Maradona, Platini, Van Basten: like Zidane and Deschamps, great players who became national coaches

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·23 July 2026

Maradona, Platini, Van Basten: like Zidane and Deschamps, great players who became national coaches

Great players have often stepped into international management, yet success in the dugout has proved far from guaranteed.

According to L'Équipe, Zinédine Zidane is due to be confirmed as France head coach on Tuesday, and perhaps Pep Guardiola could take the Italy job.

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Didier Deschamps is among the few to have lifted the World Cup as both player and head coach.

By contrast, Diego Maradona, Michel Platini and Marco Van Basten made less of an imprint from the bench than they did on the pitch.

Many winners of the World Cup or the Champions League later pursued international coaching careers, their second acts proving more complicated and their outcomes varied.

Source: L'Équipe

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World Cup

Maradona, Platini, Van Basten: like Zidane and Deschamps, great players who became national coaches | OneFootball

Maradona, Platini, Van Basten: like Zidane and Deschamps, great players who became national coaches

OneFootball Videos

France

World Cup

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