In recent years, there have been many young coaches who have shined in the Premier League. According to Transfermarkt, The average age of Premier League managers this season is 46,2 years old, which is the youngest since 2005/06 season.
Some of them started their footballing career as a player, which means they might have made an appearance in Ultimate Team. Managers like Pep Guardiola or Ruud van Nistelrooy even had a brilliant careers as players, earning them an inclusion as ICONs.
However, not every Premier League manager this season had a playing career as illustrious as those two. While some did feature in past editions of FUT, their cards were not the best and appearing only as silver or gold players. In this article, we’ll cover some of Premier League manager this season that you might not realize have made an appearance in Ultimate Team!
1. Andoni Iraola (AFC Bournemouth)
The Spanish manager has been the manager of AFC Bournemouth since the summer of 2023. Before giving instruction from the sidelines, he spent most of his playing time at Athletic Bilbao and made over 500 appearances for the basque club. He retired at NYCFC in 2016, where he spent the last two seasons of his playing career.
In the virtual world, Andoni Iraola has been part of Ultimate Team since FIFA 10, with his last card being a 75-rated common gold in FIFA 17. He hit his peak overall rating in FIFA 12, when he earned an 82-rated inform card.
2. Enzo Maresca (Chelsea)
Enzo Maresca has been doing a great job since took over Chelsea at the start of the season by putting the Blues back in the title contention. During his playing years, Maresca was mostly known for his time at Sevilla. He scored two goals in the 2005/06 UEFA Cup final, which helped the Andalusian based team won their first continental trophy.
Maresca was in the later stages of his career when he made his first appearance in Ultimate Team. His first card was a 78-rated gold in FIFA 10, with his last card being a 75-rated common gold in FIFA 16. Throughout his appearance in the game, Maresca never had an inform or any special cards.
3. Ruben Amorim (Manchester United)
The former Sporting CP manager faces a tough challenge at Manchester United after replacing Erik Ten Hag. Manchester United is currently sitting mid-table, and will need a strong finish to the season if they want to secure a spot in European competition next season. Before his managerial career, Ruben Amorim mostly spent his playing career at Portugal for Belenenses and Benfica.
His first appearance in Ultimate Team was in FIFA 10 with a 76-rated gold card. He ended his playing career in 2015, meaning his 77-rated common gold in FIFA 15 was his last card as a player.
4. Russel Martin (Southampton)
Russel Martin’s first season at Southampton was a major success, when his Southampton side earned a promotion to the Premier League. However, he’s now facing a difficult challenge, as Southampton currently sitting at the bottom Premier League, having earned just 5 points from 15 games. Russell Martin also had an up-and-down playing career, spending most of his playing days in Norwich City, where he was relegated to EFL Championship twice during his time at Carrow Road.
His appearance in Ultimate Team wasn’t the most memorable either. He started with a 59-rated card in FIFA 10, and his final card was a 67-rated silver card in FIFA 20. He was the only manager on his list who made it as far as FIFA 20, and his best card was a 74-rated rare silver card in FIFA 17.
5. Gary O’Neil (Wolverhampton)
Gary O’Neil had a respectable playing career in the Premier League. He made a total of 216 appearances in England’s top flight division for clubs such as Portsmouth, Middlesbrough, West Ham United, and Norwich City. He retired in 2019 before taking a managerial role at Bournemouth in 2023, and now served as a manager for Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Spending most of his playing time in England, O’Neil was included in Ultimate Team for more than 10 editions of the game. He appeared in FIFA 10 through FIFA 19, with all of his cards being silver. His highest rated card was a 73-rated common silver in FIFA 12, when he was at West Ham United in the Premier League.
It’s really fascinating to see that some of these Premier League managers have made an appearance as a player in Ultimate Team. Let us know if you ever packed or played with them in the past, by leaving a comment down below or mentioning us over on X at @theinfinityfc!
