“At a football club, there’s a holy trinity – the players, the supporters and the manager.” – Bill Shankly
Football is generally associated with the players and the action that they bring on the pitch. But most of us fail to notice that the real game is not played on the ground, it is actually played by the gentleman on the touchline. The real game is played in the manager’s mind.
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The manager, the captain of the ship. The man who wears a suit and tie, shouts out instructions to his players for 90 minutes and celebrates with them when they score. He always takes the blame for his team's bad performances and is the one who motivates the players with his pep-talks in the dressing room to bring the best out of them.
When he fails to decorate his club with titles, he is ruthlessly sacked from his post. However, sometimes he gets a second chance to re-establish himself at the club and bring glory to it. Here we list ten of the greatest managerial comebacks of all time.
#10 Rafael Benitez (Chelsea)
Rafa Benitez is a manager who is used to making unusual comebacks. Benitez came into the spotlight during his time in Valencia as he led them to their first La Liga title in 31 years. But his fallout with the club director saw him resign and take up the managerial role at Liverpool.
He brought Spaniards Luis Garcia and Xabi Alonso to the Merseyside club and led the Reds to their fifth Champions League crown. But after leaving Liverpool following six relatively successful seasons, he failed to live up to expectations with the then European champions Inter Milan and was sacked just months after his appointment.
He returned to England in 2012 and became the head coach of Liverpool’s rivals Chelsea following the departure of Champions League winning manager Roberto Di Matteo. Despite facing constant criticism from the Chelsea fans, he still managed to win the Europa League in his first season following which he left the club in the same year.
After dry spells at Napoli and Real Madrid, Benitez joined relegation-threatened Newcastle United just months after he was sacked from Real. He won the Championship with Newcastle on his first attempt and is all set to lead the Magpies in the Premier League.
#9 Ernesto Valverde (Athletic Bilbao)
Ernesto Valverde is considered a deity in Bilbao. The ant, as he was referred to during his playing days at the Basque club, began his managerial career at the youth academy in Bilbao before being promoted to coach the senior team in 2003. He led the team to a fifth-placed finish in La Liga and earned qualification for the UEFA Cup.
After impressive spells at clubs such as Espanyol and Greek side Olympiacos, he returned to help out his former club. He won Bilbao the Supercopa de Espana in 2015, humiliating FC Barcelona 4-0 at the New San Mames.
He is now all set to become Barcelona's manager following the departure of Luis Enrique.
#8 Kenny Dalglish (Liverpool)
Kenny Dalglish, a hero at Anfield, made a hero’s return to the club. After leading them to glory as a player, Dalglish repeated the feat as a manager, winning them three league titles in the 80s. But the Hillsborough tragedy left him in a state of shock as he left the club in 1991.
After managing clubs like Blackburn Rovers and Celtic, Dalglish returned to Liverpool and took charge of the first team in 2011, leading the Merseysiders to the League Cup, the club’s first trophy in six years.
However, after being caught up in the Suarez-Evra dispute, he was dismissed by Liverpool as they finished eighth in the league. Dalglish, though, remains the last manager to have won Liverpool the league.
#7 Louis van Gaal (Dutch National Team)
Despite his failings as Manchester United’s manager, Louis van Gaal’s spell at the Dutch National Team was nothing short of miraculous.
Van Gaal first stepped up to manage the Netherlands at the beginning of the millennium ahead of the World Cup. But he couldn’t work his magic as Netherlands failed to qualify for the World Cup for the first time since 1986. He decided to leave the post in 2002 and went on to manage sides like Barcelona and Bayern Munich.
With the Netherlands finishing the Euro 2012 with zero points, they were in dire need of a manager who could take them to the 2014 World Cup. And van Gaal was the man for the job as he returned ten years after leaving the post in the first place.
The Netherlands qualified for the World Cup with an incredible 34 goals scored and just five conceded. In the World Cup, one of his greatest moments came in the quarterfinals when he brought on goalkeeper and match-winner Tim Krul in the dying minutes of the game against Costa Rica.
Van Gaal led them to the semi-finals where they lost to Argentina on penalties. However, they secured the third place after they defeated hosts Brazil. Van Gaal's tenure ended after the World Cup, and his departure has coincided with a steep decline in the nation's performances.
#6 Harry Redknapp (Portsmouth)
Harry Redknapp was appointed as Portsmouth’s Director of Football in 2001 and subsequently their manager after Graham Rix’s disastrous spell. He saved the relegation-threatened club and masterminded their promotion to the Premier League in the very next year. However, disagreements with club owner Milan Mandaric resulted in him leaving the club.
Redknapp did the unthinkable as he joined Portsmouth’s rivals Southampton the next year. But a disastrous season saw him leave the Saints and return to his old employers, helping them out in their relegation troubles.
Redknapp then led Pompey spectacularly to their highest finish in almost half a decade and later, won the club their first FA Cup in 69 years.
#5 Ottmar Hitzfeld (Bayern Munich)
One of Germany’s top managers, Ottmar Hitzfeld is fondly remembered by all Bayern Munich fans. After two Bundesliga titles and a Champions League crown in his time at Borussia Dortmund, Bayern came calling for Hitzfeld, as is their tradition. His best was yet to come as he won the Bavarians a Champions League, two German Cups and four Bundesliga titles. Even after winning so many trophies, Hitzfeld was sacked after one silverware-less campaign in 2004.
Three years later, though, Bayern were in a crisis as they finished in their lowest position in the league in more than a decade. They were in need of a miracle, and boy did they get one. Hitzfeld returned to the club after taking a break from management. He rebuffed the squad by signing the likes of Luca Toni and Franck Ribery and promoting Toni Kroos from the youth academy.
Bayern caught fire the next season, winning the DFB-Ligapokal, the DFB-Pokal, and the Bundesliga. Hitzfeld left the club the same year, believing that he had set them on their way to becoming a European superpower.
#4 Claudio Ranieri (Leicester City)
Claudio Ranieri announced his arrival in England when he joined Chelsea. The Italian brought the likes of Frank Lampard to the squad and led them to a Champions League semifinal. But he was replaced by Jose Mourinho in 2004. He then managed clubs like Valencia and Inter Milan, where he failed to win a single piece of silverware.
The Italian was the butt of many jokes and Mourinho himself called him "an old man who hasn't won anything." But Ranieri would enjoy the last laugh. He returned to England to manage Leicester City in 2015 and led the Foxes to a historic Premier League title against all odds, literally.
He also managed to beat Mourinho’s Chelsea on the way after which Mourinho was removed from his position.
However, in 2016, Ranieri was sacked after a disappointing domestic and European season.
#3 Jose Mourinho (Chelsea)
Jose Mourinho, the Special One, needs no introduction. After a trophy-laden spell at Porto, including the Champions League crown, Mourinho came to England to replace Claudio Ranieri at Chelsea. The Portuguese led the Blues to consecutive league titles, becoming probably the most decorated manager in the club’s history.
But disputes with owner Roman Abramovich made Mourinho leave the club after three seasons. He then went on to win silverware at Inter Milan and Real Madrid before making a shocking return to the Bridge in 2013. This time, Jose, describing himself as “the happy one”, led the Blues to the Champions League semifinals. He then brought in the likes of Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas to the squad and won the Premier League in 2015.
However, the Portuguese was shown the exit doors before the end of the year as Chelsea found themselves near the relegation zone the next season. He joined rivals Manchester United at the beginning of the 2016/17 season and led them to the double in his first season in charge.
#2 Brian Clough (Nottingham Forest)
Brian Clough’s rise from the ashes is a remarkable one. Clough joined Derby County in 1968, a club which was at the bottom of England’s second division for almost ten years. He won the English League within four years of his arrival but that marked the beginning of his decline.
Issues like him spending a lot of money without club chairman Sam Longson’s knowledge and the fact that he called Juventus “cheaters” after getting knocked out of the European tournament made Clough leave the club for good in 1973. He took up a post at Brighton and Hove Albion and then at Leeds United in 1975, where he was sacked after just six games.
Clough then joined Derby’s arch rivals Nottingham Forest just four months after he left Leeds. He took the then 13th placed team to the top of the table and also made them European champions. He ended up staying there for 18 years, managing a total of 994 games and creating an ever-lasting legacy at the club.
#1 Vicente del Bosque (Spanish National Team)
Vicente del Bosque had the ultimate managerial comeback. As a player, del Bosque won five La Ligas and four Copa del Reys. A Madridista for life, he started his managerial career by coaching the Real Madrid B team before being promoted to the senior team on a permanent basis in 1999. He led the Los Blancos to two Champions League and two La Liga titles in his four seasons.
But the club decided not to renew his contract and instead offered him the position of Technical Director. del Bosque declined and left the country to manage Besiktas in 2004. He then took a break from football after a year at the Turkish club.
He returned to the beautiful game and took up the position of the head coach of the Spanish national team. He replaced Luis Aragones after Spain won the Euro 2008 and led the dream team which included the likes of Xavi, Iniesta and Fernando Torres to another European title in 2012. He also won the first ever World Cup for the La Furia Roja and cemented his place as one of the most successful managers in footballing history.
