After a renowned playing career that included picking up silverware with Tottenham Hotspur and Monaco, and winning 53 England caps, Glenn Hoddle made the move into management.
First off, a player/manager spell at Swindon Town established Hoddle as one of the most respected young bosses in the game, taking Swindon into the top-flight of English football for the first time in their history in 1993. He then moved to Chelsea in the same combined role, where he had notable runs in several cup competitions and brought in the likes of Ruud Gullit and Mark Hughes.
In 1996 Hoddle was appointed England Manager following the departure of Terry Venables after that summer's European Championship and was handed the task of qualifying for the 1998 World Cup.
His first game in charge was a Qualifier against Moldova in Chisinau and Hoddle’s new charges came through what could have been a tricky encounter in style, winning 3-0 with goals from Nick Barmby, Paul Gascoigne and Alan Shearer.
In the summer of 1997 Hoddle took his team to France to face the hosts, Italy and Brazil in Le Tournoi. Victories over Les Bleus and the Azzuri proved enough for England to win the competition – despite a final game loss to the South Americans – and gave Hoddle’s side a significant boost in confidence as their concentration turned back to WC qualification.
Italy were also in England’s WC qualifying group and proved to be the main obstacle. They beat the Three Lions 1-0 at Wembley and left Hoddle’s men in need of draw in Rome to guarantee their place at the Finals. In what was a hugely hard fought and memorable game England came away with the required point, topped their qualifying group and sealed their berth at France ’98.
Hoddle had always attempted to translate his creative playing style into his managerial strategy and the World Cup proved no different. Impressive wins over Tunisia and Columbia fell either side of a disappointing, late loss to Romania but it was enough to see England through to the knock-out stages where a titanic battle with Argentina ended in penalty shoot-out heartbreak for Hoddle’s men.
Hoddle would only hold the England reins for a further four games after the World Cup, handing over to another former Three Lions star, Kevin Keegan, as they embarked on qualification for Euro 2000.
Following his departure, Hoddle held roles at Southampton, Tottenham and Wolverhampton Wanderers and in 2008 opened the Glenn Hoddle Academy in Spain – aimed at giving young players another chance to make it in the game after being released by football clubs in England.