Top 5 players from the 21st century who became excellent managers 

#1 Pep Guardiola

Guardiola is arguably the greatest manager in history

Pep Guardiola was one of the earliest products from the newly introduced La Masia program at Barcelona and he went on to play a starring role in the 'dream team' that won the European Cup and four consecutive LaLiga titles under the management of none other than the legendary Cruyff himself.

In his role as a deep-lying playmaker, Guardiola was central to everything the Dutch legend demanded tactically and even during his playing days, Guardiola absorbed everything from a tactical point which went on to play a key role in his success as a manager.

After 11 years with the Barcelona first team, Guardiola spent the last few years of his playing career with clubs like Brescia, AS Roma and Al-Ahli before returning to Catalunya as the coach of the Barcelona B team.

After just one year there, Pep was promoted to the senior team at the age of just 38 and he wrote his name into immortality by becoming the youngest coach in history to win the Champions League as well as the first to win six trophies in a year.

He departed Barcelona as the most successful manager in the club's illustrious history, having won 14 major honours in just four years.

Further success has been enjoyed with Bayern Munich and Manchester City, with record-breaking feats recorded along the way to cement Guardiola's legacy as one of the greatest coaches in history.