The coaching journeys of Steven Gerrard and Xabi Alonso have been well-documented, though one of their former Liverpool team-mates has largely stayed under the radar during his time on the touchline.
Starting out as an assistant coach for Galatasaray, Albert Riera decided to go it alone after being appointed manager of Slovenian top tier side Olimpija Ljubljana. It is safe to say his introduction to those connected with the club last July did not go to plan, with his opening press conference stormed by masked ultras.
Confronting both the former Liverpool winger and the club's chairman, supporters made their feelings clear after the dismissal of ex-manager Robert Prosinecki just three months into his role after a dispute with the board. Eventually forced out of the media room, Riera's reign got off to the most surreal of starts.
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Soon winning over the backing of fans due to performances on the pitch, it has been a campaign to savour for Olimpija. Claiming a domestic double, victories over bitter rivals Maribor confirmed their status as league champions and Slovenian Cup winners.
After the success brought to the club, it was little surprise the 41-year-old was recently named Manager of the Year within the division. What did come as a shock, however, was an announcement that his time at Olimpija was over no sooner after starting in the role.
Indeed, just two days after their final league match, it was confirmed by sporting director Goran Boromisa that Riera's time was up after one year. "We did not find an agreement with Alberto Riera, as we do not share the same views," he said. "We had a meeting in April and realised that unfortunately we cannot satisfy the desired financial appetites. Starting in June, João Henriques will step into the coaching shoes. We chose him because we like his philosophy and thinking."
Sharing his side of the story, Riera's cryptic comments on the situation hinted at a fallout of sorts between himself and members of the board. "Olympia was a good experience for me. Next time, in the next club I will pay more attention to the project so that we all strive for the same thing, because it is very important to maintain good relations," he told Sportklub.
"I know what I can control as a coach. These are my players. This has worked for me all year. I have not allowed anyone to interfere in my decisions. Anyone who knows me knows that this is how I work, I am the one who makes the decisions, but it seems that it was my mistake. In Slovenia, winning a laurel is obviously something bad and you are no longer a coach."
What comes next for the former Red remains to be seen, though Riera previously made clear his managerial ambitions when speaking to the ECHO in September of last year. Outlining his future plans as a coach, he explained: "The dream for me now is to manage in Spain because it’s my country. But I have always said the Premier League in England is the best league and where I enjoy playing more. Who knows, maybe one day I come back.
“The last few years before I retired, I felt something that I wanted to be a manager one day. If you ask me which moment was the most important to realise I wanted to become a manager, it was when together with the group for Spain that won in 2008, 2010 and 2012 the World Cup and European Championships.
“We created an amazing group with Xabi Alonso and Xavi Hernandez. Ex-players from that generation of the national team worked together and for us, we were the best coaches for everyone of us."
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