From Arsenal Defenders to International Coaches: Former Players Who Took Charge of National Teams

A report on former Arsenal players traces the paths taken by several of the club’s defenders after retirement, including coaching and administrative roles with national teams and age-group sides. Among them is Patrick Vieira, who is preparing for his first home match as Senegal coach, according to the report.

The report says that Sylvinho coached Albania, Oleksandr Luzhny is in charge of Ukraine’s under-19 team, and Igor Stepanovs worked with Latvia’s under-17 team. Ashley Cole is also an assistant coach with England’s under-21 team, while Giovanni van Bronckhorst coached the Netherlands’ under-21 team at the start of his coaching career.

The report also cites other experiences: Sol Campbell worked as an assistant coach with Trinidad and Tobago, while Kolo Touré held assistant roles with Ivory Coast’s senior and Olympic teams before focusing on his coaching career in Britain. In Switzerland, Johan Djourou works as a technical director and sports coordinator for the development of women’s football, while Gaël Clichy continued as an assistant with France’s youth teams after the Paris Olympics before resigning in 2025.

The report adds that Thomas Vermaelen works on the coaching staff of Belgium’s national teams, and that Shkodran Mustafi became an assistant coach with Germany’s under-21 team. It concludes that former Arsenal players have moved into a variety of international roles after retiring, from coaching to player development.