10 greatest footballers turned managers of all time

#1 Johan Cruyff

Johan Cruyff

There can be no bones about it - Johan Cruyff is the man who affected football the most. He revolutionized the game, both as a player and as a manager, going on to deeply change the fortunes of massive clubs like FC Barcelona and AFC Ajax, while also changing Netherlands from a mediocre side to a footballing powerhouse, in a footballing career that spanned decades.

Cruyff learned from the great Rinus Michels himself but already had the makings of a manager on the football pitch, bringing to life the concept of Total Football as Netherlands and Ajax found success with his philosophy. As a player, Cruyff won the Ballon d'Or three times, scoring 369 goals in 661 games in a career spanning two decades, lifting the European Cup thrice and also winning the Eredivisie multiple times aside from a solitary La Liga title.

As a manager, Cruyff won four league titles with Barcelona in addition to the creation of the Dream Team that lifted the European Cup, while his influence in the revolutionizing of La Masia cannot be quantified. The blip in his managerial career was at Ajax, where plenty of disagreements with the board overshadowed the KNVB Cup and UEFA Cup Winner's Cup trophies.

Trophies won as a player: 23

Trophies won as a manager: 14