Great players do not always make brilliant coaches - but they can do.

For every Johan Cruyff or Pep Guardiola, there’s a Diego Maradona or Alan Shearer.

You can be the most talented footballer on the planet, but that doesn’t mean you automatically possess the tools required to become a top-class manager.

As well as detailed tactical knowledge, you need to possess a fierce work ethic and, most importantly, understanding how to handle people.

Footballers are human beings and any coach whose people skills aren’t up to scratch will quickly find themselves on the managerial scrapheap.

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It will be fascinating to see whether the world’s two greatest players - possibly ever - enter the world of coaching when they eventually hang up their boots.

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo will have so much to offer the game once they retire. It would be a shame for the sport if they decide to walk away from the game and pursue other opportunities.

But in an interview with ICON magazine this week - per Goal - Ronaldo has dropped a hint that he may be tempted to have a crack at management in the not-too-distant future.

The 34-year-old admitted: “I’m not ruling it out,” when asked whether coaching was a potential avenue that he will explore post-retirement.

Imagine Ronaldo up against the likes of Jose Mourinho or Pep Guardiola on the touchline in a big match. Scenes!

The Juventus star has already had a little taste of coaching - during the Euro 2016 final.

Injured during the first half, Ronaldo came out and barked out instructions from the sidelines, alongside manager Fernando Santos.

Watch the video here…

He looked like a natural that night and, of course, Portugal went on to beat France.

Knowing Ronaldo, if he decides to become a coach he’ll be brilliant at it. ‘Failure’ doesn’t seem to be a word in his vocabulary.

In the same interview, Ronaldo said he was delighted with the way he had adapted to life in Turin.

"You must be humble, learn that you don't know everything. If you're smart, you get little things that make you better as an athlete," he added.

"In Juve I adapted perfectly. They saw that there's nothing false about me. He is Cristiano and he is what he is because he takes care of himself.

"It is one thing to speak and another to do. Why did I win five Ballons d'Or and five Champions [Leagues]?"