{"id":1121583,"date":"2026-08-06T16:23:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-06T15:23:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/?p=1121583"},"modified":"2026-08-06T16:23:02","modified_gmt":"2026-08-06T15:23:02","slug":"premier-league-managers-ranked-playing-career","status":"publish","type":"cult-corner","link":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/cult-corner\/premier-league-managers-ranked-playing-career\/","title":{"rendered":"Every Premier League manager ranked by their success as a player"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Who is the best manager in the Premier League? It&#8217;s a hot debate topic if you bring it up. But isn&#8217;t it strange how no one talks about which of the Premier League managers was the best <em>player?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It&#8217;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 &#8211; and that can either be a boon to their success or an albatross around their necks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Looking at the 2026\/27 Premier League clubs&#8217; managers, we&#8217;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!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Disagree with any of our picks? Let us know on <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/squawka\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Twitter<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SquawkaFootballNews\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Facebook<\/a>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-20-fabian-hurzeler\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">20. Fabian Hurzeler<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h4 id=\"h-brighton\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Brighton<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Position:<\/strong> Midfielder<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Notable teams:<\/strong> Bayern Munich II<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fabian Hurzeler came through the academy at Bayern Munich, going on to represent their reserve team. But he didn\u2019t make it too far as a footballer, retiring from professional football at just 22.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-19-pierre-sage\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">19. Pierre Sage<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h4 id=\"h-crystal-palacee\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Crystal Palacee<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Notable teams:<\/strong> n\/a<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pierre Sage moved into coaching at the age of 24, having had a brief playing career as an amateur footballer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-18-daniel-farke\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">18. Daniel Farke<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h4 id=\"h-leeds\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Leeds<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Position:<\/strong> Striker<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Notable teams:&nbsp;<\/strong>SV Lippstadt, Paderborn<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Daniel Farke spent the entirety of his playing career in Germany\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-17-regis-le-bris\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">17. Regis Le Bris<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h4 id=\"h-sunderland\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Sunderland<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Position:<\/strong> Defender<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Notable teams: <\/strong>Rennes<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Regis Le Bris\u2019 playing career wasn\u2019t spectacular, spanning nine seasons in France and Belgium. Playing as a right-back, the Frenchman wasn\u2019t really a regular for his teams \u2013 with 19 appearances his most in a single league season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-16-matthias-jaissle\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">16. Matthias Jaissle<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h4 id=\"h-newcastle-united\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Newcastle United<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Position:<\/strong> Centre-back<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Notable teams:<\/strong> Hoffenheim<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Matthias Jaissle is another manager to have had a short playing career, calling time at the 26. He spent his entire playing career with Hoffenheim and did experience back-to-back promotions, playing alongside the likes of Demba Ba, Pascal Gross and Luiz Gustavo.<\/p>\n\n\n    <div class=\"sq-toplist\">\n        <div class=\"sq-toplist__items\">\n\t\t\t    <div\n            class=\"sq-toplist__item\"\n            data-entity-id=\"1381273\"\n            data-offer-id=\"1381470\"\n    >\n\t\t        <div class=\"sq-toplist__item-container\">\n            <div class=\"sq-toplist__offer\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"\/en\/go\/bet365?q=gb-all-top-wof-s-spo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-brand=\"bet365\"data-placement=\"bookmaker-offers-content-toplist\" data-rating=\"9.5\" data-position=\"1\" data-placement-details=\"logo\" class=\"sq-toplist__logo\" style=\"background:#01644a\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/04\/29162841\/bet365.svg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"Bet365 Logo\" \/><\/a>\t\t\t\t                <div class=\"sq-toplist__offer-box\">\n                    <span class=\"sq-toplist__bookmaker\">\n                        <a href=\"\/en\/go\/bet365?q=gb-all-top-wof-s-spo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-brand=\"bet365\"data-placement=\"bookmaker-offers-content-toplist\" data-rating=\"9.5\" data-position=\"1\" data-placement-details=\"brand_name\">bet365<\/a>                    <\/span>\n                    <span class=\"sq-toplist__offer-title is-tablet-visible\">\n                        <a href=\"\/en\/go\/bet365?q=gb-all-top-wof-s-spo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-brand=\"bet365\"data-placement=\"bookmaker-offers-content-toplist\" data-rating=\"9.5\" data-position=\"1\" data-placement-details=\"offer\">Use code SQUAWKA365 and bet \u00a310 to get \u00a330 in free bets<\/a>                    <\/span>\n                <\/div>\n                <span class=\"sq-toplist__offer-title is-mobile-visible\">\n                    <a href=\"\/en\/go\/bet365?q=gb-all-top-wof-s-spo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-brand=\"bet365\"data-placement=\"bookmaker-offers-content-toplist\" data-rating=\"9.5\" data-position=\"1\" data-placement-details=\"offer\">Use code SQUAWKA365 and bet \u00a310 to get \u00a330 in free bets<\/a>                <\/span>\n            <\/div>\n            <div class=\"sq-toplist__buttons\">\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"\/en\/go\/bet365?q=gb-all-top-wof-s-spo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-brand=\"bet365\"data-placement=\"bookmaker-offers-content-toplist\" data-rating=\"9.5\" data-position=\"1\" data-placement-details=\"cta\" class=\"sq-btn sq-btn--secondary sq-btn--full\">Claim Offer<\/a>                <div class=\"sq-rating\">\n                    <span class=\"sq-rating__text\">Our Score<\/span>\n                    <span class=\"sq-rating__value\">9.5<\/span>\n                <\/div>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/betting-sites\/bet365-review\/\" class=\"sq-review-link\">\n                    <span>Read our review<\/span>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/div>\n\t\t\t        <ul class=\"sq-toplist__features\">\n                            <li class=\"sq-toplist__features-item\">Bet \u00a310 get \u00a330<\/li>\n                            <li class=\"sq-toplist__features-item\">Excellent Football Betting Options<\/li>\n                            <li class=\"sq-toplist__features-item\">Extensive Bet-Builder<\/li>\n                            <li class=\"sq-toplist__features-item\">Multi-Award Winning Bookmaker<\/li>\n                    <\/ul>\n                <\/div>\n\t\t            <div class=\"sq-toplist__item-tc\"><p>New customers can sign up using bonus code SQUAWKA365, bet \u00a310 and get \u00a330 in Free Bets. Min deposit requirement. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits and are available for use upon settlement of bets to value of qualifying deposit. Min odds, bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. Time limits and T&amp;Cs apply. Registration Required. This code is for marketing and tracking purposes only. #Ad.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t\t    <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-15-sergej-jakirovic\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">15. Sergej Jakirovic<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h4 id=\"h-hull\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Hull<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Position:<\/strong> Centre-back<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Notable teams:&nbsp;<\/strong>Korotan, CSKA Sofia, Rijeka<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-14-unai-emery\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">14. Unai Emery<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h4 id=\"h-aston-villa\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Aston Villa<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Position:<\/strong> Midfielder<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Notable teams:&nbsp;<\/strong>Real Sociedad, Toledo<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-13-marco-rose\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">13. Marco Rose<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h4 id=\"h-bournemouth\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Bournemouth<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Position:<\/strong> Defender<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Notable teams:<\/strong> Hannover, Mainz<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Marco Rose wasn\u2019t 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\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-12-roberto-de-zerbi\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">12. Roberto De Zerbi<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h4 id=\"h-tottenham\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Tottenham<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Position:<\/strong> Midfielder<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Notable teams:<\/strong> Napoli, Cluj<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Roberto De Zerbi started his career at AC Milan but didn\u2019t play a single game for the club and spent most of his time on loan lower down Italy\u2019s 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\u2019t a spectacular career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-11-oliver-glasner\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">11. Oliver Glasner<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h4 id=\"h-nottingham-forest\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Nottingham Forest<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Position: <\/strong>Defender<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Notable teams: <\/strong>SV Ried<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Oliver Glasner wasn\u2019t a globetrotter, spending all of his playing career in his native Austria. But that doesn\u2019t mean he wasn\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-10-david-moyes\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">10. David Moyes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h4 id=\"h-everton\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Everton<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Position:<\/strong> Centre-back<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Notable teams:<\/strong> Celtic, Bristol City, Dunfermline, Preston<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Despite being part of Celtic&#8217;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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-9-keith-andrews\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">9. Keith Andrews<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h4 id=\"h-brentford\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Brentford<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Position:<\/strong> Midfielder<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Notable teams:<\/strong> Brighton, Bolton, Stoke, Blackburn, Wolves<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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\u2019t a bad player, not by any stretch of the imagination. But he also wasn\u2019t a player to light up matches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-8-gary-o-neil\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">8. Gary O&#8217;Neil<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h4 id=\"h-ipswich\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Ipswich<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Position:<\/strong> Midfielder<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Notable teams:<\/strong> Portsmouth, Middlesbrough, West Ham, QPR, Norwich<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Gary O\u2019Neil 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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-7-andoni-iraola\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">7. Andoni Iraola<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h4 id=\"h-liverpool\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Liverpool<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Position:<\/strong> Defender<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Notable teams:&nbsp;<\/strong>Athletic Bilbao, New York City FC<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Andoni Iraola was an Athletic Bilbao man as a player, spending 14 years with the club. It\u2019s a surprise that he didn\u2019t 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\u2019t pick up any trophies, losing a few finals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-6-enzo-maresca\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">6. Enzo Maresca<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h4 id=\"h-man-city\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Man City<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Position:<\/strong> Midfielder<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Notable teams:&nbsp;<\/strong>West Brom, Sevilla, Juventus, Palermo<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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\u2019s Serie A status in 2016 \u2013 his only goal for the club.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-5-alvaro-arbeloa\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">5. Alvaro Arbeloa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h4 id=\"h-fulham\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Fulham<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Position:<\/strong> Right-back<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Notable teams:&nbsp;<\/strong>Real Madrid, Liverpool, West Ham<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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\u2019t among the best in his position, Arbeloa\u2019s 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 \u2013 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-4-mikel-arteta\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. Mikel Arteta<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h4 id=\"h-arsenal\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Arsenal<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Position:<\/strong> Central midfielder<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Notable teams:<\/strong> <span id=\"urn:enhancement-30652436-fe48-7e61-f4c9-c86e94df68b6\" class=\"textannotation disambiguated wl-organization\">Barcelona<\/span>, Rangers, Everton, <span id=\"urn:enhancement-b6bb6d08-e3c1-6f0c-fd44-47ffa2afea71\" class=\"textannotation disambiguated wl-organization\">Arsenal<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mikel Arteta the player will be remembered as perhaps one of the most under-appreciated midfielders in the league at his time &#8211; 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 <span id=\"urn:enhancement-584915fc-9dff-7afb-51ef-fd0de824b379\" class=\"textannotation disambiguated wl-organization\">Arsenal<\/span> 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-3-michael-carrick\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Michael Carrick<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h4 id=\"h-man-utd\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Man Utd<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Position:<\/strong> Midfielder<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Notable teams:&nbsp;<\/strong>West Ham, Tottenham, Man Utd<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Michael Carrick is one of the best midfielders to grace the Premier League. Like Arteta, though, he often went unappreciated. That&#8217;s because he was very much a no-frills defensive midfielder outside of his passing. And that&#8217;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&#8217;d ever seen. The only downside to Carrick&#8217;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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-2-frank-lampard\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Frank Lampard<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h4 id=\"h-coventry\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Coventry<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Position:<\/strong> Midfielder<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Notable teams:<\/strong>&nbsp;West Ham, Chelsea, Man City<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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\u2019s failed Golden Generation, but Lampard still racked up 106 caps for the Three Lions. He was no Scott Canham, though.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-1-xabi-alonso\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Xabi Alonso<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h4 id=\"h-chelsea\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Chelsea<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Position:<\/strong> Midfielder<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Notable teams:<\/strong> Real Sociedad, Liverpool, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Xabi Alonso is one of the best midfielders in the modern era, and not just because of the trophies he won. But let\u2019s 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\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n\n\n<h3><strong>Read more:<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/news\/\"><strong>Latest football news<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/football-tips\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Football betting tips<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/betting-sites\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Best betting sites<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/betting-sites\/best-free-bet-offers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Best free bet offers<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/football-tips\/accumulator\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Football accumulator tips<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Who is the best manager in the Premier League? It&#8217;s a hot debate topic if you bring it up. But isn&#8217;t it strange how no one talks about which of the Premier League managers was the best player? It&#8217;s a fairly accepted truism that you have to have been a player to be a manager,&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":112,"featured_media":1476039,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_focuskw":"premier league managers as players","_yoast_wpseo_title":"Ranked: Every Premier League manager ranked by their playing career","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"From Mikel Arteta to David Moyes \u2013 how did every Premier League manager get on during their playing careers?","footnotes":""},"tags":[],"squawka-category":[],"class_list":["post-1121583","cult-corner","type-cult-corner","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":{"external_featured_image_url":"","hide_featured_image_pattern":false},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v28.0 (Yoast SEO v28.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Ranked: Every Premier League manager ranked by their playing career<\/title>\n<meta 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