Chris Coleman

Where is Chris Coleman now?

Former Crystal Palace and Fulham defender Chris Coleman retired from playing in 2002 after breaking his leg in a car crash which prematurely ended his career at the age of 31

Making his professional debut with Swansea City in 1987 he went onto make 576 first-team appearances for four teams over a 15-year period winning promotion to the Premier League with Palace in 1994 and Fulham in 2001.

On the international front he represented the Wales national side on 32 occasions between 1992 and 2002. 

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Upon retiring from playing Coleman went into the coaching side of the game and stayed on at Fulham as a first-team coach under manager Jean Tigana before taking over from the Frenchman in a caretaker capacity when he was sacked in 2003 with the side dangerously close to the bottom of the table.

Successfully steering them away from relegation, Coleman was appointed permanent manager in May 2003 and oversaw a successful first season with a ninth-placed league finish. Unfortunately, over the next few seasons key players were sold including the likes of Edwin van der Sar and Louis Saha, and the team struggled on this pitch which led to Coleman’s dismissal in 2007.

After brief spells with Real Sociedad and Coventry City, Coleman then started working in the media as a co-commentator for ITV and a pundit for Sky Sports before returning to football management with Greek side Larissa in 2011.

Leaving after just seven months when the club fell into financial difficulties he was appointed as successor to the late Gary Speed as the Welsh national team manager in 2012 and led them to European Championships qualification in 2016 which was the first time they had qualified for a major tournament since 1958.

The team was a revelation in the tournament, topping their group (which included England), and beating Northern Ireland and a highly-fancied Belgium team before losing in the semi-finals to Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal.

After failing to reach the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, Coleman left his role as Wales head coach in November 2017 and returned to domestic football with Championship side Sunderland on a two-and-a-half-year deal. Unfortunately he was unable to improve a struggling side and he was sacked in April 2017 having won only five of his 29 games in charge.

Next up for Coleman was a spell as head coach of Chinese Super League side Hebei China Fortune but after a difficult year at the club losing players and not being allowed to sign replacements, he was sacked in May 2019 with the club one place off the bottom of the league.

After a spell working as a pundit and co-commentator he joined current side Atromitos who play in the Greek Super League in January 2022.

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Chris Coleman: Premier League Statistics

NationalityWelsh
PositionDefender
Appearances101
Goals6
Yellow Cards11
Red Cards0
Premier League Teams Played forCrystal Palace, Blackburn Rovers

Statistics courtesy of www.premierleague.com

Last Updated on 30 September 2022 by Admin