Football Managers that Lost their Way after Champions League Triumph

b>We present you the list of some big Champions League winning managers, but that didn’t manage to stay at the top for very long.

Being crowned the champion of Europe is every football manager’s dream, according to gambling news. Lifting the elephant ear-shaped cup is the most prestigious trophy an aspiring club boss could hope for. Some managers have been successful with their teams and earned the coveted title, while others were even more fortunate as they own it on multiple occasions.

• Goethals won the CL in 1993 with Marseille
• Petrovic led Red Star to glory in 1991
• Di Matteo gave Chelsea their first CL crown in 2012

And then there are those that tasted the Champions League glory, but soon afterwards they fell into obscurity and were not seen on the grand stage again. This is the most unfortunate of stories for the following managers, as they achieved amazing success for their respective clubs, but were not able to remain on the top for very long.

Frank Rijkaard

The former Dutch defensive midfielder was an influential players in his prime, as he won two Champions League titles with AC Milan (1989 and 1990), while later adding another with Ajax in 1995. In 2003 he got appointed as the manager of FC Barcelona, as the club embarked on a rebuilding process.

Online internet casinos state that in his second year with the Catalan club, he won the league title and then in the following season he added another league win, but also more importantly a Champions League trophy. Unfortunately for him he got sacked in 2008, and has since then managed less competitive sides like Galatasaray (2009-2010) and Saudi Arabia (2011-2013).

Roberto Di Matteo

Roberto Di Matteo was an iconic player for Chelsea as he played for the Blues for a total of 6 seasons (1996-2002). He was influential with the ball at his feet and was known for his good relationship with the Chelsea supporters. At the start of the 2011-2012 season, Andre Villas-Boas appointed Di Matteo as his assistant, which effectively united him with the club where he retired as a player. Mobile betting sites report that following a string of bad results under the Portuguese manager, Di Matteo took over the managing duties of the club until the end of the season, in the role of caretaker.

The Italian was successful in uplifting the club in the Champions League, although they were still languishing in the Premier League. In Europe, they faced defending champions Barcelona but still managed to win the first tie at Stamford Bridge 1-0. In the return leg, they were 2-1 down until Torres scored an equaliser which ended all hopes for the Catalan side. This qualified Chelsea to enter the final where they defeated Bayern Munich on penalties on their own ground. However, unfortunately for Di Matteo he was fired from his post next season after some disappointing results. He took up the managerial job at Schalke in 2014, but decided to stop down after just 7 months.

Raymond Goethals

Raymond Goethals was in charge of the Champions League winning team in 1993. He led Marseille to their first ever European trophy and was therefore celebrated as the club’s main hero. The legendary manager was born in Brussels, Belgium all the way back in 1921, and was in charge of numerous clubs before deciding to take up the chance to become the head of Marseille. Some of the previous clubs include: Bordeaux (two stints), Anderlecht, Sao Paulo, Standard Liege and for a number of year the Belgium national side.

In 1990 he joined Marseille and within the first year they won the league title. The great form continued in 1992, when they repeated the league success which pleased many ardent supporters. However, the greatest achievement came in 1993, when they reached the final of the Champions League and managed to defeat then Italian giants AC Milan 1-0. The goal came by way of defender Basile Boli in the 43rd minute and the score chart remained that way until the final whistle. After the triumph, Goethals decided to quit Marseille and once again re-joined Anderlecht in 1995 before retiring shortly afterwards.

Ljupko Petrovic

Ljupko Petrovic is another name on our list that was almost forgotten after an incredible season with his then side Red Star Belgrade. He was born in 1947 in Brusnica Velika and has spent most of his playing career with Osijek as the main striker. He later then continued his career with clubs based in the US, before taking up the opportunity to coach his former side’s youth team. Afterwards he managed teams like Espanyol, Spartak Subotica and Yugoslavia’s youth teams, before taking the post at Red Star Belgrade in 1990.

While at the capital he shaped up the team that would go on to reach the final of the Champions League. The team included football legends like Darko Pancev, Dragisa Binic, Sinisa Mihajlovic and the conic Robert Prosinecki. They defeated French side Marseille 5-3 on penalties, which effectively gave them the bragging rights and the elite football crown. Today, online sportsbooks in EU regard them as one of the most promising sides in those times.