Five greatest managers who never played professional football

2. Arrigo Sacchi (Shoe Salesman)

Arrigo Sacchi revolutionized football tactics

Nobody has successfully defended the European Cup since Arrigo Sacchi’s Milan in the early 90’s. He was a revolutionary in the history of football tactics as he almost single-handedly abolishing man-marking in Italian football and introducing Zonal pressing, something that is very prevalent today. Although he was a successful club manager and also lead Italy to the World Cup Final in 1994, there were initially doubts about him, having never played professional football in his life. Before the World Cup, on being questioned about his credentials, Sacchi had this gem to say, “I never realized that in order to become a jockey you have to have been a horse first.”

And although he never made it as a player with lowly amateur side Baracca Lugo, he took charge of the same side whilst juggling a promising coaching career with a job as a shoe salesman. After working with various professional clubs’ youth teams, Sacchi got his big break at third tier Parma, where he impressed Milan’s new owner Silvio Berlusconi to bring him to AC Milan, where he built a dynasty and quite possibly one of the greatest club teams of all time.