Ranking all 20 Premier League managers by their playing careers | OneFootball

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For every Pep Guardiola or Carlo Ancelotti, there's a Sir Alex Ferguson or Arsene Wenger. Whether they played the game to the highest level or not, some of the most successful managers in the history of football have made it there not purely on their actual on-pitch experience.

Here we rank the 20 Premier League managers this season based off just their playing careers, and there's a couple of surprises along the way...

20 Thomas Frank - Brentford

Out of all the managers in the Premier League, Thomas Frank arguably comes in with the least experience playing at any level, let alone a high one. The 49-year-old was a midfielder by trade but only had a short career playing amateur football at his local club Frederiksvaerk BK, and never made it to the professional stage.

It was perhaps why Frank quickly moved onto his real dream of coaching, spending a good 18 years or so with youth teams. It was only in 2011 that the now Brentford boss caught the eye of his country, and he was named Denmark's U16 and U17 manager in 2008. For any of those people who wish to become a football manager but have never gotten further than a kick-about with mates, Frank is the ultimate inspiration.

19 Roy Hodgson - Crystal Palace

By far the oldest manager in the Premier League at 76, Hodgson's playing career started back in the 1960s when he came through the youth system at Crystal Palace. After struggling to make the breakthrough there and with zero first-team appearances to his name, the now veteran boss forged a playing career in non-league for the likes of Gravesend & Northfleet and Maidstone United.

In fact, alongside his footballing days, Hodgson would work as a PE teacher, while he even had a year playing in South Africa for Berea Park. His final club were Carshalton Athletic in 1976, before retiring and immediately going into his first managerial job at Swedish side Halmstads BK. To think almost 50 years later, the former England boss is still going strong is quite an unbelievable feat. What he lacked in actual footballing talent, he more than made up for with managerial nous.

18 Steve Cooper - Nottingham Forest

Not far off Thomas Frank, is Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper. The former England youth manager began his career at Wrexham in his native Wales, but didn't make a single competitive appearance for the club. In fact, having been signed by then boss Brian Flynn, Cooper was told to pursue a coaching career instead of playing professionally.

It was a piece of advice that the now 43-year-old took. Amid a few unsuccessful years playing in the Welsh football leagues for the likes of The New Saints, Rhy, Bangor City and Porthmadog, Cooper began studying for his coaching badges, and earned his UEFA Pro Licence at the age of 27. Given that he was one of the youngest coaches to ever achieve that qualification, you can safely say the Forest boss made the right choice to go in a different route than simply playing.

17 Ange Postecoglou - Tottenham

To fans who live in the bubble of the Premier League and all things Europe, Ange Postecoglou's name probably would not have come to your radar until his move to Celtic as manager. The 58-year-old spent his entire playing career in his native Australia, predominantly featuring for South Melbourne. Despite the fact he was a defender by trade, the Australian bagged a pretty impressive 27 goals.

Postecoglou spent nine years at the club, winning the league title on two occasions, with the latter of them being done with him as captain. To add a little bit of extra trivia, the now Tottenham boss was actually coached by Hungarian icon Ferenc Puskas, while the 4-3-3 formation that was used by the former Real Madrid striker shaping Postecoglou's way of thinking for his own managerial career later on.

16 Unai Emery - Aston Villa

A left-sided midfielder who came through the academy at Real Sociedad, Unai Emery's playing career was nothing to write home about. The now Aston Villa boss ended up making just five appearances for the first-team at Sociedad, before embarking on a new adventure with Toledo, where he played the majority of his games.

Emery mostly featured in the second division of Spain, and retired after one season with Lorca Deportiva CF at the age of 32. He did however sign for Burgos CF, but due to a lack of funds within the club, Emery was released without even making a single competitive appearance.

15 Marco Silva - Fulham

A right-back during his playing days, Marco Silva's career was more of a journeyman than anything. The Portuguese man spent 15 years playing across his home country, rarely settling down for more than a season until he eventually landed at Estoril, where he spent six campaigns at.

Silva's time at the club was all spent in the second tier of Portuguese football, and after going into early retirement at the age of just 34, he would be appointed immediately as Estoril's director of football. That was then followed up by him being hired as the club's manager, where he really carved out his name and had some of the big teams of Portugal like Sporting come calling.

14 Eddie Howe - Newcastle

Injuries robbed Eddie Howe from going on to enjoy a long and successful career, and for the current Newcastle boss, his playing days will surely be thought of as a "massive what if?". Having started out at Bournemouth - where of course he enjoyed a superb spell as manager - the Englishman made the move to Harry Redknapp's Portsmouth back in 2002.

However, a serious knee injury suffered shortly afterwards curtailed his time, before he made his return on the opening day of the 2002/2003 season. Such was his luck though, that Howe ended up getting another major knee injury just nine minutes into the game, and it cost him the entire year. Whilst he may look back on his playing career with a bit of regret, he has definitely made the most out of being a young and upcoming manager.

13 Sean Dyche - Everton

Sean Dyche the manager comes across as hard-nosed, takes no prisoners and willing to leave it all on the line. Sean Dyche the player? Along the same lines. The current Everton boss started off his career with Nottingham Forest but a broken leg set him back some way, and forced him to work harder than ever to come back.

The rest of his career saw him play for several Football League clubs, while arguably the biggest match he played in was the FA Cup semi-final with Chesterfield, where his side sadly lost on a replay against Middlesbrough. Dyche did however forge out a pretty successful time of it leading teams to promotion though much like his time as manager, with the likes of Bristol City, Millwall and Northampton Town all going up with him in the team.

12 Erik ten Hag - Manchester United

Another former centre-back on this list, Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag again perhaps didn't enjoy the most illustrious of playing careers, but certainly seemed to soak up enough knowledge to become an elite head coach. The Dutchman had three separate stints at Twente, including his longest one starting from 1996, when he spent a good six years at the club.

Despite being listed as 5 foot 11, Ten Hag made a long career out of operating in central defence, and perhaps one of the reasons why he seems to have no problems with giving the likes of Lisandro Martinez at United and Jurrien Timber at Ajax a crucial role in his back-line. The Dutchman's biggest success as a player came when he won the KNVB Cup, before retiring from professional football at the age of 32 in 2002.

11 Paul Heckingbottom - Sheffield United

Another defender among the Premier League's current managers, Paul Heckingbottom started at Manchester United as a trainee, but after being unable to secure a professional contract, moved to Sunderland. Several loan spells later though and the now Sheffield United manager made the permanent move to Darlington, where he featured over 100 times.

Heckingbottom played for several teams over the course of his career, with arguably his most high-profile stints coming at Norwich City and Sheffield Wednesday respectively. A veteran of the Football League system, the 46-year-old made his name in the game the hard way.

10 David Moyes - West Ham

Such has been David Moyes' long and tenured career, that it is easy to forget that he played at a good level for a couple of decades between the 1980s and the 1990s. Played over 20 times for Celtic in his first foray into professional football, the Scottish-born manager then moved south to England to pursue greater first-team opportunities, starting with Cambridge United.

Moyes would eventually end his career with a five-year stint at Preston North End where he featured over 140 times for the club, scoring 15 goals. A centre-back by trade, the now West Ham boss hung up his boots at Preston and rose through the ranks as a coach initially, before taking on the full-time job in January 1998.

9 Jurgen Klopp - Liverpool

One of the greatest managers of the modern era, even Jurgen Klopp would admit his playing career was largely forgettable, saying: "I had fourth-division talent and a first-division head." In fact, after a trial at Eintracht Frankfurt where he played alongside Andreas Moller, the Bundesliga legend, Klopp remarked jokingly: "If that's football, I'm playing a completely different game. He was world-class. I was not even class."

Predominantly a defender during his time on the pitch, the now Liverpool boss spent virtually his entire professional career with Mainz 05, a team that he would later manage. Given everything that Klopp has won as a manager since his retirement, it's fair to say the German won't be losing any sleep over his playing career. The 56-year-old has already cemented his legacy in history as one of the best to do it.

8 Rob Edwards - Luton Town

Having earned 15 caps with Wales, Rob Edwards enjoyed a rather under-rated playing career, spanning across three decades in English football. Having come up through the ranks at Aston Villa, the former defender made eight first-team appearances for the club, with a couple of loan spells sprinkled in too.

However, it was his time at Wolves during the mid-2000s where perhaps most fans will remember him, and while he did play 100 times at Molineux, a couple of knee ligament issues prevented him from racking up more appearances. In the end, Edwards would finish up his playing career under contract at Barnsley, before taking a break from football for a few years.

7 Roberto De Zerbi - Brighton

One of the hottest managerial names around, Roberto De Zerbi's spell at Brighton has earned him rave reviews, and understandably so given they even finished in the Europa League places last time around. His playing days however? Far less exciting. Having started his professional career with Serie A giants Milan, the now 44-year-old spent the next 15 years or so up and down his native Italy, with a brief stint out in Romania with CFR Cluj.

All in all, De Zerbi represented 14 different teams across his professional career, with several of them coming on loan. His most successful spell came at Foggia, where the former attacking midfielder would net 17 goals in 56 appearances, while his highest-profile move came when he donned the famous light blue of Napoli for 33 games.

6 Gary O'Neil - Wolves

A familiar face to those who watched Harry Redknapp's Portsmouth side in the 2000s, Gary O'Neil came through the youth ranks at the club before going on to feature 174 times, scoring 16 goals in the process. After a total of seven years on the south coast, O'Neil moved on to Middlesbrough where he became a regular fixture in the middle of the park.

Those four years at the Riverside followed a series of spells across the Premier League and lower divisions, with appearances for the likes of West Ham, QPR, Norwich City, Bristol City and Bolton Wanderers. Perhaps an under-rated player, O'Neil certainly isn't the worst manager on this list in terms of ability, and it's why he finds himself near the middle of the pack.

5 Mauricio Pochettino - Chelsea

One of the most exciting managers in Europe right now, it's easy to forget Mauricio Pochettino actually enjoyed a rather high-profile career as a player too - England fans will of course remember him from his time playing for Argentina, and giving away a penalty against the Three Lions back in the 2002 World Cup. Aside from representing his country 20 times, the current Chelsea boss really made his mark on European football with two teams.

After enjoying a long spell in his native Argentina with Newell's Old Boys, Pochettino arrived in Spain to play for Barcelona's local rivals, Espanyol. Seven years with the club saw him eventually make the move to French giants Paris Saint-Germain, who he of course returned to manager just a couple of years ago. The former centre-back would then go through a stint at Bordeaux before returning to Espanyol to finish off his playing career.

4 Andoni Iraola - Bournemouth

A product of Athletic Bilbao's academy, Andoni Iraola was virtually one club-man, staying loyal to his Basque roots. The right-back made his first-team debut for the club in the 2003/04 season, appearing in his first La Liga game against Barcelona. Iraola's ability to take penalties and free-kicks meant he scored more goals than most defenders did, netting 33 times in his 406 appearances for the club.

Despite being part of a couple of exciting Bilbao sides - Manchester United fans will certainly remember the one led by Marcelo Bielsa for example - Iraola never managed to lift a trophy with his club, finishing runner-up on three occasions in the Copa del Rey, and losing out on the Europa League final back in the 2011/2012 campaign. Nevertheless, Iraola features quite highly on this list for his exploits with Bilbao.

3 Mikel Arteta - Arsenal

Given his quick rise as manager of Arsenal, it seems crazy to think of Mikel Arteta the player not so long ago. The Spaniard of course came to prominence when he made the move from Scottish football with Rangers to Everton, and after several successful years with the Toffees, earned a high-profile move to the Gunners.

Arteta arrived at the Emirates in a period of turbulence under Arsene Wenger, with the summer of 2011 living long in the memory of Arsenal fans who had witnessed the likes of Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri depart in search of trophies. The midfielder helped steady the ship with his leadership and poise in the middle of the park, and clearly, was building the knowledge and experience to one day return as manager.

2 Vincent Kompany - Burnley

A Manchester City legend, it's fair to say Vincent Kompany built himself into one of the best centre-backs the Premier League has seen. The former Belgium star came through the ranks in his homeland with Anderlecht, and after German side Hamburg saw his potential early on, brought him to the Bundesliga. It was those performances there that eventually saw City come calling, and boy did they get an absolute gem on their hands.

265 games over an 11-year spell saw Kompany win every domestic honour possible at the Etihad, with only the Champions League eluding him from his massive trophy haul. The former centre-back won four league titles, two FA Cups, four EFL cups and a couple of Community Shields too. Not bad hey? After injuries continued to plague him at City, Kompany made the emotional decision to return home to Anderlecht, following which he took over as player-manager and then as the club's full-time boss.

1 Pep Guardiola - Manchester City

A man with not just an incredible record as a manager, but one as a player too, Pep Guardiola's time as a footballer was an illustrious one to say the least. Coming through Barcelona's academy system, La Masia, the Spaniard won six La Liga titles, including four on the bounce from the start of the 1990s. Add to that two Copa del Rey's and a European Cup, and Guardiola's trophy-winning as a player is unmatched.

It perhaps explains just how brilliant a manager he has also become too. Having to be the heartbeat of a Barcelona side under Johan Cruyff, Guardiola couldn't help but be a thinker in the middle of the pitch and seeing the game differently to anybody else. It's no surprise that he features right at the top of this list, and unless we see a Premier League return from the likes of Steven Gerrard or Frank Lampard, then it's where he will stay.