The Managers Leading the Way to the FIFA World Cup 2010
How much do you know about the 32 soccer managers who will be taking their teams to the 2010 FIFA World Cup? Here is a brief rundown on the men who hope to mastermind a World Cup title:
Australia – Pim Verbeek – 53 year old Dutchman who spent most of his playing career in the Netherlands with Sparta Rotterdam. Verbeek was hired on to coach Australia in 2007 following a spell under Guus Hiddink as assistant coach for the South Korea National team.
Japan – Takeshi Okada – 53year old Okada is in his second term as national team manager. He led the team during the 1998 World Cup campaign but left in 1999 to manage the J League’s Consadole Sapporo. However after Ivica Osim suffered a stroke in 2007 Okada – who made 24 appearances for Japan as a player – was lured back to guide the team to the World Cup once more.
Korea DPR – Kim Jong Hun – Nobody knows very much about the man who guided the Korea DPR team to the 2010 World Cup. As far as anybody knows he was never a player himself, but he is known to be very keen on ensuring his players work out as often as possible and doing an extensive amount of research about each of his opponents.
Republic of Korea – Huh Jung Moo – Moo had an impressive playing career, capped off by scoring against Italy in the 1986 World Cup. At the club level he played for PSV Eindhoven. This is his third term as manager for his home nation, having served precious stints between 1993-1995 and 1998-2000. He was appointed again in 2007 after Wolves manager Mick McCarthy turned down the job.
Algeria – Rabah Saadane – Saadane has been the head coach of the Algeria national times five different times – his first appointment coming in 1981 and his most recent in 2007. As a player he played for ficve different Algerian club sides. Must be his lucky number.
Cameroon –Paul Le Guen - Frenchman Paul Le Guen has only managed the side since July of 2009, taking over for caretaker manager Thomas Nkono, who as one of the best African goalkeepers who ever played the game remains as goalkeeping coach.
Côte d'Ivoire – Vahid Halilhodžić -The Lions are led by Bosnian Vahid Halilhodžić, a former striker who was twice the highest scorer in the French League when he played for FC Nantes Atlantique. He was appointed in 2008 after a succession of caretaker managers ran the show, including for a very short time Didier Drogba acting as player/coach.
Ghana - Milovan Rajevac – A Serbian defender who had a long career in both Yugoslav and German soccer he was appointed to his current job in 2008 after managing a string of European teams.
Nigeria – Shaibu Amodu - Another manager back for more Shaibu Amodu previously managed the Nigeria national side between 2001 and 2002. There are still rumors that he may be replaced before the 2010 World Cup after a less than stellar qualifying campaign.
South Africa – Carlos Parreira - Former Brazilian coach Carlos Alberto Parreira first accepted the South African job in 2007 but was forced to resign for personal reasons in early 2008. A growing sense of disappointment in the leadership of his successor Joel Santana led the South African FA to coax him back in October of 2009. He won the World Cup with Brazil in 1994, but quit after they lost to France in the 2006 World Cup quarterfinals.
Honduras - Reinaldo Rueda Rivera – Prior to being appointed manager of the Honduras national side Rivera was best known for his great successes with the Columbian U21 side between 2002 and 2004 and the less successful stint as senior national team manager between 2004 and 2006. He was hired by Honduras in January of 2007
Mexico - Javier Aguirre Onaindía – As a player he was known as El Vasco and he has coached Mexico before, between 2001 and 2002 before leaving to manage in LA Liga, first for CA Osasuna and then he was responsible for elevating Athletico Madrid to their highest place in 14 years. After being told he would be let go in 2009 he returned to Mexico after Sven Goran Erikson was fired.
United States – Bob Bradley – One of the first legends of MLS management, Bradley took over the USA job in 2006. The first choice for the job had been Jurgen Klinsmann, who now spends much of his time in California, but Bradley has proved more than capable of getting the job done, as the 2009 showing by his team in Confederations Cup proved, leading them all the way to a finals clash with Brazil, when for 45 glorious minutes US fans saw their team ahead 2-0 and although they eventually lost 3-2 the unthinkable almost happened.
Argentina – Diego Maradona – No one needs an introduction to Maradona, but his fitness as a coach was seriously questioned when his side did poorly in World Cup qualifiers and it seemed a possibility that Lionel Messi and his compadres would not be headed for Johannesburg at all. Maradiona’s expletive laced tirade at his critics after his side defeated Uruguay and did indeed qualify earned him e two match ban.
Brazil – Dunga – A brilliant player who captained the Brazilian team for four years as a player Dunga had no professional managerial experience at all when he took over from Carlos Alberto Parreira in 2006. He started well though winning 4 of his first 5 matches and has been going strong ever since.
Chile - Marcelo Alberto Bielsa – Born into a family of politicians Argentine Biesla broke with tradition to play soccer, only to have his career with Newell’s Old Boys cut short at 25. He made coaching his new goal and in 1998 he became manager of the Argentinean national side. Despite having a good record he surprised the side by abruptly resigning in 2004. He took over at Chile in 2007.
Paraguay – Gerardo Daniel "Tata" Martino – Another Argentine, Martino has managed the Paraguay national side since 2007. In the last year of his decade with Newell’s Old Boys he was managed by Bielsa.
Uruguay - Óscar Wáshington Tabárez Silva – After managing a string of teams in Uruguay, Argentina and Italy, most noticeably AC Milan and Boca Juniors, he signed up for his second stint as Uruguay national manager in 2006 after having previously held the job in 1988-1990.
New Zealand - Ricki Herbert – A national manager with two jobs (he also manages league side Wellington Phoenix) as a player Richard “Ricki” Herbert was capped 62 times for the New Zealand side and became one of the first New Zealanders to play in the English leagues, joining Wolverhampton Wanderers between 1984 and 1986. He took over the New Zealand manager’s job in 2005.
Denmark –Morten Olsen - Current manager Morten Olsen was one of the country’s favorite soccer players, becoming the first player to captain the side 50 times as well as the first player with 100 caps. He captained the side in their very first World Cup appearance in 1986. He has been manager of the side since 2000, but plans to hand the reins over to his assistant Michael Landrup after the 2010 World Cup and return to club side coaching.
England – Fabio Capello – After England suffered one of their biggest disappointments in recent history, failing to qualify for the 2008 European Championships former Real Madrid and AC Milan manager Fabio Capello was brought in to replace the fired Steve McClaren. Capello holds the distinction of having won the domestic league title with every club he has ever managed - Milan, Real Madrid, Roma, and Juventus. He has been credited with the turnaround that has led England to be seeded in the 2010 World Cup but insists he will retire once his contract expires in 2011.
France - Raymond Domenech – He began managing France in 2004 but as the game last month with the Republic of Ireland approached Domenech’s job was very much on the line. After that debacle however it seems his job is safe through the 2010 World Cup. His style is criticized by the French as “naïve” and if France does not fare well in Johannesburg he is almost certain to be out of a job by August 2010.
Germany - Joachim "Jogi" Löw – Low began his national management career as assistant to the great Jurgen Klinsman in 2004. In 2006 Klinsman decided not to renew his contract after the World Cup and Jogi stepped in. With four consecutive wins in his first four matches he got off to best start of any new German manager in history.
Greece - Otto Rehhagel – Rehhagel is one of the most successful German club coaches in history, most notably transforming Werder Bremen from a little known club to a Bundesliga powerhouse. He has been Greek coach since 2001 but this is his first World Cup appearance with the side. His team’s victory in Euro 2004 however secured him a place in Greek sports history forever.
Italy – Marcello Lippi – After leading his national side to victory in the 2006 World Cup Lippi retired, stating he wished for more personal free time. A disappointing performance from his successor Roberto Donadoni saw him lured back in July of 2008 however. Prior to coaching the national side Lippi had coached all over Italy, including five very successful seasons with Juventus.
Netherlands - Bert van Marwijk – While managing Feyenoord van Marwijk won the UEFA Cup in 2002, before leaving to coach in Germany, at Borussia Dortmund in 2004. He returned to Feyenoord in 2006 after Ruud Gullit failed to keep the team above the middle of the division. He was successful and Feyenoord won the 2008 KNVB cup. Howver when Marco van Basten vacated the national managerial position van Marwijk eargly took over in 2008.
Portugal - Carlos Queiroz – With five years under his belt as assistant manager to Sir Alex Ferguson and a season in charge of Real Madrid between his two United tenures Queiroz has a great deal of top flight experience. He coached Portugal once before, in the early 90s, but quit after arguments with national officials. When he was approached to take up the position again Quieroz had been in talks to manage Benefica, but he elected to have a go at the national team again, returning in July 2008.
Serbia - Radomir Antić – Antic is the only man to have ever managed the three biggest teams in La Liga - FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Atlético Madrid and one of only two to coach both Barca and Real Madrid. In 1991 he had the difficult task of taking over at Real Madrid from the legendary Alfredo di Stéfano , who at the time were lying a disappointing 7th in the league. He came in to manage the last 12 games of the season and did get the team to the UEFA cup, although he was fired the following January. He took over as Serbian manager in 2008 after having been in semi retirement for 4 years.
Slovakia – Vladimír Weiss- Weiss earned caps for both Czechoslovakia and Slovakia in the course of his career as a player and competed in the 1990 World Cup. He took over the national team in 2008 and led them to their first ever major tournament securing passage to Johannnesburg with a 1-0 away victory over Poland. His son Vladimir Weiss plays for Manchester City.
Spain - Vicente del Bosque González-In his playing career Gonzalez won five league titles and four Copa del Rey titles with Real Madrid and then came back as a coach to manage the team through one of their most successful periods in recent history 1999-2003. He left in 2003 amid rumors that he had argued with management over the signing of David Beckham, even though he had just led the team to their 29th league title. A spell in Turkey was unsuccessful and there was talk of him returning to Real Madrid after Fabio Capello’s departure but instead he took the Spanish national team job in 2008.
Switzerland - Ottmar Hitzfeld – With 18 major titles under his belt mainly with Grasshopper Club Zürich Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich, Hitzfeld is considered probably the greatest German coach of all time. He retired from Bayern Munich in 2008 after ten years at the helm, but was persuaded to take the Swiss job just a few months later.
Slovenia - Matjaž Kek – Kek played the majority of his career in Austria. Prior to becoming national team manager in 2007 he had a very successful time at Maribor, his hometown club, leading them to win the league in 2001 and 2003.
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