Juande Ramos

Juande Ramos was given the chance to shine in La Liga again after Real Madrid sacked Bernd Schuster in December 2008.

Tasked with keeping the club's title charge going, Ramos impressed at the Bernabeu and showed that he has the mettle to succeed at the very top - despite almost ruining his reputation with an ill-fated spell at Tottenham.

Ramos began his career as a player for Elche, and went on to play with Alcoyano, Linares, Eldense, Alicante and Denia as a midfielder, until he retired due to a knee injury at the age of 28.

He started his coaching career in 1993-94 with little-known club Alcoyano. Moving up the ladder he took control of Levante, Logrones and Lleida, as well as a stint in charge of Barcelona's B side.

Rayo Vallecano offered him his first taste of major league football as he got the side promoted to La Liga in the 1998-99 season.

Impressing in his time there, Ramos soon earned a move to Real Betis where he first sampled the passionate atmosphere in Seville in the 2001-02 season.

Ramos spent time with Espanyol and Malaga before eventually arriving back in Seville, this time with the Sevillistas, for the start of the 2005-06 season. And it would be a period of incredible success for the Andalusians.

Ramos turned the club into one of the most impressive performers in the Spanish league, with a brand of attacking football that had many in Madrid and Barcelona licking their lips.

In his first season in charge Ramos won the UEFA Cup with a 4-0 win over Steve McClaren's Middlesbrough. He also won the UEFA Super Cup, beating European champions and fellow La Liga side FC Barcelona 3-0, landing Sevilla their second trophy of the year. Their previous piece of silverware had come in 1948.

The following season Ramos continued to impress and, incredibly, won the UEFA Cup again, beating former side Espanyol on penalties in Glasgow. They were also very unlucky to miss out on the La Liga title, after Real Madrid won it in an exciting finale but managed to lift the Copa del Rey with a 1-0 win over Getafe.

Catching the eye of Tottenham Hotspur with his attacking style, Ramos was courted by the Premier League club in August 2007, while then-manager Martin Jol was still in charge.

Claiming to have turned down a 'dizzying' offer to become Tottenham manager at the end of that month, Ramos reiterated his commitment to the Spanish club and said that he would stay until the end of the 2007-08 season.

However, halfway through Tottenham's UEFA Cup home game with Getafe, news filtered through that Martin Jol had been sacked. Ramos was immediately linked with the vacant post and resigned from his role with Sevilla a day later.

He was announced as Tottenham boss the following day and reportedly became one of the highest paid managers in the Premier League, worth around £6m a year for his four-year contract.

He went on to win the League Cup in his first season and ahead of the 2008-09 season had stamped his authority on the squad, showing a number of Jol's signings the door and bringing in a raft of exciting talent, including Luka Modric and David Bentley.

However, after a promising pre-season, the League campaign began disastrously and the club picked up just two points from their first eight matches. Ramos was given no time to turn it around and was sacked in October, with Harry Redknapp placed in his position; while assistant manager Gus Poyet, first team coach Marcos Álvarez, and club sporting director Damien Comolli were also shown the door.

To the surprise of many Ramos was announced as the new Real Madrid manager on a short-term contract after the club had parted ways with Bernd Schuster in December 2008. The German had claimed that the club had no chance of winning the El Clásico derby match against Barcelona (Ramos' first game) and, although he was right the comment cost Schuster his job.

Although his copybook was blotted by an ugly 4-0 hammering at Anfield against Liverpool in the Champions League Ramos was credited with rejuvenating Madrid and taking them on an incredible winning run to keep the pressure on Barcelona for the title.

Few expect him to be given the reigns full-time once the season is over, but after impressing so much in his first season, Los Blancos could certainly do worse.