Emma Hayes, Sarina Wiegman and the 25 best women's managers of the 21st century so far – ranked

Emma Hayes, Sarina Wiegman and Lluis Cortes all had extremely different paths into management. Injury meant Hayes' playing career never really got off the ground and so coaching was her focus from a very early point; Wiegman won almost 100 caps for the Netherlands before transitioning to the dugout; Cortes was an analyst who gradually progressed into a head-coaching role. Yet, what they share in common is that they are all among the very best managers the women's game has seen in the 21st century.

The differences between all three are representative of the contrasting paths that exist among most of the top coaches in the sport. It's proof that there is not one particular route to becoming a successful coach.

That's a point emphasised across GOAL's ranking of the best coaches in women's football in the 21st century. So, who is the very best that the sport has seen in the past 25 years?