8 Champions League winners you probably had no idea are now managers
Former Barcelona, Manchester United and Liverpool stars are among the former Champions League winners you probably had no idea are now managers.
While there are plenty of high-profile former UCL winners who have gone into management like Xabi Alonso or Wayne Rooney, we’ve found a few more niche names for this list.
Having scoured the list of former Champions League winners, here are eight of them who you probably had no idea are now working as managers.
Dwight Yorke
A key component of Manchester United’s 1999 treble-winning squad, Yorke landed his first managerial job in the summer of 2022 when he joined Australian side Macarthur FC.
He did manage to win the Australia Cup during his time in charge, but ultimately he only lasted seven months in the job.
After taking almost two years out of management, Yorke landed the Trinidad and Tobago national team job earlier this month.
“I am proud and privileged to receive the honour of leading the Trinidad and Tobago national team,” said Yorke.
“The opportunity to work with this talented, close-knit group of players is something I look forward to.”
Igor Biscan
Part of Liverpool’s iconic 2005 Champions League winning squad, Biscan has had a number of managerial roles since hanging up his boots in 2012.
His most high-profile job was at Dinamo Zagreb, although he only lasted five months in that role before he was sacked.
Bisan has since had a similarly short spell with Saudi side Al-Shabab and is currently the manager of Qatar Stars League side Al Ahli SC who sit third in the league as of writing.
Juliano Belletti
Having won the Champions League with Barcelona, Belletti is back at the club today and currently manages the U19 squad along with being the assistant to Fran Sanchez for Barcelona Atletic (otherwise known as Barcelona B).
Having previously spent a year in charge of the Sao Paulo U20 squad, Belletti has plenty of experience when it comes to managing youngsters.
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Javier Mascherano
After spending the last three years managing various Argentina youth squads, Mascherano is now set to take over at Inter Miami, replacing the popular Gerardo Martino.
The 40-year-old will get the chance to work with the likes of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets who he previously won the Champions League alongside.
Fernando Torres
After hanging up his boots in 2019, the former Liverpool and Chelsea forward has since pursued a career in management.
He initially took charge of the Atletico Madrid U19 squad in 2021 and then earlier this year, he was promoted to the Atletico Madrid B job.
According to reports in Spain, Deportivo La Coruna recently made an offer to Torres to try and lure him away from his boyhood club. However, Torres rejected their advances as he ‘dreams’ of replacing Diego Simeone in the Atletico hot seat one day.
He’s also incredibly hench these days too.
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Filippo Inzaghi
Of course, everyone is well aware of how well Simone Inzaghi is doing at Inter Milan, but what about his older brother?
After hanging up his boots in 2012, Filippo immediately threw himself into coaching and he’s had a pretty eventful career since then.
Since 2014, he’s managed a total of eight Italian clubs and he currently finds himself in charge of Serie B outfit Pisa SC.
Alvaro Arbeloa
The two-time Champions League winner has been managing in the Real Madrid youth setup since 2020.
Arbeloa started his coaching career by taking charge of the U14s squad and he’s since been promoted to their U19 squad where he works today.
Raul
Since 2019, Raul has been in charge of Real Madrid B and he’s taken charge of over 180 games in that time.
His current role is to develop the upcoming stars at Los Blancos, although he has been tipped to take over from Carlo Ancelotti when the Italian decides to step down from his role.
“I’m a club person,” Raul told reporters last year when asked about the possibility of taking over the senior squad.
“I am delighted with what I do, the important thing is to help on a daily basis.”