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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:
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Built in 2016
-
Capacity: 500
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Previous name: -
Arsene Wenger’s Notable Achievements as a Manager:
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Monaco: Ligue 1 1988, French Cup 1991
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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:
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Built: 2001
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Capacity: 40,245
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Previous name: Gwangju World Cup Stadium
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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) |
|
|
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PSV Eindhoven: 6 Eredivisie titles, 4 Dutch Cups,
UCL 1988
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Real Madrid: Intercontinental Cup 1998
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Chelsea: FA Cup 2009
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Netherlands: 1998 World Cup semifinalist
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South Korea: 2002 World Cup semifinalist
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Russia: EURO 2008 semifinalist
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
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Built: 2012
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Capacity: 4600
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Previous name: -
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Games in major tournaments: -
Anghel Iordanescu’s Notable Achievements as a Manager
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Steaua Bucharest: 4 league titles, 2 Romanian
Cups, UEFA Super Cup 1986, UCL runner-up 1989
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Al Hilal: AFC Champions League 2000
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Al Ittihad: AFC Champions League 2005
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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:
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Built: 2011-2014
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Capacity: 17,156
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Previous name: -
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Games in major tournaments:
Fatih Terim’s Notable Achievements as a Manager
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Galatasaray: 8 league titles, 3 Turkish Cups,
UEFA Cup 2000
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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
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Built: 1911
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Capacity: 39,365
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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 |
|
|
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Czechia vs Japan 0-3 |
|
|
|
Netherlands vs Angola 2-0 |
Round of 16 |
|
|
Egypt vs Netherlands 2-1 |
|
|
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Newell’s Old Boys: 2 league titles, Copa
Libertadores 1992 runners-up
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Velez Sarsfield: League title 1998
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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
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Built: 1929-1931
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Capacity: 50,865
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Previous name: Praterstadion
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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 |
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Feyenoord: Eredivisie 1971, UCL 1970,
Intercontinental Cup 1970
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Club Brugge: 3 league titles, Belgian Cup 1977,
UCL runners-up 1978, UEFA Cup runners-up 1976
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Hamburg SV: 2 Bundesliga titles, DFB Pokal 1987,
UCL 1983, UEFA Cup runners-up 1982
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Swarovski Tirol: 2 league titles, Austrian Cup
1989
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Netherlands: 1978 World Cup runners-up
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