Ottmar Hitzfeld

Ottmar Hitzfeld

Hitzfeld in 2011
Personal information
Full name	Ottmar Hitzfeld
Date of birth	(1949-01-12) 12 January 1949
Place of birth	Lörrach, West Germany
Height	1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)
Playing position	Striker
Club information
Current club	Switzerland (manager)
Youth career
1960–1967	TuS Stetten
1967–1968	FV Lörrach
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1971–1975	Basel	92	(66)
1975–1978	Stuttgart	77	(38)
1978–1980	Lugano	55	(35)
1980–1983	Luzern	72	(30)
Total		296	(169)
National team
1972	Germany	6	(5)
Teams managed
1983–1984	Zug
1984–1988	Aarau
1988–1991	Grasshoppers
1991–1997	Borussia Dortmund
1998–2004	Bayern Munich
2007–2008	Bayern Munich
2008–	Switzerland
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Ottmar Hitzfeld (born 12 January 1949 in Lörrach, Baden) is a German former football player (striker) and manager, nicknamed der General ("the general"), and "Gottmar Hitzfeld".

With a total of 18 major titles, mostly accumulated in his tenures with Grasshopper Club Zürich, Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich. A trained mathematician and sports teacher Hitzfeld is one of the most successful coaches of German and international football. He has been elected "World Coach of the Year" twice. He is one of only four managers to win the European Cup/UEFA Champions League with two different clubs, along with Ernst Happel, José Mourinho and Jupp Heynckes. He is currently the head coach of the Swiss national football team.

Career as player

Hitzfeld started playing football in the late 1960s with TuS Stetten and FV Lörrach in the lower German leagues before he captured the attention of Swiss first division team FC Basel. He joined the club, located on the other bank of the Rhine, in 1971. With this club the forward won the Swiss championship in 1972 and 1973, in the latter season even contributing as the top striker in Switzerland. In 1975 also he won the cup with Basel. In 1973, while playing at Basel, he graduated from nearby Lörrach college as a teacher of mathematics and sports. He retained his amateur status in order to be able to participate in the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich. There he played amongst others with Uli Hoeneß, the later Bayern Munich player and general manager who would hire him as coach in the late 1990s. One of the highlights of this tournament was the first encounter between the national sides of West and East Germany on the football pitch. West Germany lost this match 2–3 and thus failed to reach the semi-finals. In this match Hitzfeld scored one of his five goals in the tournament. In 1975, the 26-year old Hitzfeld accepted an offer by the then German second division side VfB Stuttgart. At the Swabian side, he was part of a legendary "100 goal offense" (the goal difference that season being 100:36) and in one match against SSV Jahn Regensburg he scored six goals, still the record for a 2. Bundesliga player. After two years, in 1977, the team achieved promotion to the first division, the Bundesliga. Hitzfeld had by that time scored 33 goals in 55 league matches. In the Bundesliga, the club finished the season a remarkable fourth. Hitzfeld contributed five goals in 22 matches. After three years with Stuttgart, Hitzfeld returned to what by then had become his second home, Switzerland. There he played from 1978 to 1980 with FC Lugano before joining FC Luzern, where he finished his playing career in 1983, aged 34.

Career as coach

Early years

Hitzfeld got his first coaching position with FC Zug where he stayed for a year. In 1984 he followed an offer to coach FC Aarau where he settled for four years. His tenure there was crowned with his first title as coach, the 1985 Swiss Cup. Soon he attracted also the attention of the major Swiss club Grasshopper in Zürich. Between 1988 and 1991 he gained there another four trophies, starting with a repeat of his cup victory by the end of his first season. The next year he followed up with the double before finishing his engagement with the defence of the Swiss Championship in 1991.

Borussia Dortmund

In 1991, Hitzfeld received an offer from Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund, which had just finished the season tenth. In his first year he and his assistant Michael Henke, with whom he would collaborate for the next 13 years, took the team to second spot in the league, securing a UEFA Cup place. The following season Dortmund reached the finals of this competition, but both matches were lost against Juventus. In 1995 he gained his first German championship with Dortmund, their first trophy since the 1988–89 German Cup, and Hitzfeld's first trophy in Germany. 1995–96 saw a successful defence of the title, but the great triumph had to wait for another year: in 1997 Dortmund finished third in the league, but reached the Champions League final where another encounter with Juventus was due. This time Borussia prevailed 3–1 in Olympic Stadium Munich against the team from northern Italy which featured Zinedine Zidane, Didier Deschamps, and Christian Vieri amongst others. For his success Hitzfeld was rewarded for the first time with the "World Coach of the Year" award, but as frictions with the team had come to a head he was promoted out of the firing line to the position of sports manager with the club, where he witnessed his successor Nevio Scala taking Borussia Dortmund to Intercontinental Cup honours.

Bayern Munich

Original stint

In 1998, Hitzfeld was hired by Germany's most successful club, FC Bayern Munich. In his first year he led the club to renewed championship glories, winning the league title by a record margin. The club lost the German Cup final to Werder Bremen on penalites, though. Most important was their run to the Champions League final. The final is remembered for the dramatic Manchester United comeback inside the injury time period. Trailing 1–0 Manchester scored two goals in stoppage time, condemning Bayern to a stunning defeat. In the next season domestic success was improved upon with Bayern winning the double. After winning by a record margin last season Bayern won on a heartbeat finish this season. Hitzfeld's team depended on the neighbours from Unterhaching to beat Leverkusen on the last day play to secure the title. The cup final was won against Werder, the team which beat Bayern in the previous final. In the Champions League Bayern was stopped in the semi-final by eventual winners Real Madrid.

2000–01 Hitzfeld led Bayern not only to the league championship hattrick, but once again into the Champions League final, defeating Manchester United and defending champions Real Madrid en route. This time the side from Munich prevailed, albeit it took a penalty shoot-out against Valencia. This made Hitzfeld only the second coach after Ernst Happel to win the major European trophy with two different teams. Again, he found himself recognized with the honour of "World Coach of the Year", but this time he remained in control over his team in the ensuing Intercontinental Cup final against Boca Juniors from Buenos Aires. A sole goal by Ghanean defender Samuel Kuffour in extra-time made it an evening to celebrate for the general and his team. By then the team had a tendency to put in lacklustre performances and in the end had to make do with third place in the league. In the 2002–03 season, Bayern once more dominated German football, claiming the league title four game days before the end of the season. With a 3–1 win over Kaiserslautern Hitzfeld's team secured another double. When this was followed by a season of less impressive football, yielding no title, the club renounced the remaining year of the contract of the 55-year old coach.

Return to Bayern Munich

Hitzfeld had an offer to take over the reins of the German national team, but preferred to take a break from the game. On 1 February 2007, following the sacking of Felix Magath, he returned to Bayern Munich. Hopes that he might lead Bayern to another championship, despite trailing by eight points with 15 games remaining were not fulfilled, though. Eventually Bayern finished fourth, thereby failing to qualify for the Champions League for the first time in more than a decade. A multi-million spending spree before the new season helped Hitzfeld to lead the club to a new phase of domestic dominance, winning the DFB-Ligapokal, the DFB-Pokal, and the 2007–08 championship. After several high wins and lots of draws Bayerns 2007–08 UEFA Cup campaign ended in the semi-final with a humbling 4–0 defeat by eventual winner Zenit St. Petersburg. During the season Hitzfeld had announced that he would not be available for another season at the helm. Jürgen Klinsmann became his successor at Bayern.

Record at Bayern Munich

As of 8 February 2013

From	To	League	Record
			G	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Win %
1 July 1998	30 June 2004	Bundesliga	7002204000000000000204	7002128000000000000128	700141000000000000041	700135000000000000035	7002416000000000000416	7002182000000000000182	+234	700162750000000000062.75
		DFB-Pokal	700128000000000000028	700121000000000000021	70006000000000000006	70001000000000000001	700177000000000000077	700116000000000000016	+61	700175000000000000075.00
		DFB-Ligapokal	70009000000000000009	70006000000000000006	70002000000000000002	70001000000000000001	700122000000000000022	70009000000000000009	+13	700166670000000000066.67
		Europe	700176000000000000076	700138000000000000038	700125000000000000025	700113000000000000013	7002117000000000000117	700174000000000000074	+43	700150000000000000050.00
		Other	70001000000000000001	70001000000000000001	50000000000000000000	50000000000000000000	70001000000000000001	50000000000000000000	+1	7002100000000000000100.000
		Total	7002318000000000000318	7002194000000000000194	700174000000000000074	700150000000000000050	7002633000000000000633	7002281000000000000281	+352	700161010000000000061.01
1 February 2007	30 June 2008	Bundesliga	700149000000000000049	700130000000000000030	700112000000000000012	70007000000000000007	700191000000000000091	700139000000000000039	+52	700161220000000000061.22
		DFB-Pokal	70006000000000000006	70005000000000000005	70001000000000000001	50000000000000000000	700114000000000000014	70005000000000000005	+9	700183330000000000083.33
		DFB-Ligapokal	70003000000000000003	70003000000000000003	50000000000000000000	50000000000000000000	70007000000000000007	70001000000000000001	+6	7002100000000000000100.000
		Europe	700118000000000000018	70007000000000000007	70007000000000000007	70004000000000000004	700139000000000000039	700127000000000000027	+12	700138890000000000038.89
		Total	700176000000000000076	700145000000000000045	700120000000000000020	700111000000000000011	7002151000000000000151	700172000000000000072	+79	700159210000000000059.21
Career totals		Bundesliga	7002253000000000000253	7002158000000000000158	700153000000000000053	700142000000000000042	7002507000000000000507	7002221000000000000221	+286	700162450000000000062.45
		DFB-Pokal	700134000000000000034	700126000000000000026	70007000000000000007	70001000000000000001	700191000000000000091	700121000000000000021	+70	700176470000000000076.47
		DFB-Ligapokal	700112000000000000012	70009000000000000009	70002000000000000002	70001000000000000001	700129000000000000029	700110000000000000010	+19	700175000000000000075.00
		Europe	700194000000000000094	700145000000000000045	700132000000000000032	700117000000000000017	7002156000000000000156	7002101000000000000101	+55	700147870000000000047.87
		Other	70001000000000000001	70001000000000000001	50000000000000000000	50000000000000000000	70001000000000000001	50000000000000000000	+1	7002100000000000000100.00
		Total	7002394000000000000394	7002239000000000000239	700194000000000000094	700161000000000000061	7002784000000000000784	7002353000000000000353	+431	700160660000000000060.66

• 1.^ Includes 2001 Intercontinental Cup.

Switzerland

Hitzfeld took over as coach of the Swiss national team in summer 2008. Switzerland qualified for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, and won the opening match 1–0 against the heavily favoured European Champions, Spain. Although Switzerland beat the eventual champions, Spain, they went on to lose 1–0 against Chile and get a 0–0 draw against Honduras which eliminated their chances of qualifying from the group. Switzerland was the only team to have beaten Spain during the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Personal life

Hitzfeld was born in Lörrach, a small town near Alsace and close to the border with Switzerland. He grew up there and is the youngest of five children.

Hitzfeld said that when he first left Bayern in 2004 he 'felt burnt out' and 'was a bit depressed', and 'it took me two years to recover.' He then had 'the best years at Bayern' on his return. He stated his views that people should not get too excited about things, not get too down about things, and treat each situation individually.

Coaching record

As of 8 June 2013

Team	From	To	Record
			G	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Win %
FC Zug	1983	1984	700132000000000000032	700117000000000000017	70009000000000000009	70006000000000000006	700176000000000000076	700139000000000000039	+37	700153130000000000053.13
FC Aarau	1984	1988	7002142000000000000142	700165000000000000065	700137000000000000037	700140000000000000040	7002242000000000000242	7002188000000000000188	+54	700145770000000000045.77
Grasshopper Club Zürich	1988	1991	7002137000000000000137	700168000000000000068	700136000000000000036	700133000000000000033	7002229000000000000229	7002147000000000000147	+82	700149640000000000049.64
Borussia Dortmund	1991	1997	7002267000000000000267	7002146000000000000146	700155000000000000055	700166000000000000066	7002489000000000000489	7002326000000000000326	+163	700154680000000000054.68
Bayern Munich	1 July 1998	30 June 2004	7002318000000000000318	7002194000000000000194	700174000000000000074	700150000000000000050	7002633000000000000633	7002281000000000000281	+352	700161010000000000061.01
Bayern Munich	1 February 2007	30 June 2008	700176000000000000076	700145000000000000045	700120000000000000020	700111000000000000011	7002151000000000000151	700172000000000000072	+79	700159210000000000059.21
Switzerland	1 July 2008	Present	700148000000000000048	700122000000000000022	700116000000000000016	700110000000000000010	700165000000000000065	700141000000000000041	+24	700145830000000000045.83
Total			70031020000000000001,020	7002557000000000000557	7002247000000000000247	7002216000000000000216	70031885000000000001,885	70031094000000000001,094	+791	700154610000000000054.61

Honours

As player

FC Basel

• Swiss Super League (2): 1971–72, 1972–73
• Swiss Cup (1): 1975

As manager

FC Aarau

• Swiss Cup (1): 1985

Grasshopper

• Swiss Super League (2): 1989–90, 1990–91
• Swiss Cup (2): 1989, 1990
• Swiss Super Cup (1): 1989

Borussia Dortmund

• Bundesliga (2): 1994–95, 1995–96
• DFB-Supercup (2): 1995, 1996
• UEFA Champions League (1): 1996–97

Bayern Munich

• Bundesliga (5): 1998–99, 1999–00, 2000–01, 2002–03, 2007–08
• DFB-Pokal (3): 1999–00, 2002–03, 2007–08
• DFB Ligapokal (4): 1998, 1999, 2000, 2007
• UEFA Champions League (1): 2000–01
• Intercontinental Cup (1): 2001

Individual honours

• 1 Top scorer of Switzerland (1973 with 18 goals)
• 2 World Coach of the Year (1997 and 2001)
• UEFA Coach of the Year 2001
• German Football Manager of the Year 2008
• Voted Bayern Munich's greatest coach ever
• Rated the best Bundesliga-coach of all time
• IFFHS World's Best Club Coach (1997 and 2001)

References

Awards and achievements
Preceded by Marcello Lippi	UEFA Champions League Winning Coach 1996–97	Succeeded by Jupp Heynckes
Preceded by Vicente Del Bosque	UEFA Champions League Winning Coach 2000–01	Succeeded by Vicente Del Bosque