6 former players who transitioned into the managerial role effortlessly

#6 Didier Deschamps

Didier Deschamps has won the World Cup as a player and a manager

Didier Deschamps became part of a very exclusive club in 2018 as he became only the third individual to win the FIFA World Cup as both a player and a manager.

A defensive midfielder during his playing days, Deschamps enjoyed an outstanding career at club level with Juventus, where he would win three Serie A titles and a Champions League crown. He also won two French league titles and a Champions League with Marseille.

There was an FA Cup win at Chelsea and he reached another Champions League final with Valencia before announcing his retirement and moving into management.

His first job would see him at Monaco where he would stay for four years, which would see him reach another Champions League final, losing to Jose Mourinho's Porto, and win the French Cup.

After being sacked in September 2005 following a poor start to the season, he would return to Juventus who had just been demoted to Serie B following a match-fixing scandal. Despite starting the season with a nine-point defecit, they would lose only four matches all season finishing six points clear at the top of the table. Despite this success, Deschamps resigned from the club after just one season in charge.

It would be two years before he would find himself back in management at Marseille where he would win one league title and three French Cups, before being appointed the manager of the national team following their disappointing performance at Euro 2012.

His time in charge of France has been one of steady improvement. They were quarter finalists in Brazil in 2014, and really should have won Euro 2016 on home soil, losing to an organised Portugal side shorn of the talents of Cristiano Ronaldo in the final.

However Deschamps and his team would make up for that disappointment, winning the World Cup in fine style in Russia.