Written for The Courier in the immediate aftermath of Real Madrid’s sacking of Santiago Solari and subsequent re-appointment of Zinedine Zidane in March, 2019.
The crisis at Real Madrid has reached breaking point. Club president Florentino Perez has finally lost patience with interim manager Santiago Solari after arguably the worst week in Los Blancos’ illustrious history. A 4-1 trouncing in Europe at the hands of relative minnows Ajax and two defeats in a week at the hands of arch-rivals Barcelona have effectively ended their season, the Spanish giants 12 points off the pace at the top of La Liga, eliminated from the Copa Del Ray and humiliated in the Champions League.
Such is the cyclical nature of football, the club’s hierarchy immediately announced the sensational return of treble Champions-League-winning manager Zinedine Zidane who had left the club less than a year earlier. Returning to a familiar managerial face is always going to be a gamble, especially when that manager is a certified club legend as is the enigmatic Frenchman. Although Zidane could hardly do any worse than his predecessors at Madrid this season, Lopetegui and Solari, one has to admire the risk he is taking in terms of the possibility of tarnishing his glittering legacy with the club.
Madrid are by no means the only club to take a punt on a former employee. Here we take a look at some of the most high-profile managerial comebacks in recent years:
- Kenny Dalglish: Liverpool
King Kenny: the name could hardly be more synonymous with the red half of the city. The Scott won a staggering nine league titles and three European Cups with Liverpool, both as a player and a manager. His already mammoth legend was enhanced by his valorous handling of the Hillsbrough disaster in 1989, Dalglish attending dozens of victims’ funerals, a gesture which secured him a place in the hearts of thousands of Koppites.
His second spell was less successful. After title winning spells at Blackburn and Celtic, and an unfortunate period at Newcastle, King Kenny returned to Liverpool in 2011 following the departure of Roy Hodgson. He was initially given the role as caretaker but was ultimately given the job on a full-time basis. Despite a League Cup win, the club’s first trophy in six years, and an F.A Cup Final appearance, Dalglish was relieved of his duties following a disappointing 8th place finish in the Premier League. Although his second spell was mixed, his legacy has endured. The club renamed a stand after him in 2017 and he remains an unparalleled hero on Merseyside.
- Kevin Keegan: Newcastle United
Keegan enjoys a similarly eminent reputation amongst Newcastle fans as Dalglish did at Liverpool. He too was a hero in his playing days at the club, the former two-time Ballon Dor winner spending two seasons on Tyneside during which they returned to the first division after a six-year absence. Keegan returned to the Toon as manager in 1992, taking the Magpies from the foot of the First Division (now the Championship) to nearly winning the Premier League in the 95/96 season, ultimately surrendering a 12-point lead at the top of the table to title rivals Man United, a collapse immortalised by Keegan’s infamous ‘love it’ rant. Despite this, Keegan certainly overachieved in his time in his first stint in the North East and was adored by the Geordie faithful.
His second stint, like Dalglish was decidedly less emphatic. Although Newcastle were no longer the big-hitters they were in 1992, Keegan’s reign was still disappointing. Although they survived a relegation scrap in the tail end of the 07/08 seasons, Keegan was dismissed amidst reports of a fall-out with owner Mike Ashley – a situation which has become all too familiar for Newcastle fans in recent years. However, the fans took Keegan’s side. Although the rift between Keegan and Ashley remains, and as such the relationship between Keegan and the club’s hierarchy has not improved, double-K, like Dalglish, remains a legend in the city.
- Fabio Capello: Real Madrid and AC Milan
Although remembered primarily on these shores for a disastrous 2010 World Cup campaign with England, renowned disciplinarian Fabio Capello is rightly considered a giant of the game on the continent. He is also unique in this list in that he has had two spells at two different clubs: Real Madrid and AC Milan.
His initial time in Italy was an unreserved success. Managing a team full of the world’s best footballers, he won the league 4 times in 5 years and the Champions League once. Following this trophy-laden spell, Capello made the switch to Real Madrid in which he enjoyed a successful, albeit brief, tenure, the Italian guiding them to League campaign success in his one and only season in this first spell.
He then returned to Milan for what was, all things considered, a disastrous spell with the Italian giants. He was relieved of his duties before the end of the season, a season in which Milan finished in an abysmal 10th place.
Then, following, spells at Milan’s Serie A rivals Roma and Juve, Capello returned to a Real Madrid side who were in crisis, without a trophy in 5 seasons. His second tenure was controversial, successful, and brief in equal measure. He managed to bring league success back to the Spanish capital but did so while attracting media attention for off-field controversy and a pragmatic and dull playing style. Capello is a manager not considered a legend at either club, despite a haul of 11 trophies.
- Harry Redknapp: Portsmouth
Long before his recent success in Australia and before he had earned a reputation for hanging out of car windows on deadline day, Harry Redknapp was earning winning plaudits as manager of then Championship side Portsmouth. He earnt promotion to the Premier League in his first season as manager in 2002 and guided Pompey to safety the following season.
Then, much to the outrage of the Portsmouth fan base, Redknapp moved to local rivals Southampton. His two seasons there were disappointing, the side being relegated to the Championship and then failing to mount a promotion push the following year.
Redknapp returned as a prodigal son to Portsmouth and it is in this second spell that he enjoyed arguably the best years of his managerial career, the highlight of which came in the FA Cup where they beat Cardiff City to secure the club’s first success in the competition since 1939. His departure to Tottenham meant Redknapp’s reputation in Portsmouth is mixed, but he remains an iconic figure in the city and in English football at large.
- Jose Mourinho: Chelsea
The most recent managerial return on this list is also arguably the most divisive. Over his career, Mourinho has earnt himself a reputation as a controversial figure, both in terms of his playing style and his off-field attitude. Mourinho first came to public attention following an incredible spell with Portuguese side F.C Porto, winning the UEFA Cup in 2003 and then, sensationally, the Champions League in 2004. This remains the most recent time a true underdog, perhaps bar Chelsea in 2012, has won the competition.
This success earnt him a move to newly minted Chelsea, Mourinho dubbing himself the ‘special one’ upon his arrival, the nickname which has stuck with him throughout his career. In his first season, Mourinho turned Chelsea into a dominant force in English football, winning the title with a then record points total. He repeated this feat the following season. Chelsea were forced to relinquish the title to Manchester United the in 06/07 but Mourinho remained a fan favourite despite growing unrest about the relationship between himself and owner Roman Abramovich. He acrimoniously departed Chelsea in September of 2007.
After winning the treble at Inter Milan and league title success at Real Madrid, Mourinho agreed to re-join Chelsea in June 2013. His first season was relatively uneventful, Chelsea finishing 3rd but showing definite signs of improvement. Then, in the 2014/15 season, Mourinho guided Chelsea to Premier League title, becoming the first manager to win the title in two separate stints with clubs.
What followed was a string of events which has typified the Portuguese’ career ever since. Mourinho lost the dressing room and the remainder of his time at Chelsea was a crisis management situation. He finished his second, and presumably last, spell at Chelsea in the bottom half of the table and his relationship with Chelsea fans has deteriorated in his subsequent returns to Stanford Bridge with Manchester United.
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