As well as Luiz Felipe Scolari, Sven Goran Eriksson and Manuel Pellegrini in the Chinese Super League, Clarence Seedorf and Fabio Cannavaro are working in the country's second tier. So is Gary White and while the young English coach is not as well-known at the moment, he and Shanghai Shenxin are heading in the right direction.
"It is an honour to be on the sidelines with the likes of Cannavaro," White told ESPNFC.
"I voted for him as the 2006 World Player of the Year when I was coach of the Bahamas."
Now they are facing each other as coaches of China League One sides, Gary in Shanghai, Fabio in Tianjin. "It's a rollercoaster and very exciting."
A rollercoaster indeed. This is life just below the Chinese Super League, one of the richest and most talked-about domestic tournaments in the world. One week, you are in Inner Mongolia, facing an aggressive and vocal home support and then you are taking on star-studded teams in mega-cities coached by former World Cup winners.
The former Bognor Regis player may be only 42 but has almost two decades of experience coaching national teams around the world. First there was the British Virgin Islands, then the Bahamas, then Guam before a move to Shanghai at the end of May and a first head coach position at a club.
At that point, Shenxin, relegated from the top tier last year, were in the drop zone once again and in real danger. Then the call came.
"I'd been in contact with Shanghai about two years ago. They showed some interest but due to World Cup qualification commitments that I had made to Guam, it just wasn't the right time. Around the midseason mark, they decided to change the coach and they contacted me," he said.
It is easy to see why. White made headlines with Guam. Before he arrived, the islanders had played two World Cup qualifiers in their history, back in 2001, and lost by a combined total of 35-0. Last year, in the second round of qualifiers for 2018, Guam beat Turkmenistan and India and drew against Oman. Seeing Guam up to 146 in FIFA rankings was, in relative terms, a huge achievement for a team that had been accustomed to life south of the 200 mark.
Taking over a team heading for the drop is a completely different challenge. "Expectations and pressure are much higher here than Guam but that is what I wanted," said White.
"The first was target was avoiding relegation using the players that had been selected by the previous coach. The roster was full with no room to bring anyone in. We were second bottom. The team looked like someone had taken their individuality and creativity away. The situation wasn't good.
"The first thing I had to do was to get morale up and instil confidence. You have to make sure that the players are mentally with you and feel some kind of emotional connection. You have to get to know them as players and people. In the first couple of weeks, there were a lot of individual meetings and coffees before you even talk about what happens on the field."
White is a highly qualified coach and was part of the English Football Association's inaugural elite coaching licence and has studied for pro-licences in the United States as well as Japan.
There is plenty of theoretical and practical knowledge and experience.
White said: "I use the acronym S.O.U.L. Players must show sacrifice, ownership, unity and then leave a legacy. Trying to achieve that is the test -- the rest is easy as coaching is coaching and tactics are tactics. If players are not inspired and connected, then it is very difficult."
He insisted from the beginning the players were much better than their lowly standing suggested. The results since have been there for all to see with seven wins from the last 12 games.
Relegation is no longer an issue. "It has been a really good period. We are second top scorers in the league which is a great achievement. We have shown that we can beat anyone on our day," he said.
"It's a difficult league. There is a lot of money flowing around. It is competitive."
In the winter transfer window in 2015-16, China's League One was the second biggest spending league in the world and is home to former Brazilian internationals Luis Fabiano and Jadson.
Shenxin are now able to start looking towards next season.
"I had a three-year proposal of what I wanted to achieve," White said.
"This year was to stabilise after a dodgy start and then next year push for the super league. That is what the club wants."
Even if Shanghai make it, White warns fans not to expect a Super League style spending spree.
"The club is about long-term development and have a good history in that department. The president wants to see young players involved whenever possible. We are like Southampton as we develop and then sell players," he said.
Selling has funded a state-of-the-art training facility the like of which, White says, he has never seen before. There are plenty more all over the country.
"With the facilities they have, with world class stadiums all over the place, hosting the World Cup will be no problem," he said.
Winning such a tournament will take longer.
"I have spent a lot of time in Japan to get my coaching license and believe the Chinese Super League is the strongest in Asia in terms of branding, fans, coaches and players," White added.
"The level of the Chinese players is improving. Korea and Japan are still the best technically but China is catching up."