So in the end, Thierry Henry opted for the Monaco hot-seat over Aston Villa.
He chose Radamel Falcao over Jonathan Kodjia, what on earth was he thinking?
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It must have something to do with the fact that Henry used to play for them. That and maybe the weather.
The new appointment had us thinking of others who returned to their old clubs. How often is there a fairy tale return? How many times does it end in tears?
Here’s six that instantly spring to mind..
1-Kenny Dalglish
…Or King Kenny, as he is known over on Merseyside.
Dalglish scored 172 goals for Liverpool as a player and is regarded as a bit of a hero by the Anfield faithful.
And his managerial return in the 90s mirrored his playing career, with three league titles and a win percent ratio of over 60%. He went from a hero to a God.
But he just couldn’t stay away could he?
Fast forward 20 years and he was back again, taking the reigns in 2011 after Roy Hodgson was given the boot.
This time his record was a bit more pedestrian, winning 49% of his games during his season-and-a-half at the helm.
He did manage to win the League Cup in 2012, to this day Liverpool’s latest trophy.
His second spell certainly didn’t spoil his reputation, and he remains an Anfield hero; both as a player and a manager.
2-Antonio Conte
As a player at Juventus, Antonio Conte was a perpetual figure in the side between 1991 and 2004, making 512 appearances in central midfield.
However, his return as manager in 2012 came as a surprise to a lot of people in Italy.
Juve had suffered ten years with no league title, but the eccentric Italian transformed the team, guiding them to three titles in a row before taking his dream job as Italy’s manager.
So the return to the Old Lady proved very fruitful for the man who has gone from strength to strength since.
3-Diego Simeone
Simeone made 173 appearances for Atletico Madrid over two spells as a player.
The midfield man was tough, pragmatic and successful as a player – three traits he continues to show as a manager.
For the seven years Simeone has been in the hot-seat at Atleti, his greatest achievement has undoubtedly been his La Liga title win in 2014.
Not since Valencia in 2004 had a team managed to get the better of powerhouses Barcelona and Real Madrid in Spain’s top flight.
He’s taken Atletico to two Champions League finals, but he is yet to win the one with the big ears.
4-Johan Cryuff
It’s fair to say Cryuff is a legend at both Ajax and Barcelona.
The former Dutch international won eight league titles with Ajax, as well as two KNVB cups (the Dutch equivalent of the FA Cup.)
And at Barca, Cryuff won La Liga and the Copa del Rey as a player.
He then risked his reputation in Amsterdam and Barcelona by returning to each club as a manager – but he enjoyed plenty of success in the dugout.
With Ajax he won the UEFA Cup Winners Cup as well as two KNVP cups, but it was at Barcelona where he really shone – winning four La Liga titles as well as the Champions League.
It’s no surprise then, that Barca named their new ground for the B team in his honour. He’s even getting a statue erected of him in Amsterdam.
5-Alan Shearer
Here is an example of where a former player shouldn’t have risked his reputation.
Shearer scored 204 goals for Newcastle and the man became a legend in the North East, even managing to score over 20 league goals in four seasons at St James’ Park.
In 2009, Newcastle were facing down the barrel of relegation and they needed a hero to steady the ship and keep them up.
With eight games to go, Shearer took the reigns.
However, the former captain managed just one win in their final eight games of the season, which saw the Geordies go down.
Luckily for big Al, the blame was shifted to owner Mike Ashley and his God-like status remains.
6-Ryan Giggs
Yes, Giggsy was still technically a player for his short stint as Man United’s boss.
Although, he didn’t bring himself on during his interim stage, so he just about qualifies for this list.
With nearly 900 competitive games for United, right through the Sir Alex Ferguson golden years, Giggs is undoubtedly a club legend.
Yet in 2014, Giggs was put in caretaker charge after the sacking of David Moyes – leaving United well out of the top four.
Giggs looked like the right man for the job after his United side won their first game 4-0 against Norwich.
Yet a draw to Southampton and a loss against Sunderland in the last few remaining games suggest Giggs should have thought twice before taking over.
Yet, the damage was done by Moyes and the Scotsman still takes the heat, Giggs is in no way held accountable by Man United.