Answering the question of which coaches managed to win the World Cup as a player and as a coach requires looking at the absolute top of the sport’s history. In more than 90 years of the tournament, only three professionals lifted the cup in both positions: Brazilian Mário Jorge Lobo Zagallo, German Franz Beckenbauer and Frenchman Didier Deschamps. The group is so restricted that, in the modern era of football, the brand has become the main testament to the tactical and technical genius of a national legend.
Mário Zagallo’s pioneering spirit in Brazil
The person largely responsible for inaugurating this milestone in the history of football was Mário Zagallo. The Old Wolf conquered the planet first by wearing boots, being a pplay fundamentally on the left wing of the Brazilian team during the 1958 world title campaigns, in Sweden, and 1962, in Chile. His tactical intelligence on the field quickly led him to the bench shortly after hanging up his boots.
In 1970, in Mexico, Zagallo took command of the team just a few months before the competition. At just 38 years old, the former player formed what is widely considered the greatest squad of all time. By beating Italy in the grand final, he isolated himself as the first man to win the title world champion as an athlete and commander. The Brazilian would also win a fourth cup in 1994, acting as the team’s technical coordinator.
The historic list of double champions
After the Brazilian’s isolated feat in the 1970s, the world had to wait several years to see history repeat itself on European lawns. Below, check out the names that complete the trio of FIFA legends:
1. Franz Beckenbauer (Germany)
Known worldwide as the Kaiser, Beckenbauer led the West German national team’s midfield and defense in the 1974 titlewon at home against Johan Cruyff’s strong Netherlands. Sixteen years later, he has proven himself to be a formidable tactician off the pitch. As coach of the national team, Beckenbauer won the third championship in 1990in Italy, after a historic victory in the final against Diego Maradona’s Argentina.
2. Didier Deschamps (France)
The tireless midfielder used his captain’s armband to lift the France’s first world trophy in the tournament played in his own country, in 1998. Exactly two decades later, Deschamps repeated the feat on the bench. He organized the talented French generation of Kylian Mbappé and Antoine Griezmann and won the title in Russiain the 2018 edition. The commander almost became two-time champion as a coach in 2022, but suffered a defeat on penalties in the decision.
The challenge for today’s football
Repeating this double glory is the greatest test of longevity in high-performance football. Thinking about the current sporting scenario and the next editions of the world competition, the emergence of new candidates depends on recent champion players who are consolidating a successful transition to a coaching career.
Renowned names like Xabi Alonso and Xavi Hernandezwho were fundamental cogs in Spain’s title in 2010, today appear as strong commanders in the European elite and are frequent bets to take over national teams in the future. Likewise, recent idols from Italy, such as Daniele De Rossi and Fabio Grosso, have also started the tactical journey and dream of one day lead your countries in the FIFA tournament.
Remaining in this select group formed by Zagallo, Beckenbauer and Deschamps reinforces how rare it is to dominate the structure of the sport on two distinct fronts. Reaching the athletic peak required by the competition already reserves space only for giants, but being able to adapt and transmit this victorious vision to a new generation elevates any professional to the definitive level in the history of the sport.
