Second coming: 5 coaches who returned to ex-teams – and what happened next

Second coming in football is nothing new as some coaches have returned to their former teams to write the wrongs or at times continue their legacy.

As the Black Stars are in 'crisis,' the GFA have looked to an old flame to try to turn their fortunes around.

It's been announced that their former coach Milovan Rajevac has been re-appointed as the new Black Stars coach on a 1-year renewable contract.

The 67-year-old makes a return to the team after an 11-year absence following his departure in 2010.

He was the previous Ghana manager from the year 2008 until 2010, which included the World Cup in South Africa. 

Rajevac has been tasked to qualify Ghana to the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar as well as win next year's AFCON in Cameroon.

 

But could the return of an old face really help the Black Stars?

Whatever happens - he certainly isn't the first football coach to get a second chance at the same team.

Primenews pick out 5 other head coaches who returned to former clubs – and reveal what happened next…

Maxwell Konadu 

Well, this one did not turn out to be a good relationship for both parties.

Kotoko appointed Konadu as head coach in December 2019 following the dismissal of Norwegian trainer Kjetil Zachariassen.

It was the Ghanaian's second stint in charge of the Porcupine Warriors, having led the side to the Premier League title in 2011-12.

However, Konadu was sacked after suffering his first defeat in the 2020/21 Ghana Premier League season. 

The development came a day after the Porcupine Warriors suffered a 1-0 defeat to Great Olympics in the GPL.

The Kumasi-based outfit then have won only one of four matches played, drawing two and losing one.

 

Van Gaal

Van Gaal has taken up the role as Netherlands boss for a third time, having previously led his country from 2000 to 2001 and from 2012 to 2014.

The 69-year-old will oversee the side's bid to qualify for the 2022 World Cup, with his contract running until the end of the tournament in Qatar.

Van Gaal led the Netherlands to third place in the 2014 World Cup, with their impressive run including a 3-0 win over Brazil and a 5-1 thrashing of then-world champions Spain.

After leaving his role with the national team for a second time after that World Cup, Van Gaal joined Manchester United, where he won the FA Cup before being replaced by Jose Mourinho in 2016.

 

Jupp Heynckes (Bayern Munich)

1987-1991, 2011-13, 2017-18

When Carlo Ancelotti was sacked in October 2017, the Bayern board decided to go with what they knew by appointing Heynckes on a permanent basis for the third time. The 72-year-old will step aside at the end of the season having won his fourth Bundesliga crown with the Bavarians, but Bayern did make an effort to try and persuade him to extend his stay for at least another campaign.

Heynckes first took charge of the German giants in 1987, winning back-to-back titles in his second and third seasons in Munich. His next league championship came in 2012-13, when the former Borussia Monchengladbach boss also won the DFB-Pokal and Champions League to complete a famous Treble.

 

Jose Mourinho (Chelsea)

2004-2007 and 2013-2015

Mourinho lived up to his self-proclaimed “Special One” billing at Stamford Bridge, winning the Premier League title in his first two seasons before things began to turn sour in 2006-07. The ill-feeling between Mourinho and owner Roman Abramovich had become too much to bear by the start of the former's fourth year at the helm, and a home loss to Rosenborg led to his exit.

After winning more trophies with Inter and Real Madrid, Mourinho - who became the self-christened "Happy One" - returned to Chelsea in 2013. Another title followed in his second season, but things unravelled spectacularly and the Portuguese found himself out of a job in December 2015.

 

Zinedine Zidane

Zinedine Zidane resigned as Madrid coach five days later after winning a third consecutive Champions League title in 2017, but the Frenchman made a remarkable comeback earlier this month when Santiago Solari was sacked in 2019.

But his second term did not prove to be a success as the first as he stepped down just days after the club were beaten to the La Liga title by Atletico Madrid.

In his first spell at the club from January 2016 to May 2018, Zidane secured three consecutive Champions League titles and won the Spanish league once.

His second term was not as successful as the first, but after his return in March 2019, he led Madrid to La Liga title in 2020.