Veteran football manager Roy Hodgson is returning to Bristol City, ending a staggering 44-year gap since his last spell managing the club. Hodgson, 78, will take charge for the final seven games of the 2025-26 Championship season. His last role was at Crystal Palace, ending in February 2024, after a career spanning 50 years and 21 different head coaching positions across clubs like Inter Milan, Liverpool, and the England national team.

The return gap is unprecedented, with Bristol City having made 24 manager changes since Hodgson departed in April 1982. Hodgson's 44-year break dwarfs other notable gaps, including Brazilian manager Vanderlei Luxemburgo's 37-year return to Vasco de Gama and Ronnie McFall's 34-year stint at Glentoran. No U.S. major sport comes close, with Tony La Russa's 35-year MLB gap being the closest equivalent. This return, following his 2012 BBC interview calling Bristol City a 'disaster', marks a unique chapter in football management history.