Several players who used to play in
EURO have done better as he turned to a manager.
The UEFA
EURO Championship is the world's second most well-known international
tournament, following the FIFA World Cup. Making the cut in the EURO squad is an honour
for any player, let alone getting a
nod in the starting XI.
A number of footballers have
represented their country in EURO on the pitch and in the dugout. However, not everyone succeeds in
both roles. Some, such as Laurent Blanc and Frank Rijkaard, excelled as players
rather than managers, while others thrived as managers. Only one name has
performed well as both a player and a manager. Germany’s Bertie Vogts lifted the trophy as a player in the
1972 edition and clinched the title as a manager in EURO 1996.
In EURO 2024, some managers have a
chance to make a finer mark as the team’s boss. There are Netherlands’ Ronald
Koeman, France’s Didier Deschamps, and Switzerland’s Murat Yakin. It is the
first chance for Koeman and Yakin to prove themselves as a gaffer, whereas
Deschamps will have his third opportunity to follow Vogts’ footsteps.
Meanwhile, England boss, Gareth Southgate has already proven himself a better
figure as a manager. The former Middlesbrough boss only reached semifinal in
EURO 1996 as a defender. He was notorious as the only one who missed the
penalties against Germany leading to England’s devastating loss. Meanwhile, as
a manager, he was able to lead Harry Kane and Co to the final in EURO 2020. It
is their first ever final in major tournament since 1966 FIFA World Cup. Sadly,
they lost again in the shootout. Southgate is bound to name his final squad after two friendly games in early June.
Here are
other figures who have been more successful as managers than as players in EURO
history.
The former
Ukraine forward made his debut as a player in the 2012 edition when his country
was a joint host. He was the skipper and played in three games. Shevchenko even
bagged a winning brace in the opener while beating Sweden 2-1. Sadly, he was
not able to lead his teammate to the round of 16.
Meanwhile, as
a manager, Sheva surprisingly did better. In EURO 2020, the former AC Milan
star managed to guide Ukraine to go further to the quarterfinals, despite only
losing twice at the group stage. Olexander Zinchenko and Co. were able to knock
out Sweden 2-1 in the round of 16. Unfortunately, they were hammered 4-0 by
England.
Luis
Enrique (Spain)
The current
PSG boss made only two appearances in the first two matches during EURO 1996
and made no contribution at all throughout the competition. In fact, he was
benched in the following two games versus Romania and England, in which Spain
was beaten in the shootout and headed to exit in the round of eight.
However, when
he was in charge of La Furia Roja in EURO 2020, Enrique did a lot better.
Sergio Busquets and Co. reached the semifinals after eliminating Croatia and
Switzerland at the knockout stage. They only suffered a loss on penalties
against the eventual champions, Italy.
Vicente
Del Bosque (Spain)
The World
Cup-winning manager during the peak of Tiki Taka football was not the mainstay
in Spain during their campaign in EURO 1980. He was fielded once only as asubstitute versus Belgium. La Furia Roja was then eliminated at the group
stage.
When he
returned to take over the reins of Spain for EURO 2012 as the World Champions,
Del Bosque successfully defended their title after routing Italy 4-0 in the
final. His starting XI in that tournament was well known for utilising Cesc
Fabregas as a false nine, despite having Fernando Torres in the squad. His
unusual tactic eventually paid off.
Roberto Mancini (Italy)
Last but not least, there was
Roberto Mancini. He was a winning manager when Italy snatched a title in EURO
2020 as Gli Azzurri humiliated England at Wembley on penalties after a 1-1
stalemate in 120 minutes. Mancini’s team’s road to the final was not the best
compared to The Three Lions, as they only saw off Austria, Belgium, and Spain
with narrow wins plus shootouts.
Yet, such was better than his
time as a player in the late 1980s. The former Sampdoria star made the cut in
the EURO 1988 squad and scored one at the opener when Italy shared spoils with
the host, West Germany. He did play in all games during their campaign, which
ended in the semifinals. Azeglio Vicini’s side slumped to a 2-0 defeat against
the Soviet Union.
Comments
Post a Comment