Potential successors

Diego Simeone (ARG)

Has impressed while guiding Atletico Madrid to the Champions League semifinals and to the top of La Liga, challenging the dominance of Real Madrid and Barcelona at the summit of Spanish soccer. The former Argentina midfielder remains best known in England for being the player David Beckham kicked to be sent off during a last-16 match at the 1998 World Cup in France; a game England eventually lost.

Louis van Gaal (NED)