5 former players who currently manage their old club

#2 Diego Simeon - Atletico Madrid

Diego Simeone has done a tremendous job as boss of Atletico Madrid

An Argentine international for over a decade, Diego Simeone played for no less than eight clubs during his storied career, meaning the chances of him ending up in charge of one of them when he moved into management post-retirement were always going to be high.

Indeed, he’s managed two of his former clubs; the first on two occasions and the second his current side, La Liga powerhouses Atletico Madrid.

Simeone started his managerial career at Argentine side Racing Club. They were the team he retired from his playing career with, and he barely lasted six months in charge before leaving.

Stints at Estudiantes, River Plate, San Lorenzo and Catania followed, with Simeone’s reputation growing all the time, and a second term at Racing Club was almost as short as his first, as he then took over at Atletico, the club that he spent three seasons at in the 1990’s. Simeone was successful there – winning a double of La Liga and the Copa del Rey in 1995/96 – but his managerial stint has been even better.

El Cholo took over at Atletico in December 2011 and saw immediate success, winning that season’s UEFA Europa League. 2012/13 saw them win the Copa del Rey, and 2013/14 was even better – despite being in a far weaker financial position to the giants of Real Madrid and Barcelona, Simeone led his Atletico side to win La Liga – becoming the first Atletico side to do that since the 1996 side he’d starred in.

He’s also taken the side to two Champions League finals, although the trophy eluded them on both occasions. Despite being in high demand from the Premier League, Simeone seems committed to the cause, too – he’s recently signed a contract extension to keep him at Atletico until 2020.