The Premier League’s Oldest Managers

For many, the dream is to retire from full time work as early in life as possible – not an ambition shared by Roy Hodgson.

At the sprightly age of 73, the Crystal Palace manager has all but retired from the game after confirming that he will leave Selhurst Park at the end of his contract in the summer.

Hodgson, who started his managerial career 45 years ago, has not ruled out a return to football at some point – not for the armchair in front of Homes Under the Hammer is Roy, and so he could well go on to become the oldest manager in the world.

Roy Hodgson’s Managerial Record

The former England boss may not be completely done with the beautiful game, but he’s certainly slowing down for a while.

“I am looking forward to spending a little bit more time with my wife and son and maybe listening to what they want to do for once, because it hasn’t happened very much in the last 50 years,” Hodgson said.

So who is the oldest Premier League manger now, and who is the oldest top flight manager in history?

Who is the Premier League’s Oldest Manager Currently?

If we took the retirement age for a man in England to be 65, then there are two current Premier League managers that could be queuing up for their pension if they so wished.

What drives a pensioner to continue in a rather stressful job is anybody’s guess, but retiring to tend the garden isn’t to everybody’s tastes.

Sam Allardyce – Born October 1954 (Age 66)

Technically speaking, at the time of writing big Sam Allardyce is the oldest Premier League manager currently employed.

Of course, he will give up the honour of such an accolade when his relegated West Brom side take up their place in the Championship next term.

Allardyce made his playing debut in 1968 (!) for Dudley Town, moving to Bolton Wanderers a year later.

His professional playing career would end some 23 years later at Preston, and his first role in management would come at Blackpool in 1994.

Stints at nine clubs have since followed, as well as his ill-fated spell in charge of England in 2016.

Marcelo Bielsa – Born July 1955 (Age 65)

By the time that the 2021/22 season rolls around, Marcelo Bielsa will be the oldest current manager in the Premier League.

Turning 66 in July 2021, the Argentine belies his ageing vintage by being one of the most dynamic and progressive managers – overseeing Leeds’ incredible rise to the top half of the Premier League table.

Making his professional debut as a player in 1975, Bielsa retired at the age of 25 – not through injury, but simply because he wanted to be a coach instead.

Starting out as a youth coach at his local club Newell’s Old Boys, he took them to two Argentine league titles and a Copa Libertadores final, before setting off for managerial stints in Mexico, Spain, Italy, France and now England, as well as spells in charge of the Argentine and Chilean national teams.

Carlo Ancelotti – Born June 1959 (Age 61)

He might look older – no offence Carlo – but Ancelotti is actually a sprightly 61.

His 16-year playing career began in 1976 at Parma and ran all the way through to 1992 at AC Milan, where he won two Serie A titles and a pair of European Cups too.

Ancelotti’s breakthrough in management came at Reggiana in 1995, where he won promotion from Serie B in his first season, before moving to Parma, where he discovered young talents such as Gianluigi Buffon and Fabio Cannavaro.

Since then, he has managed some of the biggest clubs in Europe including Juventus, AC Milan, PSG, Chelsea, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. His trophy collection includes three Champions League winners’ medals, a Premier League title and domestic league victories in Italy, Germany and France.

Who are the Oldest Managers in Premier League History?

Hodgson is/was the oldest Premier League manager in history – at 73, it’s hard to imagine that record ever being beaten.

Some have come close though, so here’s a rundown of the next oldest managers in the annals of Premier League time.

Bobby Robson – Retired Aged 71

The legendary and sadly-missed Bobby Robson was 71 when he finally called time on his coaching career.

Starting out as a player with Fulham in 1950, Robson’s 18-year career came to an end with a retirement jaunt at Vancouver Royals.

He returned to England in 1968 to manage his first club, Fulham, before embarking on an outstanding 13-year stint at Ipswich Town – he guided the Tractor Boys to regular top six finishes in the old Division One, an FA Cup triumph and a UEFA Cup win too.

That earned him international recognition, and soon the FA came calling to appoint Robson as England manager. He took the Three Lions to the World Cup quarter final – losing out in the infamous ‘Hand of God’ game against Argentina – in 1986 which was followed by a semi-final four years later in Italy.

Legendary stints at Newcastle United, Barcelona and PSV followed for one of the most loved managers in football.

Alex Ferguson – Retired Aged 71

Finishing his playing career with an outstanding ratio of a goal every two games in Scotland, it’s actually as a manager that Sir Alex Ferguson is best known of course.

His CV of clubs managed isn’t all that extensive – from East Stirling in 1974 came spells at St Mirren and Aberdeen, who he led to three Scottish Premiership titles, four Scottish Cups, a Cup Winners’ Cup and a European Super Cup.

Such success took Sir Alex to Manchester United, where the rest as they say is history – thirteen Premier League titles, two Champions Leagues, a Cup Winners’ Cup, a Super Cup and five FA Cups duly following.

Talk about the butterfly effect….in September 1989, Manchester United fans wanted Ferguson sacked following a run of poor results. You can only imagine how different English football would have been had the United board listened to them….