5 modern footballers who could be amazing managers
Over the years, we have come to learn that being a good footballer is one thing while coaching and managing a team and being successful is an entirely different one.
Modern-day football has shown us that being a great manager doesn't have a lot to do with being a great player. The job has much more to do with understanding the game and some individuals who may not have been the most eye-catching or technically proficient players during their heydays as a footballer have gone on to become great managers.
Jose Mourinho is a great example of this. Even Pep Guardiola wasn't expected to enjoy this level of success in his managerial career when he initially took the reins at Barcelona in 2008. Of late, we have seen several former players assume the manager's role at different clubs and enjoy varying degrees of success.
Without further ado, let's take a look at five modern footballers who could be amazing managers.
#5 Jordan Henderson
Liverpool midfielder Jordan Henderson was viewed by undiscerning football fans as a jobber. He went on to prove just how reductive that criticism was as he led from the front in Liverpool's UEFA Champions League and Premier League triumphs.
Henderson has captained Liverpool since Steven Gerrard's departure. What they say he lacks in flair, he makes up for with his hard work, passion and determination to win. He has also improved his game and in a holding role, Hendo has been quite brilliant for Jurgen Klopp and co.
Henderson is a player who has made it to the top after traversing the rough seas and he is a leader of men. He has been able to rally his troops and go to war whenever the team has required him to. The midfielder is great at man-management and there is no doubt he'd do great in a coaching role in the future.
#4 Sergio Busquets
Xavi and Andres Iniesta are arguably the greatest central midfield partnership in modern football. However, part of the credit for that should flow to the man who used to provide the platform for them from a holding role with incredible poise and intelligence. Sergio Busquets, at the peak of his powers, was the best holding midfielder in the game.
A brilliant footballer whose awareness at the centre of the park was otherworldly, Busquets was part of Pep Guardiola's Barcelona side that absolutely dominated Europe almost a decade back. The Spaniard has won the lot and has played with some of the very best players in the history of the game.
Pep Guardiola once said:
"Sooner or later he will become a manager. We will see Busquets on the bench."
Busquets' career path has been quite similar to that of Pep Guardiola's and there is no reason why he shouldn't give it a shot.