Who is the best manager in the Premier League? It’s a hot debate topic if you bring it up. But isn’t it strange how no one talks about which of the Premier League managers was the best player?
It’s a fairly accepted truism that you have to have been a player to be a manager, not necessarily a great player, but there are certain insights to be gleaned after having played the game. The thing is, some managers were top players; maybe even top, top players – and that can either be a boon to their success or an albatross around their necks.
Looking at the 2026/27 Premier League clubs’ managers, we’ve decided to rank them by how they were as players. Does it stack up to their skill as coaches? Was David Moyes better than Enzo Maresca? Read on and find out!
Disagree with any of our picks? Let us know on Twitter or Facebook!
20. Fabian Hurzeler
Brighton
- Position: Midfielder
- Notable teams: Bayern Munich II
Fabian Hurzeler came through the academy at Bayern Munich, going on to represent their reserve team. But he didn’t make it too far as a footballer, retiring from professional football at just 22.
19. Pierre Sage
Crystal Palacee
- Notable teams: n/a
Pierre Sage moved into coaching at the age of 24, having had a brief playing career as an amateur footballer.
18. Daniel Farke
Leeds
- Position: Striker
- Notable teams: SV Lippstadt, Paderborn
Daniel Farke spent the entirety of his playing career in Germany’s lower tiers, for a variety of different clubs. Although he did have a long career, the level of football definitely counts against him on this list.
17. Regis Le Bris
Sunderland
- Position: Defender
- Notable teams: Rennes
Regis Le Bris’ playing career wasn’t spectacular, spanning nine seasons in France and Belgium. Playing as a right-back, the Frenchman wasn’t really a regular for his teams – with 19 appearances his most in a single league season.
16. Sergej Jakirovic
Hull
- Position: Centre-back
- Notable teams: Korotan, CSKA Sofia, Rijeka
Sergej Jakirovic was a Bosnian journeyman during his playing career, representing 18 different clubs and never staying long. He did have a few two-year stays, including at CSKA Sofia where he played 50 times.
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15. Unai Emery
Aston Villa
- Position: Midfielder
- Notable teams: Real Sociedad, Toledo
Unai Emery spent most of his playing days in the lower leagues of Spanish football before rising up the ranks as a manager. He started at Real Sociedad, but only played a handful of times before leaving. Emery did make 331 league appearances in the Segunda Division for a host of different sides.
14. Eddie Howe
Newcastle United
- Position: Midfielder
- Notable teams: Bournemouth, Portsmouth
Eddie Howe actually had a decent playing career, even if injury prevented him from reaching his full potential. He played over 200 games for Bournemouth in what is now called League One before injuries began to take their toll after a move to Portsmouth. Fans crowdfunded the money to sign Howe back for Bournemouth and he rejoined for three final years, again plagued by injuries, before retiring aged 30 and, one year later, becoming Bournemouth boss.
13. Marco Rose
Bournemouth
- Position: Defender
- Notable teams: Hannover, Mainz
Marco Rose wasn’t the most-exciting of players during his career, playing at left-back for a handful of German clubs. He spent most of his time with Mainz split between the Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga, helping them gain promotion in 2004. But he wasn’t a regular in the top flight until their relegation campaign in 2006-07. Rose also played in the lower tiers for VfB Leipzig and Hannover.
12. Roberto De Zerbi
Tottenham
- Position: Midfielder
- Notable teams: Napoli, Cluj
Roberto De Zerbi started his career at AC Milan but didn’t play a single game for the club and spent most of his time on loan lower down Italy’s league system. That was where he spent a large part of his career, playing over 150 games in either Serie B or Serie C. De Zerbi only made three Serie A appearances during a four-year association with Napoli. But he did have a bit of luck at Cluj, playing in the Champions League group stage in 2010, as well as winning two league titles. But it wasn’t a spectacular career.
11. Oliver Glasner
Nottingham Forest
- Position: Defender
- Notable teams: SV Ried
Oliver Glasner wasn’t a globetrotter, spending all of his playing career in his native Austria. But that doesn’t mean he wasn’t successful. The former defender played over 500 league games in his native country, most of which came with SV Ried. He won two Austrian Cups during his time at the club, and will go down as one of their legends.
10. David Moyes
Everton
- Position: Centre-back
- Notable teams: Celtic, Bristol City, Dunfermline, Preston
Despite being part of Celtic’s 1982 title-winning side early in his playing career, David Moyes never reached any particular individual heights as a player after that. Most of his professional appearances came at Dunfermline and Preston, and the latter eventually hired him as a coach, then manager.
9. Keith Andrews
Brentford
- Position: Midfielder
- Notable teams: Brighton, Bolton, Stoke, Blackburn, Wolves
Keith Andrews represented a lot of clubs during his career. But a lot of those teams were in the Championship and below. He had three separate clubs in the Premier League, with 70 of his 85 appearances in the top flight coming for Blackburn Rovers. The Irish midfielder wasn’t a bad player, not by any stretch of the imagination. But he also wasn’t a player to light up matches.
8. Gary O’Neil
Ipswich
- Position: Midfielder
- Notable teams: Portsmouth, Middlesbrough, West Ham, QPR, Norwich
Gary O’Neil was one of those Premier League midfielders that no one really batted an eye at, but did a job for every team he represented. He made over 200 appearances in England’s top flight, with 100 coming for first club Portsmouth. But he was also a regular in the Championship later on in his career, with almost 200 appearances in the second tier.
7. Andoni Iraola
Liverpool
- Position: Defender
- Notable teams: Athletic Bilbao, New York City FC
Andoni Iraola was an Athletic Bilbao man as a player, spending 14 years with the club. It’s a surprise that he didn’t immediately go from playing for them to managing them! The Basque Country native played over 500 games for Athletic Bilbao over his career as a right-back, before spending a final year at New York City. Unfortunately he didn’t pick up any trophies, losing a few finals.
6. Enzo Maresca
Man City
- Position: Midfielder
- Notable teams: West Brom, Sevilla, Juventus, Palermo
Believe it or not, Enzo Maresca actually started his senior career at West Bromwich Albion. But he only made a handful of appearances for the Baggies. How did he recover from that? Only by going on to win two Europa League titles with Sevilla as well as a Copa del Rey and Uefa Super Cup. He also lifted the Serie A title with Juventus in the early 2000s. But perhaps his biggest achievement was scoring the goal to secure Palermo’s Serie A status in 2016 – his only goal for the club.
5. Alvaro Arbeloa
Fulham
- Position: Right-back
- Notable teams: Real Madrid, Liverpool, West Ham
Alvaro Arbeloa is synonymous with Real Madrid, and not just because of his managerial spell there. The Spaniard made almost 250 appearances for the club during his playing career, and was a key member of their squad. While he wasn’t among the best in his position, Arbeloa’s quality came from his reliability. He was a solid 7/10 every game he played for a team that won two Champions League titles and a La Liga, among other honours. Arbeloa was part of the Spain squad to win Euro 2008, though he only played one game – with a similar case coming at the 2010 World Cup. But the right-back did start every game of Euro 2012 as Spain went back-to-back. Arbeloa was also a reliable player during his time at Liverpool, which encouraged Real Madrid to re-sign him.
4. Mikel Arteta
Arsenal
- Position: Central midfielder
- Notable teams: Barcelona, Rangers, Everton, Arsenal
Mikel Arteta the player will be remembered as perhaps one of the most under-appreciated midfielders in the league at his time – outside of the clubs he represented. The Spaniard was a massive player in his six-year spell at Everton, first joining on loan from Real Sociedad before making his move permanent. Five years with Arsenal towards the end of the career only furthered his praise, with the midfielder being one of the consistent performers in a time of relative struggle under Arsene Wenger.
3. Michael Carrick
Man Utd
- Position: Midfielder
- Notable teams: West Ham, Tottenham, Man Utd
Michael Carrick is one of the best midfielders to grace the Premier League. Like Arteta, though, he often went unappreciated. That’s because he was very much a no-frills defensive midfielder outside of his passing. And that’s not to count against him. Carrick is one of the best passers in Premier League history, both in terms of keeping things simple and producing defence-splitting balls from deep. He honed the abilities under Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United and was a key player in their Premier League dominance. Even Pep Guardiola called Carrick one of the best holding midfielders he’d ever seen. The only downside to Carrick’s career was the fact that he only made 34 appearances for England, having had to fight the likes of Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard for a midfield role. But at club level, Carrick won everything there was to win.
2. Frank Lampard
Coventry
- Position: Midfielder
- Notable teams: West Ham, Chelsea, Man City
Depending on who you ask, Frank Lampard could be the best midfielder in Premier League history. He certainly is the best goalscoring midfielder in Premier League history. And one of the best ever, scoring over 250 goals across his career. Of those, 211 came at Chelsea where he enjoyed a lot of success, winning everything possible. Three Premier League titles, a Champions League and the Europa League alongside all the available domestic trophies. He was a key member of all of those wins too. There was a lack of success at international level as a member of England’s failed Golden Generation, but Lampard still racked up 106 caps for the Three Lions. He was no Scott Canham, though.
1. Xabi Alonso
Chelsea
- Position: Midfielder
- Notable teams: Real Sociedad, Liverpool, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich
Xabi Alonso is one of the best midfielders in the modern era, and not just because of the trophies he won. But let’s start there. Alonso won the Champions League twice, three Bundesliga titles, La Liga and a handful of domestic cups during his club career. And he was part of the Spanish side to win Euro 2008, the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012. There aren’t many players who can most that kind of CV in the 21st century. Alonso was a key part of the midfield for the latter two successes too. In fact, he was an important player for every team he represented, oozing class on the ball. Many No.6s nowadays will be modelling their game on Alonso, and their teams will be the better for it.