10 coaches from FIFA world cup Qatar 2022 have already played the World Cup
Almost a third of the teachers who will compete in the FIFA World Cup have already been to the tournament before with their boots on. How about knowing their journey?
Knowing the feeling of stepping on the pitch at the FIFA World Cup may be the difference for those who return to the competition as head coaches.
At Qatar 2022, 10 of the 32 coaches are familiar with that sentiment, having already been involved in the tournament previously as players. Of this group, two of them even managed to score goals at the World Cup. And another one of them had, well, the honour of lifting the trophy both as captain of his national team and also as a coach.
Find below the stories of those professionals who already have the inside knowledge of fighting for the World Cup on the pitch.
Didier Deschamps – France (1998)
The former defensive midfielder captained France in their winning campaign on home soil, beating Brazil 3-0 in the final. Then, 20 years later, Deschamps triumphed at the tournament as a coach, too.
I Was in Your Shoes | Didier Deschamps
Luis Enrique – Spain (1994, 1998, 2002)
The former striker scored twice in the World Cup and is still remembered about leaving a clash with Italy’s Mauro Tassotti with a broken nose and his face covered in blood during the 1994 quarter-finals in the United States.
I Was in Your Shoes | Luis Enrique
Lionel Scaloni – Argentina (2006)
The former full-back won the World Cup with Argentina at the Under-20 level in 1997 and, years later, could be found on the pitch again playing one of the most electrifying matches in Germany 2006, as well.
I Was in Your Shoes | Lionel Scaloni
Gareth Southgate – England (1998, 2002)
The former centre-back didn’t get to play much with the English Team in World Cups, but then returned as coach in Russia 2018 to lead his country to the fourth place in his dugout debut.
I Was in Your Shoes | Gareth Southgate
Rigobert Song – Cameroon (1994, 1998, 2002, 2010)
The former Cameroonian defender made his debut at World Cups aged only 17 and went down in history for receiving red cards in two different editions.
I Was in Your Shoes | Rigobert Song
Dragan Stojkovic – Yugoslavia (1990, 1998)
Beautiful goals and a decisive penalty that hit the crossbar are part of the memories of the former Serbian midfielder in 1990. Overall, Stojkovic managed to score three times in World Cups.
I Was in Your Shoes | Dragan Stojković
Aliou Cissé – Senegal (2002)
The former defensive midfielder featured in the memorable World Cup debut campaign of his country in 2002, helping Senegal to finish among the eight best teams of the tournament.
I Was in Your Shoes | Aliou Cissé
Gregg Berhalter – United States (2002, 2006)
As a defender, he was part of the US team in two different World Cups. In the first one of them, he helped the Americans reach the quarter-finals and was involved in an exciting game versus Germany.
I Was in Your Shoes | Gregg Berhalter
Paulo Bento – Portugal (2002)
The former holding midfielder featured in the frustrating campaign from Portugal in 2002. Then, over a decade later, he was back with his country, but this time leading them as coach in Brazil 2014.
I Was in Your Shoes | Paulo Bento
Otto Addo – Ghana (2006)
The former midfielder had the privilege of being at the pitch in his country’s World Cup debut in Germany 2006, when the Africans reached the last 16
