Top 7 Legends Who Returned to Manage Their Clubs After De Rossi Joins AS Roma

• AS Roma parted ways with Jose Mourinho on Tuesday morning
• Daniele De Rossi has replaced him until the end of this season
• He is another football legend to have managed their former club

For many, the decision to sack Jose Mourinho on Tuesday morning by AS Roma would either be surprising or expected, but the decision to appoint Daniele De Rossi was baffling.

The objective of securing a top-four finish or qualifying for next season's UEFA Champions League by winning the Europa League appears too big for the inexperienced Roma legend.

He joins a list of club legends who returned to manage their former teams.

Legends who managed former clubs

1. Pep Guardiola

The biggest and most successful of them all in recent times, Guardiola played for and managed Barcelona. He won 14 trophies in four years, including two Champions League titles, and is widely regarded by many as the greatest of all time. He was named The Best FIFA Men's Coach of 2023 on Monday night.

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2. Zinedine Zidane

The legendary midfielder has managed Real Madrid twice and was highly successful. He won 11 trophies, including three consecutive UCL between 2016 and 2018. He is currently out of job, and per ESPN, he is waiting for the France national team job.

3. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

Another one who replaced Mourinho after he was sacked, Solskjaer was hired in an interim role in November 2018 and was made permanent weeks later. Three years and about £500 million spent, he won no trophy and was sacked. Per Marca, he received £7.5mil compensation.

4. Xavi Hernandez

Pep’s player at Barcelona, Xavi Hernandez, returned at the beginning of last season to coach the club. He won the La Liga title and the Spanish Super Cup in his first year. He is under fire this season due to results, though he is still in contention for the title.

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5. Frank Lampard

Chelsea's all-time top scorer and one of Mourinho's favourite players, Frank Lampard, managed the Blues between 2019 and 2021 before he was sacked for Thomas Tuchel. In 2023, he returned as interim coach when Tuchel’s replacement - Graham Potter - was sacked, and it's unlikely he will return anytime soon after a poor outing.

6. Mikel Arteta

He is far from being a legend at Arsenal, but as a former captain, he spent five years and retired at the club. He was appointed in 2019 and won the FA Cup in his first season. Since then, he has fallen just short of silverware, losing the Premier League title to Manchester City last season.

7. Diego Simeone

The Argentine midfielder won the 1996 La Liga with Atletico Madrid as a player. He has been manager since 2011, winning two titles and two Europa Leagues and losing two Champions League finals to Real Madrid. Per The Athletic, he is contracted to the club till 2027.

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Honourable mentions: Niko Kovac (Bayern Munich), Alan Shearer (Newcastle United), and Roberto Di Matteo (Chelsea).

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Dybala bids farewell to Mourinho

Sports Brief also previously reported on Paulo Dybala’s farewell to Mourinho after the Portuguese manager’s time at AS Roma ended on Tuesday morning.

The Special One was influential in getting the Argentine attacker to move to Rome as a free agent after Juventus turned him down for a new contract.