Football is played by players, but it is managed by coaches. Success depends upon the tactics of the coach-managers. In international football, the names of three managers come to mind. These are Alf Ramsey of England, Rinus Michels of Holland, and Del Bosque of Spain. They raised the standard of football to great heights.
Alf Ramsey
Alf Ramsey was an English football player and manager. In the 1950 World Cup, he was a right-back and captained the England team. As a manager, he was famous for bringing the World Cup to England in 1966. Ramsey was born in 1920 and died in 1999. In the 1962 World Cup in Chile, England lost to Brazil, and the then-manager Winterbottom resigned. After him, Alf Ramsey became the manager of the England team.
Then came the 1966 World Cup in England, the host country. Ramsey openly declared, “We will win the World Cup.” He made Bobby Moore the captain, but Bobby Charlton was the greatest player of the time. Ramsey used the 4-3-3 system, creating the “Wingless Wonders.”
The best match of England’s campaign was against Portugal in the semi-final. Eusebio’s Portugal was a skilful and fluent team. It was a memorable match. While the game was going on, the commentator said, “Eusebio is a better player, but today is Bobby Charlton’s day.” England won 2-1, having conceded the first goal from a penalty spot by Eusebio.
In the final, England faced West Germany, led by Franz Beckenbauer. The Germans were a resilient team but eventually lost. England became the champions of the world. Beckenbauer’s only responsibility was to guard Bobby Charlton, as entrusted by the German manager.
Bobby Charlton praised Ramsey, saying, “He was professional to his fingertips and as popular with players as any manager I have ever seen. He was a winner, and without Alf Ramsey, England would not have won the World Cup in 1966. He gave us our proudest moment.” Nobby Stiles agreed: “You did it, Alf. We would have been nothing without you.”
Rinus Michels
Rinus Michels was a Dutch player and manager. He was an exponent of Total Football and is regarded as one of the greatest managers of all time. Born in 1928 and passing away in 2005, he transformed the Dutch national team into a superb example of Total Football. His best pupils were Johan Cruyff and Neeskens, who mesmerised the world with their skills.
In the 1974 World Cup, whoever Holland met, they put the fear of God into them. But in the final, they lost to West Germany. Holland did all the playing, but the Germans took the title.
Michels shone again in the 1988 European Championships, making Holland the European champions. Total Football remained, with Ruud Gullit, Frank Rijkaard, and Marco van Basten being outstanding players.
Rinus Michels will always be remembered as the inventor of Total Football, where there are no orthodox defenders, and all players have multiple roles.
Vicente del Bosque
Del Bosque is a former player and manager of the Spanish football team. He is regarded as one of the greatest managers of all time. He took over the charge of the Spanish football team from Luis Aragonés. For many years, Spain was an underachiever, but with Del Bosque, Spain suddenly transformed and became world champions in 2010.
Like Alf Ramsey and Rinus Michels, Del Bosque mesmerised the Spanish national team with his tiki-taka style. On the eve of the 2010 World Cup final, Johan Cruyff, the exponent of Total Football, said, “I am Dutch, but I like the football Spain is playing.” Cruyff did not support his own country, the Netherlands, but praised the real football of Spain.
Spain also won three European Championships: in 2008, 2012, and 2024. As things stand today, Spain is considered one of the best teams in the world. This is due to Del Bosque, the father figure of Spanish football.
All three managers narrated above are exemplary figures in the art of football.
(The views expressed are the writer’s own.)
Radhakanta Seth is a Former Income tax officer in Sambalpur. He is a Freelance writer and his articles have been published in some Oriya dailies like Sambad, Samaj, Dharitri and English dailies like The Telegraph and in a sociological journal ‘Folklore’ published from Kolkata.