Leadership is usually an older man’s game, with most managers only turning to the excavation until the 1940s and beyond … but that is not always the case.
Since the Premier League was formed in 1992, we have seen a handful of surprisingly young managers take charge of English top flight, with some splitting their time between managing and playing.
Here are the ten youngest Premier League bosses ever.
Paul Jewell as Bradford boss | Ross Kinnaird / Getty Images
A Bradford City legend, Paul Jewell, spent ten years as a player for the Bantams between 1988 and 1998. He even spent the last three years of it as a player-coach, so his promotion to managerial job was not so surprising.
During his first full season at the job, Jewell Bradford led to the Premier League and at the age of 34 years 10 months 10 days, he took charge of his first match in the league – a 1-0 win over Middlesbrough in August 1999.
A dramatic 1-0 victory over Liverpool sealed Bradford’s survival in the top flight (and cost Liverpool a place in Europe), but after chairman Geoffrey Richmond had the courage to call his 17th goal “disappointing”, Jewell packed his bags and left.
Pearce led Forest while still a player | Mark Thompson / Getty Images
Stuart Pearce officially became manager in 2005, but his dugout debut actually came nine years earlier in December 1996 while he was still a player for Nottingham Forest.
When manager Frank Clark resigned halfway through the season, Forest executives decided to stick with Pearce, giving him the title of caretaker for a 2-1 win over Arsenal at the age of 34 years 7 months 27 days.
Pearce would later admit that he said that after hours of working on his lineup, he was told that he had actually forgotten to appoint a goalkeeper for the game. He was so clueless and still managed to beat Arsenal.
Alex Neil led Norwich to top flight Paul Gilham / Getty Images
When Alex Neil moved to Championship side Norwich City in January 2015, he was the second youngest manager in the entire Football League.
He took the Canary Islands to the top flight after just six months and at the age of 34 years 1 month 30 days, Neil took over his first Premier League game – a 3-1 defeat against Crystal Palace.
Just a year later, Neil had no job. Norwich fell straight down to the second tier and the boss was gone in March 2017.
Leicester City FCKevin MacDonald pic.twitter.com/hgQCBPb4GT
– Superb Footy Pics (@SuperbFootyPics) April 29, 2020
A prolific chief of staff, Kevin MacDonald, has spent a lot of time connecting the gaps between permanent managers, and his first gig came with Leicester City in 1994.
In the youthful age of 34 years 1 day, MacDonald went in for the outgoing Brian Little for a visit to Arsenal, which again fell to a 2-1 defeat against a side in concern.
He left to join the reserve at Aston Villa in 1995 and has since had three spells as the villains’ caretaker manager.
Ruud Gullit took Gianfranco Zola to Chelsea | Ben Radford / Getty Images
Ruud Gullit became the first black coach in Premier League history when he took over as Chelsea’s manager in the summer of 1996.
Coming to the end of his playing career at this point, the legendary Dutchman was fair 33 years 11 months 17 days when he started the 1996/97 season with a goalless draw against Southampton.
Gullit made even more history by leading Chelsea to the FA Cup in his debut season, making him the first black manager to lift a major trophy in the UK.
Andre Villas-Boas was an expensive job for Chelsea | Clive Brunskill / Getty Images
There was no manager more exciting than Andre Villas-Boas in 2011. As known as the next Jose Mourinho, Chelsea felt they needed to catch him before one of their rivals made and paid a world record £ 13.3 million to the Porto deal clear.
He started the 2011/12 season at the age of 33 years 9 months 28 days, but a 0-0 draw with Stoke City summed up pretty much everything about his Chelsea career.
Villas-Boas infamously showed the front door after just seven months at Stamford Bridge
Gianluca Vialla was a disappointment, however Ben Radford / Getty Images
It’s Chelsea once again, and this time it’s the man who replaced Gullit in 1998, Gianluca Vialli.
Another player manager, Vialli’s first leading match was a 1-0 defeat against Aston Villa when the first Italian manager in league history was just 33 years 7 months 27 days.
His Cup winner Cup victory later that season made him the youngest manager to win a European competition until Villas-Boas claimed the record in 2011. Everything is connected.
Chris Coleman had a long time with Fulham | Phil Cole / Getty Images
After a car crash left him with a leg injury that would cause his playing career to end abruptly, Chris Coleman got a small head start on his life as a manager.
The Welshman joined Fulham’s coach in October 2002 and became head of the guard just six months later at the age of 32 years 7 months 22 days.
He could have lost 2-1 to Arsenal that day (the Gunners finally figured out how to beat a side in concern), but Coleman earned four years at the helm at Craven Cottage.
Attilio Lombardo | Clive Mason / Getty Images
Attilio Lombardo, one of the greatest players in Crystal Palace history, also entered Premier League history when he became the youngest manager ever.
In his role as head of play in March 1998, Lombardo was fair 32 years 2 months 8 days when he led the Eagles out for a 3-1 loss to Aston Villa.
It would always be a tough record to beat, but after 23 years, Lombardo was beaten by the top spot.
? ️ @RyanMason: “There is a lot of pride in having this opportunity to help this amazing football club.” #THFC ⚪️ # COYS pic.twitter.com/6sJJq6ub4s
– Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) April 20, 2021
When Jose Mourinho was sacked as Tottenham manager, responsibility was handed over to first-team coach Ryan Mason, who retired at the age of 26 after a serious head injury.
Mason’s first leading game comes on Wednesday against Southampton, when he gets fair 29 years 10 months 8 days.
The former midfielder hopes it goes well, as his second match is the Carabao Cup final against Manchester City. No biggie.
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