Top Ten Arsenal Signings by Arsene Wenger

Current Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has already become the greatest ever manager in the history of the North London club. Since his arrival in 1996, he helped Arsenal win many titles including 3 Premier League and 4 FA Cup titles. He also led the Gunners to reach the UEFA Champions League final in 2005-06 season for the first time in their history.

Besides bringing trophies to Arsenal showcase, Wenger has made many revolutionary changes at the club. He is well-known for unearthing young talents and transforming young and relatively unknown players into world class players. His ability in identifying young talents and getting the best out of them has benefited Arsenal financially too.

Here is a list of top ten signings by Wenger. While choosing the players, I not only considered their on-field contribution, but also the amount of profit Wenger made through their transfers. I regret I could not include a few other excellent players like Emmanuel Petit, Emmanuel Adebayor, Robin van Persie and Gael Clichy who could have made it to the list by their own rights. You can share your opinion about the list in the comment section. Now, let us go through the list:

Thierry Henry

Thierry Henry has not only been the smartest signing of Wenger era, but also is perhaps the most successful signing in the history of the North London club. Signed from Juventus for £10 in August 1999, Thierry Henry remained an integral part of Arsenal side for the next 8 years until his €24 million (£16m) move to Barcelona in Summer 2007.

Aside from the monetary profit, Henry’s signing proved to be the most significant because of his unprecedented on-field contribution to Arsenal. Henry is currently Arsenal’s all-time highest scorer with 226 goals to his credit in 380 matches in all competitions.

Upon his arrival, Wenger started to play him up front, often partnering with Dennis Bergkamp or as a lone striker, even though he was mostly used as a winger in his previous two clubs Monaco and Juventus. This change in playing position proved to be an immediate success as Henry started to perform at his best.

Henry rose from an average player to a world superstar while playing for Arsenal. His composure in front of goal, more specifically in one-on-one situation, his vision, his excellent pace helping him to get past the defenders every now and then; these all contributed to his game, making him one of the most dangerous strikers of his time.

He got his first success when Arsenal won their third ever domestic Double (second under Wenger) of Premier League and FA Cup in 2001-02, first of Henry’s four seasons where he finished at the top of the goal scorers’ list. His 24 goals in 33 league appearances helped Arsenal to score in each and every fixture of that season.

The Frenchman was also instrumental in Arsenal’s triumph in 2003-04 season where they did not lose any game with Henry again finishing as the leading scorer with 30 goals and went 49 league games unbeaten.

Overall, Henry won two Premier League, 3 FA Cup and 2 FA Community Shield titles during his Arsenal career. Besides, he also won many individual successes including 2 European Golden Boot and 4 Premier League Golden Boot awards. He was also named PFA Team of the Year in 6 consecutive seasons and UEFA Team of the Year 4 times.

Patrick Vieira

The Frenchman is regarded as one of the all-time Arsenal greats because of his immense contribution to the Gunners during the first decade of Arsene Wenger’s managerial reign. Upon Wenger’s request, Patrick Vieira, who had been struggling at AC Milan, was signed by Arsenal for a fee of £3.5 million, even before the manager officially took charge of the club in September 1996.

Wenger’s first investment in charge of Arsenal proved to be bargain as Vieira’s commanding presence in the central midfield helped Arsenal to win two domestic Doubles in the next 9 years. Moreover, Wenger made a substantial financial profit through the selling of Vieira to Juventus in 2005.

Vieira (right) with Tony Adams (left)

A player with strong physique and excellent stamina, Vieira formed a lethal partnership with Emmanuel Petit at the heart of Arsenal midfield, and earned Arsenal their second ever Domestic Double in 1998. Though Petit left for Barcelona in Summer 2000, his French compatriot continued to serve for Arsenal until the end of 2004-05 season, and winning one more domestic Double in the process.

In total, Patrick Vieira played 406 games for Arsenal, scoring 33 goals, and won 3 Premier League, 3 FA Cup and 4 Community Shield titles during his 9-year stint at Arsenal. He was named in the PFA Team of the Year in six successive years- an achievement portraying his dominance as an Arsenal player. In 2008, Vieira was ranked 5th in the list of greatest 50 players of Arsenal by Arsenal fans.

Robert Pires

Robert Pires is another highly successful midfielder signed in Wenger era. By the time Robert Pires joined Arsenal from Olympique Marseille for a transfer fee of £6 million in summer 2000, Arsene Wenger had already won his first Double with the Gunners in 1997-98 season. However, following the sudden departure of some of his key players including Emmanuel Petit, Nicolas Anelka and Marc Overmars, Wenger felt the necessity of rebuilding his team going into the new millennium.

Robert Pires was one of Wenger’s key players in his rebuilding process and ended up becoming one of the most decorated players in the history of Arsenal, winning 2 Premier League, 3 FA Cup and 2 Community Shield titles during his six-year stay at the club. The winger initially struggled to deal with the physical aspect of Premier League, but he started to show his talent from the second season onwards.

A tall and speedy winger, Pires is equally skilled in playmaking and scoring. His technical skill, vision and excellent finishing often proved to be decisive for Arsenal. He may not have scored as many goals as Henry did, but Gunners fans would always remember him for some of his stunning goals.

Pires was instrumental in Arsenal’s Double (Premier League and FA Cup) in 2001-02 season as he made highest number of assists in Premier League that season and scored 9 goals in the league. Eventually, he was named the FWA Footballer of the Year and became Arsenal’s player of the year that season.

In 2003, Arsenal won just one title- the FA Cup- and that so not without Pires’ contribution as the Frenchman scored the winning goal against Southampton in the tournament final. He played another crucial role during Arsenal’s unbeaten triumph in 2003-04 Premier League season where Pires along with his French compatriot Henry scored 44 out of Arsenal’s 73 total league goals.

Wenger could not make any monetary profit through Pires’ transfer to Villarreal in 2006 as he moved to the Spanish club on a free transfer, but his contribution as a player was more than enough to consider him as one of the best signings by Wenger. Robert Pires scored 84 goals and made many assists in his 284 appearances for Arsenal in all competitions and he made it to the PFA Team of the Year on three occasions.

Cesc Fabregas

Signed from Barcelona youth academy as a 16-year-old boy in summer 2003, Cesc Fabregas has gradually grown into one of the best midfielders in the world. Specially, since Arsenal’s move from Highbury to the newly built Emirates Stadium in 2006, Fabregas has been a dominant force for the North London club till date.

Given his current market price around £40 to £50 million, the Spaniard could well be Wenger’s most successful signing in terms of financial profit. In fact, Barcelona had a €35 million offer for the player rejected by Arsenal during Summer 2010. However, his current market price is well-justified by his superb on-field performances over the last four seasons.

Cesc Fabregas may not have won as many titles at Arsenal as some other players of this list did, but the Spaniard’s influence in Arsenal’s performance over the last few years was so immense that he could already be considered as an Arsenal legend. As of 16 October 2010, Fabregas has scored 51 goals and made 88 assists in 272 appearances for Arsenal in all competitions. Despite his consistent display, he could so far win only 2 titles- FA Cup and League Cup in 2005.

The main reason behind his lack of silverware is that by the time Fabregas started to become a dominant force, the club had already entered into a transitional period. When Patrick Vieira left Arsenal in 2005, Fabregas, an 18-year-old, was tipped to take his place and he has gradually done so; but the Gunners then lost a few more key players including Dennis Bergkamp, Robert Pires, Sol Campbell, Thierry Henry and Fredrik Ljungberg in the next two years (2006 and 2008), and thus, forcing manager Arsene Wenger to rely mostly on young players as the club, facing a high annual interest rate related to stadium debt, could not arrange a huge transfer budget to rebuild the team.

Despite these shortcomings, Arsenal has remained one of the top European clubs as well as a title contender in Premier League, and continued to appear in Champions League group stage mainly because of Fabregas’ dominant form. He was named PFA Team of the Year in 2008 and 2010, alongside making it to the UEFA Team of the Year on two occasions (2006 and 2008) too.

Initially criticized for his less-attacking intention, Fabregas has over the years proved to be one of the best playmakers in the world as he started to become one of the top assist makers in Premier League from 2006-07 season onwards. His excellent vision, superb passing skill, tremendous sense of timing and finding space have all completed to Arsenal’s attacking style orchestrated by short-passing football.

Sol Campbell

Having spent nine successful seasons at Arsenal’s arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur, Sol Campbell joined the Gunners in the summer 2001, and thus, becoming the first high-profile transfer as per Bosman ruling. At that time, the England international was at the top of his career and took no time to make his presence felt at his new club.

Sol Campbell joined Arsenal to win silverware and participate in Champions League, while Wenger signed Campbell looking to add major reinforcement at the central defense as the ageing duo, Tony Adams and Martin Keown, were approaching towards the end of their Arsenal career. Campbell’s transfer, later on, proved to be a win-win deal for both the manager and the player because they got what they were looking for- silverware and Champions League football for Campbell, and a reliable central defender for Wenger.

Campbell’s strong physique, superb athleticism, quick movement, calm and composed nature on the field, these all along with his vast experience helped him settle down in his new challenge at Highbury pretty quickly. He became a regular player right from the beginning of his Arsenal career. In his debut season (2001-02), Campbell, being the mainstay of the defense, helped Arsenal to win a prestigious Double of Premier League and FA Cup, playing total 48 games that season.

The next season (2002-03) looked to be equally fruitful as Arsenal was on the right track to defend both the titles. Though they clinched the FA Cup, the Gunners ended up finishing second in Premier League mainly because of Campbell’s injury and a sudden loss of form towards the end of the season. However, Campbell’s performance was strong enough to earn him a place in the PFA Team of the Year.

The season 2003-04 was another highly successful campaign for the English defender who along with young Kolo Toure formed a solid partnership at the back of the defense and ensured Arsenal’s unbeaten triumph in the league. Campbell once again was named in the PFA Team of the Year.

Campbell’s last season of his first spell with Arsenal was not as successful as the previous three because he was struggling with injuries and lack of form, but still the player remained an integral part of the North London side until his departure for Portsmouth in 2006. He scored Arsenal’s solitary goal in their 2-1 loss to Barcelona in the Champions League final in 2006.

Campbell made a comeback to Arsenal in January 2010 after signing on a six-month contract and made some good contribution when first choice center backs like William Gallas and Thomas Vermaelen were injured out during the last few months of the 2009-2010 season. After the end of the season, Wenger offered him a one-year contract extension, but he demanded a two-year deal and eventually joined Newcastle United.

In his first stint with the Gunners, Sol Campbell played 197 games and scored 11 goals in all competitions. He appeared in 14 games and scored just once during his short second term at Arsenal.

Marc Overmars

The Dutch left winger was one of the three major signings by Arsene Wenger in 1997 besides Emmanuel Petit and Nicolas Anelka. By the time he was signed from Ajax for a transfer fee of £5.5 million in summer 1997, Marc Overmars had already proven his talent and skill as a flying winger while playing for Ajax with whom he won Champions League in 1995 and three Dutch league titles. Still, there were many who were doubtful about the success of Overmars’ signing, citing the player’s recent knee injury which kept him out of Euro 1996.

However, Overmars quickly justified Wenger’s decision by his on-field performances. The Dutchman, like Wenger’s other signings: Vieira, Petit and Anelka, started to dominate English football and helped Arsenal win their second ever Double (first under Wenger) in 1997-98 season. With his remarkable pace, he appeared as a constant threat for the opponent fullbacks. Though he was deployed on the left wing most of the time, Overmars is equally strong on both feet.

During his 3-year stint with the Gunners, Overmars scored many crucial goals which proved to be title deciding goals in the end. He scored 12 vital goals in his 32 league appearances during Arsenal’s Double winning 1997-98 season. His winner in Arsenal’s 1-0 victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford and his dominating performance in their victory against Everton ensured Arsenal’s Premier League title. Overmars then helped Arsenal to win the FA Cup titles too as he scored the first goal of Arsenal’s 2-0 victory over Newcastle United in the final.

Overmars’ final two seasons with Arsenal was hampered by injuries, but still he remained one of the key players for Arsenal until his departure for Barcelona in summer 2000 for a transfer fee of £25 million which is still a record transfer fee for a Dutch player. Overall, Marc Overmars scored 41 goals in 142 appearances for Arsenal in all competitions.

Fredrik Ljungberg

The Swedish winger is another astute signing of Wenger era. Arsenal manager had to compete with the European clubs like Barcelona, Chelsea, Aston Villa and Parma to secure the service of Fredrik Ljungberg, who was then playing for Halmstad. Wenger finally had to spend £3 million to complete Ljungberg’s signing in 1998. This was a record transfer fee for a Swedish player at that time.

Wenger could not make any monetary profit through Fredrik Ljungberg who left the Gunners to join West Ham United for a fee around £3 million in summer 2007. However, the success of Ljungberg’s signing could only be found in his excellent contribution to the club’s success during his 9-year stint with the North London side.

A player capable of playing in either wing or as a playmaker, Ljungberg is well-known for his great pace which helps him get past the full backs and set up goals for the center forwards. Arsenal started to get the best of Ljungberg after Emmanuel Petit and Marc Overmars had left the club in summer 2000. Soon after their departure, he became an integral part of Arsenal attack which also featured Dennis Bergkamp and Robert Pires.

Injury was a constant threat for Ljungberg throughout his Arsenal career and it only became severe towards the later years of his Arsenal stint. Still, he could successfully prove his talent and skill, scoring 72 goals and making many assists in his 328 appearances for Arsenal.

The highlight of his Arsenal career is his decisive performances during Arsenal’s Double winning 2001-02 season. During the second half of the season, when Robert Pires was out of action through injury, Ljungberg scored 6 goals in 5 league matches, and thus, earning Arsenal some vital points towards the end of the season.

Fredrik Ljungberg later on also played a crucial role in Arsenal’s FA Cup success that season, scoring in their 2-0 victory over Chelsea in the final. He had scored in the previous year’s FA Cup final too, though that was in losing cause, and became the first ever player to score in consecutive FA Cup finals. Fredrik Ljungberg also played a key role in Arsenal’s unbeaten success in Premier League 2003-04.

Kolo Toure

Arsene Wenger’s ability in identifying unearthed talent is perhaps best proven by the signing of Kolo Toure from ASEC Mimosas, a club in Ivory Coast, for just £150,000 in February 2002. Not many people outside Ivory Coast knew Kolo Toure when he joined the North London club, but the player went on to become one of the best central defenders of Premier League in the following years and earned Wenger around £16 million through his move to Manchester City in summer 2009.

So, Kolo Toure has undoubtedly become a success story for Wenger, both in terms of financial profit and the player’s on-field contribution to the club. During his seven-year stay at the club, he appeared in 326 matches for Arsenal in all competitions, scoring 14 goals and making 12 assists in the process. He won a Premier League, two FA Cup and two Community Shield titles with the Gunners. Toure, though a defender, was well-known for his attacking intent and scoring goals occasionally and assisting others.

Initially experimented as a midfielder and right back by Wenger, Kolo Toure started to settle into the Arsenal defense as a central defender from the 2003-04 season onwards. His rock-solid partnership with Sol Campbell at the heart of the defense was instrumental behind Arsenal’s Premier League win without losing any game throughout the season. He appeared in 37 league matches that season.

Next season, he faced a stiff competition from the likes of Phillipe Senderos and Pascal Cygan for a place in the first eleven, but still he managed 50 appearances in all competitions and won the FA Cup title that season. However, it was in 2005-06 season, Kolo Toure made himself an Arsenal regular and remained so until his departure in 2009.

Aside from his strong performance in 2003-04 Premier League win, another highlight of Kolo Toure’s Arsenal career is his performance during the UEFA Champions League 2005-06 campaign where he partnering with Phillipe Senderos kept a record 10 successive clean sheets and helped Arsenal to reach the tournament final for the first time, though they lost 2-1 to Barcelona in the final in Paris.

Kolo Toure’s excellent consistency could be well-proven by the fact that he did never play less than 40 games in any of his 7 seasons with Arsenal.

Nicolas Anelka

When Arsene Wenger signed a 17-year-old boy, Nicolas Anelka, from Paris Saint-Germain for a fee of £500,000 (0.5 million) in February 1997, little did he know that the French striker would help his side to win a prestigious Double of Premier League and FA Cup in 1998, and his transfer to Real Madrid in summer 1999 would earn the club a huge £23.5 million (but some say £22, 900, 000), making Anelka one of the most astute signings by Arsene Wenger.

A tall, strong-built striker, Anelka started to flourish his potential as a goalscorer upon joining Arsenal where he developed into a world class striker. Though he struggled to break into the first team during the second half of 1996-97 season, Anelka started to show his goalscoring prowess from 1997-98 season, his first full season with the Gunners.

Striker Ian Wright’s long term injury allowed Anelka to play alongside Dennis Bergkamp, another Arsenal great, in Arsenal’s attacking line up. During that Double winning season, Anelka scored 6 goals in 26 league appearances. He also scored Arsenal’s second goal in their 2-0 FA Cup final victory over Newcastle United. The next season (1998-1999) saw him scoring 17 goals in 35 league appearances, for which he was awarded the PFA Young Player of the Year Award.

Nicolas Anelka’s excellent pace and superb shooting skill have always given him an edge in the opponent box throughout his career, but it was at Arsenal where he started to make his lethal presence felt by the opponent defenders inside the area. After scoring 28 goals in 90 appearances during his two-and-half-year stint with the North London club, Anelka left for Real Madrid in 1999, ending his short but highly significant Arsenal career. Arsenal fans, in 2008, placed him in 29th position in a list of 50 greatest players of Arsenal.

Gilberto Silva

Despite coming from a poor family, the Brazilian midfielder made his name in the football world with strong determination and working hard mentality. Having been impressed by Gilberto Silva’s dominating performance as a defensive midfielder during Brazil’s successful World Cup campaign in 2002, Wenger invested £4.5 million to sign him from Atlético Mineiro the same year.

The investment proved to a bargain as Gilberto Silva went on to win a Premier League, 2 FA Cup and 2 Community Shield titles at Arsenal in the next 6 years before joining Greek club Panathinaikos in 2008. Though his footballing tablet was well documented even before joining Arsenal, it was at the North London club where he developed into one of the best holding midfielders in the World.

Gilberto Silva found it hard to break into the Arsenal first eleven in his debut season, but he was instrumental in Arsenal’s historic triumph in Premier League 2003-04 as they won the title without losing any game throughout the season. Silva appeared in 32 out of 38 league matches that season, playing alongside either Ray Parlour or Patrick Vieira in the midfield.

Silva’s strong defending skill complimented very well to Arsenal’s attacking style. During his six-year stint with Arsenal, he covered for the attacking minded wingbacks like Clichy and Sagna and center backs like Gallas and Kolo Toure.

Top Ten Current Managers of European Club Football

Europe is perhaps the best when it comes to club football in terms of worldwide fan following, quality of teams, players and managers. Here, I am going to write about the top ten managers who are currently active in European club football. It is true that many players from other continents became famous playing in Europe, but I did not find any notable manager from outside Europe working with a European club.

Before taking you through to the list, I would like to inform you that while making the list I not only considered the number of titles a manager has to his credit, but also his skills in man-management, vision, tactics, finding talented players, making decisive decisions and nurturing young talents. Anyway, the list is totally based on my own opinion and you do not necessarily have to agree with me. Rather, you can share your opinion in the comment section.

Sir Alex Ferguson (Manchester United)

The 68-year-old has already become one of the most decorated managers in European club football. When he took charge of Manchester United in November 1986, the club was struggling to avoid relegation (being second from bottom); Ferguson then helped the Red Devils to finish 11th in the league table that season.

Now, after 24 years Sir Alex Ferguson Ferguson has won everything with Manchester United: 11 Premier League, 5 FA Cup, 4 League Cup, 2 Champions League and 9 FA Community Shield titles, alongside one title in each of the following tournaments: UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, UEFA Super Cup, Intercontinental Cup and FIFA Club World Cup.

As a manager Sir Alex Ferguson took no time to advocate strict discipline in the team. Another thing that many believe helped him achieve so much success at Old Trafford is his sincerer effort to build young players, besides making necessary signings, and the outcome was players like Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, David Beckham, Garry Neville and Phil Neville started to come through the youth ranks.

Arsene Wenger (Arsenal)

The Frenchman’s placement at this position in the list may surprise many, but as I sated before, I did not only consider a manager’s success in the form of titles achieved but also take into account his ability to build a team. Arsene Wenger may not have won as many titles as some other managers of this list did, but among these managers only Ferguson can come close to Wenger’s excellent visionary skill in club management and ability in spotting unearthed talents.

Wenger could not win any title over the last 5 years as he had to run with a tight budget due to the club’s stadium debt and rely mostly on home grown young players. But, still he could keep Arsenal at the top four of Premier League every season and guided them to the Champions League final in 2006.

Wenger’s early years at the club, when the financial challenge was not severe, proved to be highly successful as he produced 11 titles including 3 Premier League and 3 FA Cup titles in the space of 9 years. Wenger became the first and only manager in the history of Premier League to lead his team to win the Premier League title without enduring any defeat in 2003-04.

Arsene Wenger set up a much-praised example of youth policy that saw the emergence of the players like Cesc Fabregas, Jack Wilshere and few other talented players. He is also highly skilled at spotting talents. Starting from Thierry Henry to Thomas Vermaelen lately, Wenger bought man young talented players who jus turned into world class players at Arsenal.

Jose Mourinho (Real Madrid)

The Portuguese is perhaps the most hot-shot manager of European club football at the moment. After failing as a player, Jose Mourinho pursued his career in club management. He started as the interpreter of Sir Bobby Robson, who was appointed Sporting Lisbon manager, in 1992 and continued working with Robson as his assistant and interpreter at FC Porto and Barcelona. Later, he also worked as assistant of Louis van Gaal at Barcelona.

Mourinho, nicknamed The Special One, was appointed as the head coach of Benfica in 2000, but his major success came at FC Porto where he won two Portuguese League titles in successive years and a UEFA Cup and Champions League titles in between 2002 and 2004. He continued achieving success with English club Chelsea, winning 6 titles including two Premier League titles in the space of just 3 years.

Mourinho then helped Inter Milan to win 5 competitive tournaments including 2 Serie A and a Champions League titles during his two-year stint. Overall, the current Real Madrid manager has won 17 top-flight titles with 3 different clubs in 3 different European leagues over the last 8 years.

Carlo Ancelotti (Chelsea)

Unlike Ferguson and Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti pursued his career in club management on the back of a highly successful playing career. However, after 15 years in managerial job, he can now feel that his managerial career is no less decorative than his playing career. He has won 1 Serie A, 1 Italian Cup, 2 Champions League, 1 FIFA Club World Cup and 2 UEFA Super Cup titles during his 8-year stay at AC Milan.

Ancelotti also got instant success at his current club Chelsea, leading them to win Premier League and FA Cup double in his debut season, and thus, becoming the only second non-British manager after Arsene Wenger to win the prestigious Double in England.

Carlo Ancelotti is well-known for his excellent personal relationship with the players. His coaching philosophy is not that of a strict disciplinarian. Rather, his intention is to associate with the players as closely as possible and make a friendly atmosphere at the club so that players do not hesitate to reveal what they are feeling about different issues.

Louis van Gaal (Bayern Munich)

The Dutchman is another highly decorative manager of European club football. After a highly successful career as a professional player, Louis van Gaal took club management as his profession. It has been almost two decades he has been in club management and won almost each and every title that came his way. Louis van Gaal is one of those very few European managers who did not endure failure at any club.

Starting with Ajax, Louis van Gaal won 3 Dutch League, 3 Dutch Super Cup, 1 Dutch Cup, 1 Champions League, 1 UEFA Cup, 1 UEFA Super Cup and 1 Intercontinental Cup during his 6-year stint with the Dutch giants. He emulated his success at Barcelona too, leading them to win 2 Spanish League, 1 Spanish Cup and 1 Super Cup titles in just 3 years.

However, Louis van Gaal had a disappointing coaching stint with Netherlands as he failed to guide the Dutch national side to qualify for the 2002 World Cup. Following a short second stint with Barcelona, he joined Dutch club AZ in 2005 and guided them to win the Dutch league in 2009, the same year he joined German club Bayern Munich. The 59-year-old showed his magic in his debut season at Bundesliga, leading Bayern to an unprecedented domestic Treble and the final of Champions League.

Roberto Mancini (Manchester City)

Roberto Mancini is another highly successful player who moved into club management. The current manager of Manchester City has earned much fame for what he achieved at his previous clubs- Inter Milan, Lazio and Fiorentina. Overall, he won 3 Italian League, 4 Italian Cup and 2 Italian Super Cup titles since 2001.

Mancini started his managerial career even before his retirement as a player. During his last years of playing career, he served as a player and assistant manager at Lazio. After his retirement in 2001, he took charge of cash-trapped Fiorentina and led them to win the Italian Cup the same year before joinin another financially stricken club Lazio. It was at Lazio where Mancini for the first time showed his skill in building a team and tactical skill, and led the club to win Italian Cup in 2004, despite losing key players and running on a tight budget.

In 2004, Mancini joined Inter Milan where he enjoyed a highly successful 4-year stint, winning three consecutive Italian League titles. However, he failed to produce any notable success in Europe and this is perhaps the reason he was sacked in 2008, despite achieving enviable domestic success.

Rafael Benitez (Inter Milan)

Rafael Benitez is another notable manager currently involved in European club football. He is now at the helm of Italian club Inter Milan following his successful 6-year stint with Liverpool during which he guided the English club to win Champions League in 2005, besides achieving 1 FA Cup, 1 UEFA Super Cup and 1 FA Community Shield titles. However, there are many who believe that failing to produce a Premier League title at Liverpool was the failure of Benitez.

At 50, Rafael Benitez already has 24 years of experience at coaching as he started his coaching career at the age of 26 after failing to lift his playing career. He coached at various levels in Real Madrid including its reserve side, U-19 team and finally as the assistant for the senior team’s manager. He left Real Madrid for Real Valladolid in 1995 and in the next five years he managed 3 more clubs with little success.

Benitez got the breakthrough when he joined Valencia in 2001. During his 3-year-stint at Valencia, he won 2 Spanish League and 1 UEFA Cup titles. Overall, the Spaniard has already earned some prestigious titles in his career and it would be interesting to see how much success he can achieve at Inter Milan.

Pep Guardiola (Barcelona)

Josep Guardiola, better known as Pep Guardiola, is the youngest and least experienced manager in this list. However, the 39-year-old started his managerial career with a bang, leading Barcelona to win 6 titles in a year.

In his debut season (2008-2009) as manager, Guardiola guided Barcelona to win the Treble including Spanish League, Spanish Cup and Champions League. Winning the Champions League title, he became the youngest ever manager to achieve this success. In 2009, Barcelona also won Spanish Supercopa, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup titles under his guidance and defended the Spanish League title in 2009-10 season.

No doubt, Pep Guardiola has already earned lots of attention though his success with Barcelona and many believe he has everything what it takes to become a legend. He always prefers attacking and flowing style of football and his coaching philosophy is reflected in Barcelona’s performances over the last couple of years.

Frank Rijkaard (Galatasaray)

The Dutch legend started his coaching career in 1998 when he took over as the coach of Netherlands national team, but he resigned two years later following Netherlands’ semi final defeat to Italy in Euro 2000. He then had a short stint with Dutch side Sparta Rotterdam before joining Barcelona in 2003.

At Barcelona, Rijkaard started showing his managerial skills. During his 5-year stay at the Catalan side, he won 2 Spanish League, 1 Champions league and 2 Spanish Super Cup titles. The most important thing is that he produced beautiful attacking style of football with his Barcelona side that not only won tournaments but also gave enjoyment to the fans.

Alike his great compatriots Rinus Michels and Johan Cruijff, Rijkaard always advocates attacking style of football and believes in playing as a unit without relying on individual performances.

Didier Deschamps (Olympique Marseille)

The World Cup winning former France international has already showed that he has the quality to emulate his success as a player in his managerial career. He started his career as a manager in 2001 when he was appointed manager of French club AS Monaco.

During his managerial stint, he guided Monaco to win the French League Cup title in 2003, and most importantly, led Monaco to the final of Champions League for the first time in 2003-04. Though Monaco lost to Porto in the final, it remained as one of the biggest achievements in the history of Monaco.

In 2006, Didier Deschamps joined Juventus and led them to win the Serie B title, and thus, earning promotion to Serie A. Despite the success, Deschamps resigned and took a break of 2 years before returning in 2009 as the manager of Olympique Marseille. He started his Marseille career in style guiding the team to win a prestigious domestic Double including French League and French League Cup titles.

Top Ten European Footballers of All Time

Football is undoubtedly the biggest global sport which has millions of supporters around the world. However, Europe is the region which has produced most great players of the game. Many great footballers came from Europe who dominated world football by their own. So, making a list of top ten European footballers was not very easy. I admit that many great players, who have been excluded from the list, could have made it to the list. For instance, I was in a dilemma to decide whom should I choose among Marco van Basten, Ruud Gullit and Gerd Muller. So, before you go through the list, I would like to say that the list of players given below is of my personal opinion and you do not necessarily need to agree with me. You can rather share your personal opinion in the comment section. So, let us go through list and I hope you will enjoy it:

Johan Cruijff

Johan Cruijff is one of the greatest footballers the game has ever seen. Though Ferenc Puskas-led Hungary of 50’s first showed the glimpses of ‘Total Football’, it was Johan Cruijff who popularized this style of play 20 years later with Netherlands national team. Along with coach Rinus Michels, Cruijff led the Dutch side to reach the 1974 world cup final before losing to eventual champion West Germany 2-1.

His superb pace and technical as well as tactical skill made him an incredible player on the pitch. Johan Cruijff could speed up the game and his versatility as a player helped him confuse the opponent by dint of abrupt change in position. Three time winner of European Footballer of the Year ((1971, 1973 and 1974) and the best player of 1974 world cup, Johan Cruijff scored 33 goals in his 48 appearances for Netherlands.

Johan Cruijff got most of his club successes with Ajax and Barcelona, the two clubs whom he later on coached with sheer success. Guiding Barcelona to win the 1992 champions league, Cruijff became one of the very few players to win Champions League both as a player and manager.

Ferenc Puskas

No doubt, Cruijff popularized “Total Football”, but Ferenc Puskas’ Hungary of 1940’s and 50’s first adopted this trick successfully. Ferenc Puskas was the captain of the legendary ‘Mighty Magyars’, the national team of Hungary in 1950’s and was instrumental behind Hungary’s extraordinary display in 1954 world cup where they stormed into the final before losing to champions West Germany.

With his leadership and magnificent skill and talent, Puskas led Hungary to remain unbeaten for a then-record of 32 games in early 50s, and along the way he helped them win the gold medal in 1952 Helsinki Olympic Games. For Hungary, he scored 84 goals in 85 matches. During his 8-year stint at Real Madrid, Puskas along with another great Alfredo di Stéfano formed a lethal forward line up and won 3 European Championship titles alongside 5 Spanish league titles. He was a top scorer of European Championship in 1960 and 1964.

Franz Beckenbauer

This German legend is the only defender placed in this list. If Cruijff and Puskas are the finest ever players of “Total Football,” then Franz Beckenbauer is the pioneer of the role of modern sweeper. Started as a midfielder, Beckenbauer ended up becoming perhaps the best defender of all time. Nicknamed Der Kaiser (The Emperor), he was the captain of West Germany’s 1974 world cup winning team, and later on coached Germany’s world cup winning team of 1990. He scored 14 goals in 103 appearances for West Germany and represented his country in three world cup tournaments. Beckenbauer is also very successful in his club career as he captained Bayern Munich in three consecutive European Cup triumphs in 1970s. He is the two-time winner of European Player of the Year award.

Michel Platini

There are many who believe that Michel Platini is the best ever footballer France has ever seen. Well, there are enough reasons too. His excellent skill in passing and free kick, besides his consistent scoring ability as a midfielder made him a different player from others. Representing France in 72 matches including 3 world cup tournaments (1978, 82, 86), Platini scored 41 goals. Platini was instrumental behind France’s triumph in 984 European Championship. During his illustrious club career, he played for AS Nancy, Saint-Étienne and Juventus. With Juventus he won European Cup and Intercontinental Cup in 1985. He was awarded the European Player of the Year in 1983 while playing for Juventus. Michel Platini is the current president of UEFA.

Alfredo di Stefano

Alfredo di Stefano is undoubtedly one of the best footballers of all time and he is perhaps the best player in the history of football who did not take part in any world cup finals. Born in Argentina, he represented three countries at international level: Argentina, Columbia and Spain. Alfredo di Stefano helped Spain qualify for 1962 world cup by his impressive performance in the qualification phase, but a muscle injured ruled him out of world cup finals. In his 31 appearances for Spain, he scored 23 goals.

Actually, most of his success in football came at club level. Nicknamed Saeta rubia (blond arrow), Di Stéfano has been a legend of Spanish club Real Madrid with whom he won five consecutive European Cup titles in 1950s and 8 La Liga titles. Outstanding technical and tactical skills as well as magnificent stamina were the strengths of Alfredo di Stefano. The two-time European Player of the Year, Di Stéfano is still the fourth highest goal scorer of Spanish La Liga with 216 goals in 282 league games. A vote conducted by France Football, a weekly French magazine, placed Alfredo di Stefano at the fourth place, just behind Pele, Diego Maradona, and Johan Cruijff, in a list of best footballers of the century.

Eusébio

Mozambique-born Eusébio is regarded as the best ever footballer of Portugal. Because of his dark complexion, he is nicknamed ‘The Black Panther’. A prolific goal scorer, Eusébio led Portugal to win the third place of 1966 world cup, scoring highest 9 goals in 6 games of the tournament. Scoring 41 goals in 64 appearances, Eusébio is one of the all-time leading scorers of Portugal. In his club career, he played for many clubs, but his 15-year stint with Portuguese side Benfica saw his best years. Eusébio won two European Cup and 11 Portuguese league titles with Benfica, and in the process, becoming the all time highest scorer of Benfica. While playing for Benfica, he was awarded European Player of the Year award in 1965. Eusébio is also the two-time European golden boot winner.

George Best

George Best is another great player who did not play in world cup finals. The Northern Irish player is famous for his success with English premier league club Manchester United with whom he won two league titles as well as European Cup title in 1968, the year he was awarded European Footballer of the Year award. He scored 137 goals in 361 appearances for Manchester United. Alcohol may have affected the midfielder’s career a lot, but still he is arguably considered as the best British footballer of all time. Best is one of the all-time best footballers when it comes to dribbling. His excellent speed, technique and vision made him an instant threat for the opponent.

Lev Yashin

The only goalkeeper placed in the list, Lev Yashin is considered by many as the best goalkeeper the game has ever seen. It is not a mare claim, if you consider his glorious career. If Beckenbauer is credited for inventing the role of modern sweeper, then Yashin is the pioneer of goalkeeper sweeping role. His style was marked by excellent athleticism and he was adept at reflex saves. Moreover, his height (6 and 1/2 inch) also helped him become more dominant in goal.

Lev Yashin was part of Soviet United (USSR) squad in 4 world cup tournaments including 1966 world cup where he helped his team reach the semi final.

Moreover, Yashin also helped USSR to win Olympic Gold medal in 1956 and European championship in 1960. A one-club player, Yashin played for Dynamo Moscow throughout his illustrious career. During his 22-year stint with Dynamo, he won five Soviet Championship titles. Yashin received European Footballer of the Year award in 1963, and in 1988, he was awarded the highest FIFA award FIFA Order of Merit. In 2000, Lev Yashin was honored with FIFA World Keeper of the Century.

Zinedine Zidane

Three-time FIFA World Player of the Year winner, Zinedine Zidane is considered to be one of the greatest footballers of all time. In fact, there are many who even believe that Zidane is the greatest footballer of all time. The Algeria-born French international is a playmaker with extraordinary technical and tactical skills. His lethal passes, superb free-kicks, and above all his ball controlling and balance made him a magnificent player.

Zidane is successful both at international and club level. He has 31 international goals to his car in his 108 appearances for France national team. He was instrumental behind France’s triumph in 1998 world cup and his superb performance earned him FIFA World Player of the Year and European Player of the Year award that year. Zidane also helped France to win the UEFA European Championship in 2000. Starting his career at Cannes, Zidane played for Bordeaux, Juventus and Real Madrid during his glorious career. He won two Italian league titles with Juventus and two Spanish league titles as well as a UEFA Champions League title with Real Madrid.

Marco van Basten

Another great player from Netherlands, Marco van Basten did not have a very long career due to recurrent injury problems, but he could successfully show his talent and skill during his short but glorious career. Marco van Basten retired from football at the age of just 29. He won the European Footballer of the Year award on three occasions in 1989, 1990 and 1992 and won the FIFA World Player of the Year award in 1992.

A prolific goal scorer, Marco van Basten played for Ajax and AC Milan and won many titles with the two clubs. Specially, his stint with AC Milan was highly successful as he won 3 Serie A and 3 Champions League titles during his 6-year stay at the club. For Netherlands, the striker scored on 24 occasions in 58 appearances. His biggest success with Netherlands came when he helped the Dutch side win their first and so far only European Championship title in 1988, scoring highest 5 goals in the tournament. His goal against USSR (Soviet Union) in the tournament final is considered as one of the best goals in the history of football.

Some Other Great Players from Europe:

Ruud Gullit, Gerd Muller, Bert Trautmann, Luis Figo, Roy Keane, Bobby Charlton, Gianluigi Buffon, Bobby Moore, David Beckham, Raúl, Michael Laudrup, Brian Laudrup, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Roberto Baggio, Frank Rijkaard, Dennis Bergkamp, Dino Zoff, Paolo Rossi, Gheorghe Hagi, Peter Schmeichel, Duncan Edwards, Pavel Nedvěd, Kevin Keegan, Gordon Banks, Gary Lineker, Rinat Dasayev, Alan Shearer, Éric Cantona, Gianfranco Zola, Hristo Stoichkov, Davor Šuker, Cristiano Ronaldo, Andriy Shevchenko, Kenny Dalglish, Kevin Keegan, Steven Gerrard, John Terry, Frank Lampard and many others.

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