Derby County’s club ambassador Michael Johnson has been named as the Head Coach of the Guyana men’s national football team.


Johnson, who is 44, will fulfil the role alongside his ambassadorial commitments for the Rams and takes up the job with the full support of the club.

The popular former Derby defender returned to Pride Park Stadium as an ambassador in 2015 and regularly appears as a pundit on RamsTV.

He has also been part of various club and community initiatives in recent years and will continue to do so in the future.

Guyana is one of three South American nations to be a member of the Caribbean Football Union of CONCACAF alongside Suriname and French Guiana.

As of May 2018, the were 164th in the FIFA World Rankings and have never qualified for the CONCACAF Gold Cup or the FIFA World Cup.

A holder of the UEFA Pro Licence and the League Managers Association Diploma in Football Management, Johnson is the most qualified national coach in the history of the Golden Jaguars.

Johnson will visit Guyana in the near future to meet the Guyana Football Federation team, players, football stakeholders and the national media, while he will also observe progress in the construction of the Guyana Football Federation National Training Centre.

Johnson said: “I just can’t wait to get started. The attraction of the role was the direction of Guyana. The Guyana Football Federation is looking to really make strides, to qualify for the CONCACAF Gold Cup and to break into the FIFA top 100.

“It’s not just about results, it’s also about helping to grow the infrastructure of the country regarding coach education, youth talent, and the possible links between our nations - that’s what’s exciting.”

More information about the Guyana national side, and the Guyana Football Federation, can be found at gffonline.com.


As a player Johnson joined Derby from Birmingham City in August 2003 and established himself as a key member of the Rams’ squad. He featured regularly in the 2006/07 season as the Rams achieved promotion to the Premier League via the play-offs. He also wore the captain’s armband on several occasions, displaying excellent leadership qualities.

Johnson began his playing career at Notts County and also turned out for Birmingham City, Derby and Sheffield Wednesday before ending his playing career back with his first club, with 656 appearances to his name in club football. He also represented Jamaica at international level and gained 13 caps.

His association with Notts County continued after hanging up his boots, after he became their youth team manager. He also had a spell as caretaker manager during the 2009/10 campaign and, upon leaving the Magpies, he took up the role of assistant manager to the Cardiff City Under-21 side.