Joachim Low became widely known as Jurgen Klinsmann's assistant coach for the German national team after Euro 2004. Following Klinsmann's decision not to renew his contract in the summer of 2006, Low took over as head coach. His peak achievement was leading the national team to victory in the 2014 World Cup, in addition to runner-up finishes in Euro 2008 and winning the 2007 FIFA Confederations Cup.

The 65-year-old manager has been out of work since leaving the German national team in 2021. "So far, I haven't been truly passionate about any project," he said earlier in 2025. "I'm certainly ready to return if there's an interesting project that captures my attention."

Sean Dyche managed Everton, replacing Frank Lampard in 1/2023, and was dismissed earlier this year. Previously, he had managed Watford (2011-2012) and Burnley (2012-2022). While lacking extensive top-level experience, Dyche once claimed he could do a better job than Ruben Amorim if he were to manage Man Utd.

During his playing career, Dyche was a center-back, beginning his professional career at Chesterfield, where he captained the team and scored in an FA Cup semi-final. He later played for Bristol City, Luton Town, Millwall, Watford, and Northampton Town before retiring in 2007.

Roger Schmidt managed Benfica from 2022 to 2024, culminating in winning the Portuguese Primeira Liga title in the 2022-2023 season, along with reaching the quarter-finals of the Champions League and Europa League. He previously held positions at PSV (2020-2022), Bayer Leverkusen (2014-2017), and Red Bull Salzburg (2012-2014).

The German manager is currently attracting interest from clubs like RB Leipzig, Dortmund, and West Ham. However, he has hinted that he won't rush into any job and will carefully consider the right project.

Sergio Conceicao made an impression by leading Milan to victories over Juventus and Inter Milan in his first two matches, winning the 2025 Supercoppa Italiana. This made him the Milan manager to win a title in the fewest matches since the 1929-1930 season. However, his tenure lasted only six months due to poor performance in Serie A.

As a player, Conceicao was a renowned winger, winning the Portuguese league with Porto and Serie A with Lazio under the late manager Sven-Göran Eriksson. He also won the UEFA Cup (predecessor to the Europa League) and the UEFA Super Cup during his time in Italy.

At the international level, Conceicao played for Portugal from 1996 to 2003, scoring 12 goals in 65 matches. His most memorable moment was a hat-trick against Germany in the group stage of Euro 2000, a tournament in which Portugal reached the semi-finals.

Edin Terzic has only managed Dortmund, in two stints: 2020-2021 and 2022-2024. His best achievements include winning the DFB-Pokal in the 2020-2021 season and reaching the Champions League final in 2023-2024.

As a player, Terzic played for fourth and fifth-tier German clubs. From 2010 to 2013, he worked as a scout and youth team coach for Dortmund. In 2018, he returned as an assistant before being promoted to head coach.

Luciano Spalletti led Napoli to the Serie A title in the 2022-2023 season, their first Scudetto in 33 years. However, due to disagreements with the management, he left the club immediately after this achievement.

The 66-year-old manager took over the Italian national team from Roberto Mancini in late 2023, but without success. Under Spalletti, Italy lost 7 out of 24 matches, including a 3-0 defeat to Norway in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, and were eliminated in the round of 16 of Euro 2024.

Gareth Southgate managed the England U21 team and has led the senior team since 9/2016. He began as interim manager after Sam Allardyce resigned, then received a permanent appointment and became the most successful manager in England's history in major tournaments. Southgate led the Three Lions to runner-up finishes in Euro 2020 and 2024, and to the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup.

During his playing days, Southgate was a defender for England from 1995 to 2004. After retiring from Middlesbrough in 2006, he managed the club until 2009.

Ange Postecoglou led Tottenham to a 1-0 victory over Man Utd in the Europa League final, ending their trophy drought since the 2008 League Cup and securing their first European trophy since the 1984 UEFA Cup. Postecoglou became the third manager in Tottenham's history to win a European trophy, following legends Bill Nicholson (1963 Cup Winners' Cup, 1972 UEFA Cup) and Keith Burkinshaw (1984 UEFA Cup). However, just 16 days later, the Australian manager was dismissed due to poor domestic league performance.

Postecoglou was born in Greece and moved to Australia at the age of 5, making his name in Australian football during his playing career. He retired in 1995 and began his managerial career a year earlier. After success with the Australian national team (2013-2017) and Japanese club Yokohama F. Marinos (2018-2021), Postecoglou moved to Europe, gaining recognition for winning a domestic double with Celtic in Scotland.

Xavi has managed Barca since 11/2021, taking over after Ronald Koeman was sacked. In total, the Spanish manager has overseen 141 matches with the Catalan club, with 29 losses, 24 draws, and 88 wins, securing two titles: La Liga and the Supercopa de España in the 2022-2023 season.

Xavi came through La Masia from 1991 to 1997, then played for Barca's first team from 1998 to 2015, winning four Champions League titles and eight La Liga titles. He then spent six years playing for and managing Al Sadd in Qatar, earning around 11 million USD per year, plus other benefits.

Zinedine Zidane began his managerial career with Real Madrid B from 2014 to 2016. He led the first team to a record three consecutive Champions League titles between 2016 and 2018 and a La Liga title in the 2019-2021 season. After leaving the Bernabeu, Zidane is still waiting for the opportunity to manage the French national team, where his former teammate Didier Deschamps has a contract until 8/2026.

As a player, Zidane won two Serie A titles with Juventus, La Liga and the Champions League with Real Madrid, the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000 with France, the 1998 Ballon d'Or, and three FIFA World Player of the Year awards.

Hong Duy

Photo: Reuters, AP, FIFA, UEFA.