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The Stadiums Named after the Legendary Managers

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Stadium named after managers

Only a few stadiums opt to be named after the football managers, instead of legendary players or former club president.

A stadium is like a shrine of football, should it be compared to a religion. Its name is frequently derived from the principal sponsors, the location of the event, renowned players, or the club's past president. Only a few teams are bold enough to be distinctive, selecting underappreciated parties who deserve more recognition, the managers.

There have been a few stadiums around the world which are named after the former team’s boss. They are chosen because of their extraordinary contribution to the team or the nation. More clubs should follow in their footsteps, as the team's success is typically determined by the manager's job rather than the players. They are the masterminds behind the team's game, which top players are often only accommodated in its tactics. Here are those stadiums named after the legendary managers.

Stade Arsene Wenger            

This stadium is located in Duppigheim, Alsace, France. It was the place where the legendary French manager, Arsene Wenger, grew up and started off his football career. The venue was just built in 2016 and the homebase of the local team, USS Duppigheim, which currently compete in the semiprofessional lower league in French league system. Wenger has become one of the most successful French football managers. He is currently working for FIFA as the Chief of Global Football Development.

Stadium details:

-          Built in 2016

-          Capacity: 500

-          Previous name: -

Arsene Wenger’s Notable Achievements as a Manager:

-          Monaco: Ligue 1 1988, French Cup 1991

-          Arsenal: 3 Premier League titles, 7 FA Cups, UCL runners-up 2006

Guus Hiddink Stadium

This stadium was once known as Gwangju World Cup Stadium. Built in 2001, it was the memorable site for South Korea as they managed to progress to semifinal in 2002 FIFA World Cup under the Dutch boss, Guus Hiddink, after beating Spain on penalties in this very stadium. No wonder that Taeguk Warriors honored him by naming after the venue.

Unfortunately, it is no longer the same since 2018. It was revamped with a smaller capacity to accommodate the local team competing in Korean top flight, Gwangju FC. They used to play in the older stadium which could hold 40,000 fans. It was considered too big and not ideal for a football team since there was a track and field lanes too. Now, this stadium is also known as Gwangju Football Stadium with only 10,000 seats.

Stadium details:

-          Built: 2001

-          Capacity: 40,245

-          Previous name: Gwangju World Cup Stadium

-          Games in major tournaments:

Match

Stage

Competition

Spain vs Slovenia 3-1

Group stage

2002 FIFA World Cup

China vs Costa Rica 0-2

 

 

South Korea vs Spain 0-0 (5-3)

 

 

 Guus Hiddink’s Notable Achievements as a Manager:

-          PSV Eindhoven: 6 Eredivisie titles, 4 Dutch Cups, UCL 1988

-          Real Madrid: Intercontinental Cup 1998

-          Chelsea: FA Cup 2009

-          Netherlands: 1998 World Cup semifinalist

-          South Korea: 2002 World Cup semifinalist

-          Russia: EURO 2008 semifinalist

Honoured managers for Stadiums

Anghel Iordanescu Stadium

This venue is probably small but the home of a team in Romanian top flight, FC Voluntari. Built in 2012, the stadium is located in Ilfov County, where the former Romania national team boss was once representing during his career as a member of Romanian Senate. Iordanescu is a national hero with his distinguished contribution at the club level and in the international stage, most notably guiding Georghe Hagi and Co to reach quarterfinals in 1994 FIFA World Cup, their best performance at the top level. Hewas also involved in helping his last club, Steaua Bucharest, win their first and only European Cup in 1986.

Stadium details

-          Built: 2012

-          Capacity: 4600

-          Previous name: -

-          Games in major tournaments: -

Anghel Iordanescu’s Notable Achievements as a Manager

-          Steaua Bucharest: 4 league titles, 2 Romanian Cups, UEFA Super Cup 1986, UCL runner-up 1989

-          Al Hilal: AFC Champions League 2000

-          Al Ittihad: AFC Champions League 2005

-          Romania: qualified to 2 World Cups (1994 and 1998), reaching quarterfinal in USA 1994, qualified to EURO 1996.

Basaksehir Fatih Terim Stadium

This stadium is the home of Istanbul Basaksehir and named after the most famous figure in Turkish football, Fatih Terim. The club which won their first league title in 2020 opted to honor the legendary manager despite the fact that Terim himself has never been at the helm of the team. His contribution for Turkish football is incomparable, both at the club and international level. The former Galatasaray, Fiorentina and AC Milan boss is currently in charge of Greek giant, Panathinaikos.

Stadium details:

-          Built: 2011-2014

-          Capacity: 17,156

-          Previous name: -

-          Games in major tournaments:

Fatih Terim’s Notable Achievements as a Manager

-          Galatasaray: 8 league titles, 3 Turkish Cups, UEFA Cup 2000

-          Turkey: qualified to 3 EUROs (1996, 2008, 2016), EURO 2008 semifinalist

Estadio Marcelo Bielsa

This venue is located in Rosario and the home base of Newell’s Old Boys, Marcelo Bielsa’s former and first team in his managerial career. It was officially named after him in 2009 after leaving it without any particular name before. Such decision was not only because of his legendary status or his extraordinary influence in modern football, but also his role in guiding the club to win major titles as well as advancing to Copa Libertadores final in 1992, their highest achievement in the competition. Bielsa himself continued his venture in Europe after his spell in Newell’s. The former Argentina and Chile manager is currently in charge of Uruguay national team.

Stadium details

-          Built: 1911

-          Capacity: 39,365

-          Previous name: -

-          Games in major tournaments:

Match

Stage

Competition

Angola vs Czechia 0-0

Group stage

2001 FIFA U20 World Cup

Japan vs Australia 0-2

 

 

Australia vs Czechia 0-3

 

 

Japan vs Angola 1-2

 

 

Angola vs Australia 1-1

 

 

Czechia vs Japan 0-3

 

 

Netherlands vs Angola 2-0

Round of 16

 

Egypt vs Netherlands 2-1

 

 

 Marcelo Bielsa’s Notable Achievements as a Manager

-          Newell’s Old Boys: 2 league titles, Copa Libertadores 1992 runners-up

-          Velez Sarsfield: League title 1998

-          Argentina: Gold medal in 2004 Summer Olympics, Copa America 2004 runners-up

Ernst Happel Stadion

This is Austria’s national stadium and has been picked to host a major tournament and continental competition finals several times. Previously known as Praterstadion, it was renamed in 1992 to honor the most famous Austrian managers in history, following his departure. Happel was one of the most successful gaffers in Europe with a number of prestigious titles in his collection. Interestingly, he did not have a successful stint while taking charge of his own national team in the mid 1990s. 

Stadium details

-          Built: 1929-1931

-          Capacity: 50,865

-          Previous name: Praterstadion

-          Games in major tournaments:

Match

Stage

Competition

Austria vs Croatia 0-1

Group stage

EURO 2008

Austria vs Germany 0-1

 

 

Austria vs Poland 1-1

 

 

Croatia vs Turkey 1-1 (1-3 p)

Quarterfinal

 

Spain vs Italy 0-0 (4-2 p)

 

 

Spain vs Russia 3-0

Semifinal

 

Spain vs Germany 1-0

Final

 

Inter Milan vs Real Madrid 3-1

Final

UCL 1964

FC Porto vs Bayern Munich 2-1

Final

UCL 1987

AC Milan vs Benfica 1-0

Final

UCL 1990

Ajax vs AC Milan 1-0

Final

UCL 1995

Manchester City vs Gornik Zarbze 2-1

Final

Cup Winners Cup 1970

 Ernst Happel’s Notable Achievements as a Manager

-          Feyenoord: Eredivisie 1971, UCL 1970, Intercontinental Cup 1970

-          Club Brugge: 3 league titles, Belgian Cup 1977, UCL runners-up 1978, UEFA Cup runners-up 1976

-          Hamburg SV: 2 Bundesliga titles, DFB Pokal 1987, UCL 1983, UEFA Cup runners-up 1982

-          Swarovski Tirol: 2 league titles, Austrian Cup 1989

-          Netherlands: 1978 World Cup runners-up


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