LaLiga Clubs Turn to Career Coaches Over Former Star Players

Spain's LaLiga has shifted toward coaches who built their careers outside football's biggest stages, with former star players becoming less common in the dugout. A report published by AS on October 9, 2026, highlighted how youth development, modest playing careers, injuries and alternative employment shaped the paths of several current top-flight managers.

Diego Pablo Simeone remains a prominent representative of the generation of coaches who previously starred as players. Recent seasons also featured former World Cup winners Xabi Alonso and Alvaro Arbeloa, as well as Xavi, while Pep Guardiola, Luis Enrique, Carlo Ancelotti and Zinedine Zidane established reputations as both accomplished players and celebrated managers.

According to AS, none of the current coaches covered in its analysis had been nominated for the Ballon d'Or. The publication described a growing group of managers who progressed through lower divisions, coaching academies and less prominent leagues rather than reaching the highest levels as players.

The contrast is particularly evident in the careers of Hansi Flick and Jose Mourinho, whose achievements as managers have far exceeded their playing profiles. Flick played for Bayern Munich from 1985 to 1990 before joining Cologne and later continuing as a player-manager at Victoria Bammental. Injuries affected his playing career, which ended in 2000, and he never earned a senior Germany call-up.

Mourinho played professionally for seven seasons, from 1980 to 1987, representing Rio Ave, Os Belenenses, Sesimbra and Comercio e Industria. He made 94 professional appearances before leaving playing behind to pursue coaching and tactical work.

Reflecting on his limitations as a player, Mourinho said, "I am an intelligent person. I knew I was not going to reach a higher level; the Second Division was my level." His subsequent managerial career established him as one of football's most prominent coaches.

Edin Terzic, now coaching Athletic Club, also followed a path outside the sport's elite playing ranks. He competed in Germany's fourth division until the age of 30 before joining Borussia Dortmund's youth setup alongside Hannes Wolf. Terzic later guided Dortmund to the Champions League final in the 2023-24 season and also worked as an assistant to Croatia national team coach Zlatko Dalic.

Benat San Jose, currently managing Rayo Vallecano, began in Real Sociedad's youth system before building his coaching career across several countries. His experience includes Al Ittihad and Al Ettifaq in Saudi Arabia, Universidad de Chile and Antofagasta in Chile, KAS Eupen in Belgium, Mazatlan and Atlas in Mexico, and Al Nasr in the United Arab Emirates.

Jose Bordalas followed another route after injuries forced him to retire as a player at 28. Although he developed at Hercules, he never made his first-team debut for the club. He subsequently coached across Spain's lower divisions, including Alicante, Benidorm, Eldense, Novelda, Alcoyano, Elche and Alcorcon, before helping Alaves earn promotion. He reached LaLiga with Getafe in the 2017-18 season.

Other coaches also developed professional qualifications or worked outside football while pursuing management. Manuel Pellegrini earned a civil engineering degree at the Catholic University of Chile while playing for Universidad de Chile, the only professional club he represented. The AS report also identified seven of the 20 coaches in its profile as established professionals, citing Quique Sanchez Flores, a former fullback who played 304 LaLiga matches and later won the Europa League and UEFA Super Cup with Atletico Madrid.