Sadly, the player-manager seems to be a thing of the past; the game has more or less outgrown it.
Up until the turn of the 21st century, however, the sight of a gaffer kitting up and coaching his team while being a part of it was not uncommon.
There are plenty of notable examples from English football alone, and we’ve picked out some of the most significant…
Gordon Strachan (Coventry City)
Gordon Strachan spent almost five years as manager of Coventry, taking the reins in November 1996 and working under director of football Ron Atkinson.
The charismatic Scot was close to retiring from playing by then, but he did notably feature in an April 1997 victory over Chelsea at the age of 40!
Alan Curbishley & Steve Gritt (Charlton Athletic)
Alan Curbishley’s hugely successful 15-year tenure as Charlton manager, in which he took the South London club from the second tier to the cusp of European football, began in 1991 while he was still playing for the Addicks.
Local lad Curbishley was initially joint player-manager alongside Steve Gritt, taking sole charge in 1995.
Mike Summerbee (Stockport County)
A true Manchester City legend, Mike Summerbee made just over 100 appearances for Stockport at the end of his career.
Player-manager from 1978 to 1979, Summerbee took the unusual step of changing County’s colours from royal blue to the light blue and white stripes of Argentina – having procured a batch of shirts from his sponsor, Adidas.
Attilio Lombardo (Crystal Palace)
Among the earliest Italian Premier League players, Attilio Lombardo made himself a firm favourite with some dazzling displays for Crystal Palace after arriving from Juventus in 1997.
With gaffer Steve Coppell moving into the role of director of football, the winger spent the end of his first campaign at Selhurst Park as player-manager – although he couldn’t stop Palace from slipping into the second tier.
Ryan Giggs (Manchester United)
Already a player-coach under David Moyes, Ryan Giggs took interim charge of Manchester United following Moyes’ sacking late during the 2013/14 campaign.
United’s Welsh wing wizard made one appearance as player-manager, against Hull on the last day of the season, and it was an emotional one: it proved to be his 963rd and final game for the club where he had won it all over the course of a glittering 24-year career.
Edgar Davids (Barnet)
The sight of Edgar Davids in Dutch orange was a familiar one, but seeing the dreadlocked midfield great step out in the amber of Barnet took some getting used to.
Already living in London and managing a Sunday league side in Brixton, Davids took over as Barnet player-manager in October 2012 – and proceeded to leave himself out of his first matchday squad.
Dave Watson (Everton)
Legendary Everton defender Dave Watson won the 1986/87 First Division title with the Toffees; 10 years later, he kept the club in the top flight.
Appointed as caretaker player-manager following Joe Royle’s resignation in March 1997, Watson steered the Merseysiders away from danger to secure a 15th-placed Premier League finish.
Peter Reid (Manchester City)
Up there with the best English midfielders of the 80s, Peter Reid made over 100 appearances for Manchester City and spent a large chunk of his time at Maine Road as player-manager.
Reid took over from Howard Kendall – under whom he had won two First Division titles with Everton – in November 1990 and remained at the helm for around two years, finishing above arch-rivals Manchester United in the First Division in his first season.
Dennis Wise (Millwall)
Dennis Wise played 91 games for Millwall during a three-season stint at the Den, serving as manager for most of that time.
In 2004, the tenacious ex-Chelsea skipper guided second-tier Millwall to their first-ever FA Cup final – and played almost the entire match against Manchester United. He also achieved two top-10 league finishes with the Lions.
John Toshack (Swansea City)
John Toshack’s itinerant coaching career took him from Wales to Turkey and from Spain to Iran – and he started out in his homeland, becoming player-manager of Swansea in 1978.
The ex-Liverpool striker oversaw an unbelievable rise for the Swans, taking them from the Fourth Division to the top flight with three promotions in four seasons.
Trevor Francis (QPR & Sheffield Wednesday)
England great Trevor Francis tried has had at management with each of the last two clubs he played for, beginning with QPR in the late 80s.
The two-time European Cup-winning Nottingham Forest striker enjoyed most success at Sheffield Wednesday, though, guiding them to the finals of both the FA Cup and League Cup in 1993.
Bryan Robson (Middlesbrough)
Bryan Robson’s long and trophy-laden association with Manchester United ended in 1994, when he left Old Trafford to take the reins at Middlesbrough.
The former England captain – who was a regular in the team as he led Boro back to the top flight as second-tier champions in his first campaign at the helm – guided the Teesiders to successive League Cup finals before hanging up his boots in 1997. He remained manager until 2000.
Glenn Hoddle (Swindon Town & Chelsea)
Blessed with a brilliant footballing brain as a player, Glenn Hoddle seemed like a natural fit for management.
The mesmerising ex-Tottenham and England midfielder first took the reins while at Swindon, who he took from the second tier to the Premier League, scoring in the 1993 play-off final against Leicester.
Following that triumph, Hoddle moved on to Chelsea, spending two seasons as player-manager at Stamford Bridge and steering the Blues to the 1994 FA Cup final.
Ruud Gullit (Chelsea)
One of the finest players of his generation, Ruud Gullit joined Chelsea in 1995 and succeeded Glenn Hoddle as the club’s latest player-manager the following year.
The first Dutchman to coach a Premier League side, Gullit led the Blues to 1996/97 FA Cup glory. He didn’t play in the final, but victory made him the first non-British coach to win a major trophy in the UK.
Gianluca Vialli (Chelsea)
Chelsea’s third consecutive player-manager after Glenn Hoddle and Ruud Gullit, Gianluca Vialli brought great success to Stamford Bridge between 1998 and 2000.
The hugely popular Italian played the entirety of the 1997/98 Cup Winners’ Cup final triumph against Stuttgart, as well as coaching the Blues to League Cup success that term and the 1999/2000 FA Cup.
Kenny Dalglish (Liverpool)
Having played under European Cup-winning boss Joe Fagan, Kenny Dalglish succeeded him as manager at Anfield – while still furthering his Liverpool legend as a player.
Player-manager Dalglish led the Reds to three First Division titles between the 1985/86 and 1989/90 seasons, doing the double in the former and also winning the 1988/89 FA Cup.
