Zinedine Zidane, Jurgen Klopp, and Thomas Tuchel are the proven examples, as they all used to operate from the second line or backline and get involved in the attacking build-up.

However, it does not mean that former shot-stoppers is bound to fail in their managerial career. Some manage to shine as well when they are in the dugout. Julen Lopetegui, Nuno Santo, Dino Zoff, and Raymond Goethals are the popular examples. They have been frequently discussed due to their career in the major European top flights. Yet, they are not the only ones. Some others from outside the top leagues deserve the spotlight too. Here are those ex-goalkeepers turning remarkable managers you did not know:

Michael Preud'Homme

The current Standard Liege Sporting Director had a fairly successful managerial career. The former Belgian goalie in the 1990 and 1994 FIFA World Cup had won silverwares in every club he took charge of. He won the Belgian league title twice, one for Standard Liege in 2008 and one for Club Brugge in 2016. Preud-Homme also lifted a Belgian Cup trophy with Gent, and helped them finish second, their highest ever position in the club’s history.

His spells in the Netherlands and Saudi Arabia also left a good mark. Once again, the former Benfica key man between the sticks clinched the title: the Dutch KNVB Cup with Twente in 2011 and the Saudi top flight title with Al Shabab in 2012. His second spell in Liege as a head coach was fantastic too, as they clinched two other silverwares beside the league title, the Belgian Cup and the Super Cup, in 2015 and 2016, respectively.

Preud’Homme is one of the living legend in Belgian football. He won the Lev Yashin Award, the accolade for the best goalkeeper in the 1994 FIFA World Cup, and was part of Belgium’s squad while reaching UEFA EURO 1980 final.

Stanislav Cherchesov

The former Russian head coach was able to raise the profile of the Russian national team in the 2018 FIFA World Cup. His side surprisingly knocked out Spain to advance to the quarterfinals before losing to Croatia on penalties. That was Russia’s best form in World Cup history since the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Previously, Russia always failed to progress from the group stage under a local manager in all major tournaments, in Euro 1992, 1996, 2004, and 2016 as well as in the 1994, 2002, and 2014 FIFA World Cup.Russia's greatest form on the international stage was at Euro 2008. At that time, Andre Arshavin and Co advanced to the semi-finals with the legendary Guus Hiddink at the helm of the team.

Cherchesov, who appeared once at the 1994 World Cup (against Cameroon) and twice in Euro 1996 (at the same time as Italy and the Czech Republic), left the post in Sbornaya after the delayed EURO 2020 in summer 2021. Alexander Golovin and Co. failed miserably in their campaign.

At the club level, he successfully brought Legia Warsaw to win the double titles, the league, and the Polish Cup in 2016. The former Spartak Moscow goalie also led Ferencvaros to clinch the Hungarian top-flight title consecutively in 2022 and 2023.

Rafael Dudamel

He was the ex-goalie in the 1990s and 2000s. The Venezuelan boss is one of the most underrated managers in South America today. Dudamel’s most important achievement was guiding the Venezuela U20 to reach the final in the 2017 U20 World Cup. Yangel Herrera and Co. only lost 1-0 in the final against England U20. In the previous year, he helped Venezuela knock out Uruguay at the group stage of the Copa America 2016 but suffered a heavy loss against Lionel Messi’s Argentina in the last eight. At the club level, the former Atletico Mineiro and Mexico’s Nexaca boss finally won his first silverware, the Colombian top flight title with Deportivo Cali, in 2022.

Jorge Fossati

The current Peru national team boss was also a goalkeeper during his playing years. He earned three caps with the Uruguay national team back in the mid-1970s and mid-1980s. Fossati has won several notable silverwares at the club level, with one league title each for Penarol, the Ecuador’s LDU Quito, Paraguay’s Cerro Porteno, and most recently Peru’s Universitario de Deportes. The former La Celeste manager also snatched two continental titles with LDU Quito, the Recopa Sundamericana (or CONMEBOL’s Super Cup) and the Copa Sundamericana, which is equal to the Europa League in 2009. He also led Qatari side Al Sadd to win the AFC Champions League in 2011.

Ricardo LaVolpe

The former Mexico boss from 2002 to 2006 succeeded in leading El Sombrero to fourth place in the FIFA rankings in themid-2000s, their highest position in history. The Argentine manager also won the 2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup, brought Mexico to the semifinals in the 2005 Confederations Cup, and reach the round of 16 in the 2006 World Cup. At the club level, Argentina’s second shot-stopper in the 1978 World Cup guided Atlante to lift the 1993 MX League trophy.

Bruce Arena

The former USMNT boss is definitely one of the most successful ones from outside Europe. Arena spent most of his career in the home soil. He won the MLS Cup five times for DC United (twice) and LA Galaxy (three times), plus the CONCACAF Champions Cup in 1998 with DC United. On the international stage, Arena led the USMNT to clinch the CONCACAF Gold Cup title twice and also guided Landon Donovan and Co. to advance to the quarterfinals of the 2002 FIFA World Cup in his first spell. In his second stint, the former goalkeeper with one international cap won his third continental title but resigned soon after USA failed to seal a berth in the 2018 World Cup.


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