rmlazaroe@yahoo.

com 23 Dec 2024

Hansi Flick (with Jonathan Sierck) - In the Moment:

On Success, the Beauty of the Game, and What Really
Matters in Life

WHAT REALLY MATTERS

August 23, 2020, Lisbon. We’ve been in the country for almost two weeks,
and there’s a palpable tension in the air. When I look into the eyes of my
players, I see great determination and the deep desire to lift this special
trophy. It’s about the Champions League, the most coveted trophy in club
football. For many of them, it would be the rst time. The time hasn’t yet
come to pause and re ect on what has happened over the past 15 months.
First, we have a mission to accomplish.
We want to win every title that can be won in a year. For this goal, we’re all
willing to give everything, each and every one of us. There’s no room for
personal concerns at this stage. The team and our shared goal take
precedence over everything. We support each other, fully convinced that the
time is ripe and that we will reward ourselves for the months of hard work.
When I stand in front of the team, there’s only one thought: “I will do
everything to help these players ful ll their dream.”
They have shown unparalleled cohesion, working with iron will on
themselves, their bodies, and the tactical details during the rst Corona
lockdown phase. They have demonstrated immense professionalism, even
when they had fewer minutes on the pitch, and I already tip my hat to the
mental strength and the way they have handled the high physical and
psychological demands, even before this nal. Being able to work with such
a team lls me with pride and deep gratitude.
Nearly two years earlier, I could never have dreamed of being at this point.
My second tenure at the biggest club in my home region, TSG 1899
Ho enheim, had come to an abrupt end; the following months were like an
odyssey of self-re ection. I was searching for a new, tting challenge. My
thoughts uctuated between getting involved in an innovative sports project
in North America, completely withdrawing from the football business, or
doing nothing at all. Maybe I should just wait until the right challenge
presented itself? It wasn’t an easy phase, but it was extremely important for
me personally. In this book, I want to share the lessons I learned during that
time.
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People in my circle will probably smile when they read the next few lines.
Most of them have likely received a calendar with motivational quotes from
me at some point. I’m drawn to short, concise statements from great
personalities that carry a strong message. One of them goes something like
this: The advantage of hitting rock bottom is that from this point, the only
way is up.
This may sound a bit cliché, but this thought gave me a lot of strength after
my time in Ho enheim. It can be liberating when, at the end of a
collaboration, the counters are reset to zero.
I was reminded of Steve Jobs' great speech at Stanford University in 2005.
In it, he talks, among other things, about the time after he had to leave Apple
for the rst time, and he re ects on the lightness that a fresh start can bring.
He mentions the creativity that the experience unleashed in him. After
processing the pain of perceived failure, Steve Jobs concluded that he still
loved what he did. I felt the same way. My second phase at Ho enheim,
which I will discuss in more detail in the third chapter, brought me back to
myself in a peculiar way. I realized: I belong on the eld. My great passion
lies in being close to the players, being able to support them, building a
team, and pursuing big goals together in daily work. That ful lls me. That’s
where my heart lies.
The foundation for our participation in this somewhat unusual Champions
League play-o tournament format—due to Corona—was laid in the spring.
In the Round of 16, we faced Chelsea London—a very special game for me.
Due to my time with the DFB and the many tournaments I was involved in, I
was well acquainted with the special thrill of knockout games. However, as a
head coach at the club level, it was my rst such game.
We were on a good run, unbeaten in the calendar year 2020, having won all
games except for a single draw. Yet I knew: a lot was riding on this game.
The outcome in the Champions League would signi cantly in uence my
future as a coach at FC Bayern.
The 3-0 away win at Chelsea London was then a great and important
success for the entire team. It was a signal that we would be a force to
reckon with this year. In the following week, we quali ed for the semi nals of
the DFB-Pokal, and ve days later, we won in the Bundesliga against
Augsburg. Then the Corona pandemic caught up with football as well. The
ball was to stop rolling for an inde nite period.
For us, as for everyone in all areas of society, it was a strange and
immensely challenging phase. I tried to live in the moment, to support my
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players and the entire sta team. At the same time, we had to remain on
standby in case the situation changed suddenly and the authorities decided
that play could resume, at least without spectators. More on that later.
We deliberately set o for Lisbon early to have a short training camp on the
Algarve and to acclimatize. Measures like these had always been very
important to me with the national team—they bring the team together,
sharpen the senses, and clear the mind of everyday matters.
Oliver Kahn, Hasan Salihamidžić, and I addressed the team once more,
preparing them for the rst game against Barcelona and for the fact that we
would spend the maximum time in Lisbon—until the nal. Kathleen Krüger
did an outstanding job in selecting our hotel complex. A sensational retreat,
a true oasis of well-being, which did us all a lot of good.
Before the game against Barcelona, I had a good feeling. I knew: We had
trained well, were super prepared, and extremely focused. We had truly done
everything we could. Now it was time to bring that performance onto the
pitch. In such moments, it's my job to support the players, to make them
strong, and to transfer that good feeling to them. Of course, the guys were
already highly motivated: everyone was determined to move forward. No one
wanted to go home after just one game.
The game against Barcelona turned out to be an absolute dream. Manuel
Neuer delivered a world-class performance at the back, as he so often does,
and we were simply on re up front. When we returned to the hotel after the
game, the entire hotel sta greeted us with applause. The team’s exceptional
performance was recognized by everyone. And it truly was a remarkable
performance! However, what impressed me the most after this victory was
the players’ immediate shift back to concentration. We could take a brief
moment to catch our breath that evening, but overall, it was one challenge
after another.
During our entire time in Portugal, I got up every day between 6:30 and 7:00
AM, exercised for an hour, and paid very close attention to my diet. The
players need to perform on the pitch, but we as the coaching sta also need
to take care of our tness and energy levels. I wanted everyone to feel 100%
that I was fully present.
In the semi nals, we faced Lyon, an uncomfortable opponent. The French
team had surprisingly defeated Pep Guardiola's Manchester City—Lyon had
nothing to lose. Such games, where everyone expects you to win, are often
the most dangerous. Once again, I could pay a huge compliment to the team
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because they never lost focus and deservedly prevailed. The players felt it:
We have a great opportunity here; this is our year.
I noticed how, immediately after the game, a group of players, including
Thomas Müller, Leon Goretzka, Joshua Kimmich, and Robert Lewandowski,
gathered around to discuss in detail what could possibly be improved.
Seeing that hunger, that willingness to work on themselves, that complete
identi cation with their job—it's a gift for any coach. It’s simply the key to
reaching a top-level performance as a team.
The tactical meeting for the nal against Paris took place the day before the
game. On the day of the nal, August 23, 2020, I followed my usual rhythm: I
got up early, worked out, had breakfast, and sat down with my coaching
sta to nalize the last details. The players had one last sweat session,
followed by a brief meeting, lunch, and then some personal time. I took a
short nap, swam a few laps in the pool, skipped eating as I always do before
an evening game, and focused on the nal meeting. We had prepared
something very special for that. We went over the nal match plan, and then
we showed a video—an emotional lm with personal statements from the
players’ family members, children, girlfriends, and friends. We had planned
this in advance: If we made it to the nal, we would put together a video with
nal well-wishes and messages for the players. The video was so
impressively done that everyone was deeply moved by it. When I watched
the video in advance with Kathleen for the rst time, both of us had tears in
our eyes.
When it came to the starting lineup, I relied on my gut feeling. Ivan Perišić
had played a great tournament, but my instinct told me: Today, Kingsley
Coman starts. Of course, Ivan was disappointed, but he took it
professionally. He put the team rst. The fact that he came up to me after the
game and said, “Coach, you made the right decision,” shows true greatness
to me.
The joy after the nal whistle was overwhelming, although I didn’t really
notice the commotion around us. I went over to my colleague Thomas
Tuchel, whom I respect greatly, and saw that Neymar was crying. I felt like I
was in a dream. After the press conference, I went back out onto the pitch
and saw David Alaba, Serge Gnabry, and Jo Kimmich sitting in the center
circle with a drum. It was just beautiful—moments like that stay with you for
a lifetime. Silently soaking up moments like these is much more in line with
my nature than loudly expressing my joy.
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A few days later, when I rewatched the game on vacation, what impressed
me most were the scenes showing the substitutes. How they cheered on the
team and seemed ready to burst with joy at the nal whistle—there’s nothing
more beautiful. The fact that the players were able to ful ll their great dream,
that they were so moved and full of emotion, was what I enjoyed the most.
After returning from Lisbon, I wanted to get to my family in the Balearic
Islands as quickly as possible. The moment to pause had come. During the
journey to the beloved island and in the rst days of our vacation together, I
began to realize how lucky I was. What an extraordinary adventure I had just
experienced! I kept thinking: Can someone pinch me, what is actually
happening here?
And as we sat together in a larger group one evening, comfortably enjoying
dinner, I felt the need to share some thoughts with the people I love most.
Life can quickly swing one way and then the other—that’s why it’s so
important to do what truly brings you joy.
I especially said to my daughters and their partners: “Really think about what
you want out of life. Your heart and intuition know exactly what you want.
Trust in your strengths, your passion, and what lies within you. Be open, stay
curious, always learn, and nd your own path.” This message was very close
to my heart. I also emphasized to my wife, who often takes care of everyone
else rst, how important it is to also look after herself, so as not to neglect
her own interests.
Too often, we worry about what might happen in the future or dwell on what
didn’t go well in the past. But I draw a lot of strength and joy from fully
experiencing and enjoying each moment as much as possible. I don’t know if
I’m speaking only for myself, but I feel happiest and most alive when I’m fully
present—in the here and now.
That’s why I’m writing this book at this stage. When Jonathan and I rst
started talking about a possible book project, I thought, “It’s too early.” But
as the idea matured, the need I felt that evening in the Balearic Islands—to
share certain messages and insights—grew stronger. My career as a
professional player, small business owner, assistant coach and head coach
at top European clubs, sporting director, and now as national coach has
taught me a lot. I’ve had the privilege of lifting the World Cup and the
Champions League trophy, experienced dismissals rsthand, and have
known both the greatest joys and deepest pains, professionally and
personally.
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As I’ve occasionally shared these experiences in smaller and larger circles,

I’ve increasingly felt a resonance. From my wife, I’ve learned that opening up
to others can open doors. It creates connections, can give courage, and
ideally sparks a thought in someone that leads to a new attitude, more
conscious actions, and a new perspective. To a small change in life.
This is my goal and my wish for this book, and above all, for you, dear
readers. I want to take you on a journey that goes far beyond football. A
journey where we talk about enduring values, about friendship, trust,
appreciation, loyalty, and the special support found in family. About teams
and leadership, failure and perseverance, and living in the here and now.
I wish you much joy in reading!

Yours,
Hansi Flick
rmlazaroe@yahoo.com 23 Dec 2024

CHAPTER 1
WHAT FOOTBALL HAS TAUGHT ME

Football has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. As a child,
my father was forbidden from playing, but as an adult, he pursued his great
passion as a player and fan as often as possible. Now that my grandmother
is no longer with us, I can reveal that even as a child, my father occasionally
managed to sneak away and play a bit of football despite the prohibition.
He played for our village team in Mückenloch, and I still remember how
much I loved polishing his shoes before the games and then watching him
play. He played in every position, from striker to goalkeeper to sweeper; my
father truly came alive on the football pitch. He seemed free and carefree,
and even as a young boy, I was fascinated by what this sport could do to
people.
I was always there and immediately felt drawn to this special game. I started
kicking the ball myself when I was ve years old, and the enthusiasm that
started back then has stayed with me to this day. I have given football
everything I have: heart, e ort, will, sweat, blood, tears, time, and a great
deal of patience. In return, football has enriched my life and taught me many
things that I wouldn’t have wanted to miss.

The Positive Feedback Loop

For me, life is about discovering your passion and developing your skills and
strengths accordingly. If you can also make a living from it and support your
family, then you’ve already checked o a major milestone in life. How
ambitious you are, how far you want to go, and what price you’re willing to
pay is something everyone has to decide for themselves.
For me, it was clear early on: I wanted to get the most out of myself and was
willing to give up a lot. When my schoolmates went to parties in the
evenings, I stayed home to prepare for the next day. I already valued getting
enough sleep back then and wrote out training plans for the week, which I
reviewed before going to bed. Later, when I was a professional at Bayern,
Lothar Matthäus often found it amusing how early I went to sleep.
As a child and teenager, I used every free minute to train. I was fully focused
on football. My father welcomed and supported this. Often, he trained with
my brother and me together. We would go to more secluded sports elds to
be undisturbed. We arrived with several footballs in tow and practiced the
basics over and over: passing with both feet, shooting until we dropped,
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and, not to be forgotten, endurance and tness. The goals had no nets, and
my father always made me run to retrieve the ball. Because we worked so
often on my technique, I had several strengths to draw on as a young player:
I had very clean ball control and made very few ball losses in one-on-one
situations. The training sessions with my father were often intense and long.
And I was ambitious. The extensive training set o a positive feedback loop
—as one might say today. The central lesson was: hard work and diligence
pay o . This early realization was worth its weight in gold. I internalized it so
deeply that it became a part of my nature. For me, it was always clear: If I
want something, I have to put in the e ort. As cliché as it may sound, there is
no shortcut to the top.
And when you later see the results of your honest work, you don’t even want
to have taken a shortcut. The hard work becomes part of that positive
feedback loop because you know: I walked every step myself and earned
the results on my own.

Taking Responsibility
One of the most important lessons football has taught me is the concept of
personal responsibility. It’s always easy to blame external circumstances
when something doesn’t go right. It’s often the coach’s fault, or maybe the
weather, but never your own. Of course, we all have di erent circumstances
and backgrounds as we embark on our journeys. But the attitude with which
we face challenges and what we make of them is always our own. We are
responsible for our own lives.
I can still clearly remember my Bundesliga debut. After my move from
Sandhausen to Bayern Munich, it took several months before the time nally
came. I felt that I wasn’t far o , that I was close to the level of the others, but
I had to be patient week after week, making do with either the stands or the
bench.
At some point, I gathered my courage and approached our assistant coach,
Egon Coordes. I asked, “What am I still lacking? How can I improve?” I
wanted to hear an honest opinion, while also signaling to him that I felt I
wasn’t any worse than the others. He agreed with my perspective. But he
also said, “Hansi, you need to play with more robustness and physicality to
make it into the starting lineup.”
Two weeks after that conversation, I made my debut. From the very next
training session, I tried to implement everything Egon Coordes had told me—
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and it paid o . Even the experienced players noticed the change, supported
me, and praised my extra e ort.
The announcement by head coach Udo Lattek that I would be in the starting
lineup was incredible. During the nal meeting, he took a brief detour into the
animal kingdom and explained the hierarchy in a wolf pack: “When the old
wolves get a little weaker, the young wolves try to take over their territory.
And that’s how it is with us. Today, Hansi will play.”
I immediately ran up to my room, called my parents and Silke, and told them
that I would be playing from the start. It was truly an amazing feeling.

ONLY WHEN I TAKE THE INITIATIVE, DOES SOMETHING CHANGE.

I believe that if I hadn’t spoken to Egon Coordes back then, I would have
eventually become frustrated sitting on the bench. There’s a logic behind this
experience that I still trust today: In the rst step, you express something. In
the second step, you receive feedback. With that feedback, you can work on
the third step.
What’s crucial is that the rst step comes from oneself. If I want something, I
need to make that clear in my communication and actions. Whether it’s
resolving a con ict or developing my skills, I’ve learned through football that
I can initiate change as soon as I take the initiative. And conversely, only
when I take the initiative does something change.
If I had waited for someone to take pity on me and put me in the starting
lineup, I might never have played in the Bundesliga. I would have eventually
joined a second-division club, which had already shown interest at the time.
Equally important are the second and third steps: the feedback that you
shouldn’t just let bounce o you thoughtlessly. If I had thought at the time, “I
don’t agree, I’ll keep training as I have been,” I wouldn’t have played. But
because the coach and assistant coach saw how seriously I took their
feedback, the desired change became my new reality. I was able to prove
myself in the game and played every subsequent match until my lung injury.

The Right Perspective

The mental aspect of football fascinates me to this day. I’ve seen so many
times how immense talents, who had everything in terms of physicality,
tactical understanding, and technical nesse, failed because of the mental
component and their self-doubt!
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The intensive foundational work in extra sessions with my father helped me

immensely in trusting my own abilities. Good training is, for me, the
foundation for being able to deliver your best performance in a game. The
game is practically just a con rmation that the training was good and
correct. If I’ve trained something thousands of times, I automatically build
skill and quality. And from that comes genuine self-con dence.
As a youth player, I always felt a certain tension before games—during the
warm-up. But as soon as the game started, that feeling disappeared, and I
simply enjoyed the moment and trusted myself. From then on, it was just
about delivering my performance on the pitch. Neither as a youth nor as a
professional player was I greatly in uenced by the presence of spectators.
You just enter the zone, fully focused on the task, and everything around you
fades away.
In my view, con dence in one’s own strength should be even more
encouraged in football. When I review the game scenes with the players
afterward, I often see that they focus rst on what they did wrong. Here, I
consciously try to work on changing that perspective. I often ask myself:
Why not focus rst on what’s already going well? Why not strengthen the
positives and then, once self-con dence is established, address the
perceived weaknesses? How can healthy self-con dence develop if I’m
always looking for what didn’t go well? Constantly searching for mistakes is
hardly conducive to sustainable success and long-term player development.
No one performs better with shattered con dence than with full con dence.
When I played for Sandhausen’s A-Youth team, our biggest competitors
were always Karlsruhe and Mannheim. These were derbies, with a lot at
stake, and the atmosphere was accordingly heated. I loved such games. I
knew the opposing players from the Baden regional team, where the best
players from the region—including those from Karlsruhe and Mannheim—
trained together. Playing against them was always an extra motivation.
On the eld, I had a particularly good connection with my teammate Rainer
Zietsch, who also went on to have a Bundesliga career. He was an excellent
dribbler, and I was a mid elder in the youth team and was able to score
some crucial goals for us. As a duo, we worked perfectly together, eventually
becoming a well-oiled machine—we liked to see ourselves as Paul Breitner
and Kalle Rummenigge of that time.
Perhaps that’s why FC Bayern Munich took notice of me. At a game against
Ludwigsburg, Egon Coordes came by to scout. We lost 4-1. Although sports
are primarily de ned by results, I had already developed my mindset: As long
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as I give everything, I can’t reproach myself. Fortunately, Munich seemed to

see it similarly, which led to me signing a contract with my favorite club just a
few weeks later.

A Better Position
My love for football was deepened by the special sense of togetherness that
this sport fosters. Football teaches you from a young age: Alone, you are
fundamentally weaker than you are as part of a team. The further you
progress and the more successful you become, the more important it is that
your immediate environment also becomes part of the team.
The support I received from my extended family and circle of friends
continues to carry me to this day. I cannot thank them enough. The way my
parents, my brother, my wife, my in-laws, my children, and my friends have
unconditionally supported me—both during di cult times and when things
were going really well—moves me deeply. They often made sacri ces so that
I could do my job as well as possible.
I have particularly fond memories of the camaraderie within our team in
Sandhausen. We had an extremely diverse team with a wide range of
personalities and player types, and an excellent coach, Dietmar Greulich. It
was wonderful to see how well we functioned as a team, despite our
di erences. We had di erent interests and were very di erent types of
people. One liked to knit, the next enjoyed making music, some were loud,
cheeky, and extroverted, while others were quieter but explosive on the
pitch. We truly had everything in this team. And it was a special joy during
that time to play on the same team as my brother.
In the A-Youth league, we became Baden champions and even had the
chance to compete for the German championship afterward. For our last
game in the regular round, when it was already clear that we had won the
championship, we rode our bikes together from our villages to the game. I
lived the furthest away, so we arranged to meet in the morning and then
cycled for almost an hour together to our match. That was a fantastic time
for me, being part of a top team with really good players and great
personalities, such as Rainer and Stefan Emmerling, with whom I got along
wonderfully both on and o the pitch. It was a formative time for me,
something that only team sports can provide in this way.
This sense of togetherness de nes football for me. The "we." The level that
is greater than the "I." Achieving goals together is the ultimate motivation for
me: when everyone contributes everything they have so that in the end,
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everyone is successful. Winning together, as well as sharing the pain after

bitter defeats, creates a strong bond. Experiencing this as a child was an
important life lesson. Looking out for each other, respecting one another,
recognizing others' strengths, and accepting mistakes—football teaches this
even at the lower youth levels.
A central concern that I try to instill: I want to give players the courage to
break out of the norm. I believe this will become increasingly important in the
future—both in sports and in society. We should trust young people,
strengthen their abilities, so that—in football terms—they can create
moments of surprise instead of just trying to t into a mold.
If we place too much emphasis on conformity, nothing new can emerge. We
cannot loudly demand innovation and change while only focusing on
mistakes, only rewarding safety, and resting on the laurels of past successes.
We must dare to occasionally fail because we were bold.
Only in this way can we gradually raise the bar. As individuals and as a team,
as an organization and society, we need the patience and con dence to
leave a comfortable position in order to take up a better one.

Celebrating Football as Art

The most beautiful game of my career was one that we lost, but the memory
of it will always stay with me. It was the UEFA Cup semi nal in 1989 in
Naples, and the entire day was a highlight. We were staying in a fantastic
hotel near Mount Vesuvius with a breathtaking view of the sea. The
atmosphere in the city was unique. The stadium was completely sold out
with nearly 80,000 passionate fans, and the Napoli team, led by the
superstar Diego Maradona, delivered an outstanding performance.
Sometimes football transcends the level of mere sport and becomes an art
form—when everyone plays their role perfectly, when you enter a ow, and
the chemistry between players is just right. It’s like an orchestra, where the
conductor has nely tuned everything and the individual players exceed their
limits through their collaboration.
That’s how this game felt for me. Playing against Maradona and then
exchanging jerseys with him afterward was a special highlight of my career. I
had never encountered a player of his caliber on the pitch before. His
movements, his ease, and his technique were inimitable. Even as an
opponent, you have to acknowledge and admire the remarkable abilities of
such a player.
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This game might have also imprinted itself so deeply in my memory because
of the scar next to my left eye that I got during it. Early in the game, I took an
elbow to the face and thought my cheekbone was broken. I noticed how
much I was bleeding, got stitched up immediately, had a bandage put on,
and was able to continue playing.
In the next situation, I got a yellow card for a tackle, and at halftime, I was
treated again—the wound was stitched up once more—everything happened
in quick succession. The emotions, the joy of the fans, the class of the
opponent, and our own performance—it all came together. Such experiences
touch me deeply. In moments like these, I feel electri ed and full of gratitude
and humility toward life.
Football has taught me: Fairness and recognizing others are more important
than personal victory. Of course, like any other competitor, I always want to
win. But the sport has shown me that mutual respect, acknowledging the
e orts of others, and holding onto your own values matter more in the long
run than an overly obsessive ght for victory. I've learned more from defeats
than from victories anyway.

Targeted Feedback as the Basis for Faster Improvement

A scientist I particularly admire is the Swede Karl Anders Ericsson. Until his
death, he taught at Florida State University and spent more than four
decades studying a speci c question: "How can one achieve world-class
level in a eld through targeted training?”
His research and the methodology derived from it served as a source of
inspiration for me. One approach that Ericsson particularly emphasized is the
type and frequency of feedback from the coach. Without targeted, regular
feedback, players' performance stagnates.
I took this insight to heart. When I work with players, I try to keep the pace of
our feedback as high as possible with my coaching team. In coordinating
striker training at FC Bayern with Hermann Gerland, Danny Röhl, and
Miroslav Klose, we observed which strikers could improve through speci c
nuances. Based on this, we developed specialized training for the strikers,
where they had to practice challenging shots on goal at a high frequency.
Afterward, they received immediate feedback from us—then the next round
began. We introduced new stimuli, provided feedback, planned recovery
periods, and gradually raised the already extremely high level.
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Once, while I was watching Robert Lewandowski at work and admiring his
exceptional talent, I went up to him and asked, "Do you know how high the
all-time goal record in a Bundesliga season set by Gerd Müller is?”
He laughed and said, "Around 40 goals, I think.”
The record was considered a mark for eternity. But I told Lewy, "You’ll break
it.”
His ambition, his unwavering will, his athleticism, and his e ort in every
training session left no doubt: if anyone could do it, it was him. Today, that
record belongs to him with 41 goals in a season—he has more than earned
it. He is a professional through and through, always striving to improve and
immediately implementing feedback.
In the national team, we set up a Player’s Lounge to provide players with
quick, direct feedback. The Lounge is a digital platform where coaches and
players can schedule meetings. A video sequence from a game featuring the
player is uploaded for them to watch before the meeting. In a joint video call,
the player, the analyst, and the responsible coach review the sequence
together, the player assesses their actions and behavior, and then receives
immediate feedback.
My core belief, based on Ericsson's research, is: The closer a player's action
and the feedback from us coaches are in time, the better and faster the
development takes place. We introduce new stimuli and give impulses for
the next game situation or training session, which can then be implemented
directly. We also involve the Bundesliga head coaches to strengthen
communication between clubs and the national team and to work together
on a model that bene ts everyone.
After all, we all have the same goal: we want to help the players get even
better at their work. We want to develop talent, build their con dence, and
instill in them the belief that they will achieve their next goal. That is our job
as responsible parties: to instill trust, provide honest feedback, and achieve
goals together. And ideally, to have fun while doing it.

Step by Step
When I look back on my career, all the e ort and many hours of solitary
training were worth it. As we know, hindsight is always clearer. No one can
know in advance whether the tens of thousands of hours of work will
eventually pay o . You need patience and perseverance if you want to make
it in the professional world. I sincerely hope that these qualities are not lost in
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today’s fast-paced world, where everything seems to be immediately

available.
Life has taught me that the most important things take time. Friendships,
love, and exceptional achievements have their own pace and cannot be
forced. Not knowing beforehand whether hard work will pay o also has a
certain appeal, I think. As a supporter of young talents and an enthusiastic
athlete, I hope that there will always be enough brave individuals in the
younger generation who are willing to put their whole heart into something,
even though they don't know: Will it be worth it?
My approach to career planning has always been: Step by step. Don’t rush.
Do what is necessary to get to the next level. Don’t, out of impatience, put
the second step before the rst.
I had the opportunity as a coach to skip the B-license and go straight to the
A-license. However, I decided against this step because, after my sports-
related disability, there was no rush. I was in my late twenties, a new father,
and at that point, I wasn’t quite sure what I would do next. It's every
footballer’s nightmare that a single action in a game could mean the end of
their career. For me, that bitter reality came true in 1993 after I tore my
cruciate ligament in a match against Borussia Dortmund.
I had expected to play until my early or mid-thirties and now had to adjust.
Since my youth, I had been fortunate to be trained by great coaches, and I
found the profession appealing even during my playing career. I was able to
learn a lot from my coaches and eventually thought to myself: That’s
something I want to do too.
One thing was clear to me from the beginning: I wanted to build my coaching
career carefully and not risk burning out quickly. I deliberately took on my
rst coaching role as a player-coach in a lower league to practically test what
I had learned from coaching courses. I wanted to develop a sense of what
suited me. How exactly did I want to play football? How should I assemble
teams? What kind of coach did I want to be?
To answer these questions, I needed to try out di erent things. I wanted to
approach it step by step to avoid making all the mistakes that inevitably
come with it in the public eye.
I approached these questions from two angles. On one hand, I looked inward
and tried to remember every situation with my coaches that had particularly
in uenced me—both positively and negatively. I re ected on why those
situations were so impactful and what aspects of them might t my own
approach.
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The appreciation and sensitivity in interpersonal relationships shown by Jupp

Heynckes were high on my list. I also noted down in large letters the
enthusiasm and creation of a team spirit, as my rst youth coach, Uwe
Goldenbow, had achieved. That felt right to me. At the same time, I wanted
to take advantage of the fresh start and ll the blank slate as impartially as
possible. I didn’t want to copy anyone but instead nd my own approach,
and I could only do that by trying many things and being honest with myself.
If something didn’t suit me, I had to let it go, even if I liked the idea behind it.
It's like in chess: If I prefer to attack and play aggressively, I shouldn’t force
myself to play like a tactical grandmaster who wears down opponents—even
if I nd the style of play brilliant. It just doesn’t t.
I’ve always tried to listen to my gut—in football, in business, and in
relationships. I’ve always thought: If everything inside me immediately says
that I want to do something, then I must do it. If I have even a hint of doubt,
then it’s important to re ect and reconsider.
When it comes to my fundamental footballing and tactical approach,
everything inside me immediately said: I stand for bold, o ensive football,
with daring counter-pressing and creative solutions. I trust my players and
expect them to take the initiative and try something new, even if it means
risking mistakes. Defensive strategies like "parking the bus," as the English
say, playing it safe, and pure tactics don’t align with my nature or my vision
of the game. I had this mindset from the beginning of my coaching career
and have since worked consistently to re ne it and to continue developing
my idea of the perfect game.
I still clearly remember my rst team meeting as a coach—back then in
Bammental. That was something very special for me. Standing in front of a
group for the rst time, some of whom were older than me, was, in hindsight,
de nitely a career highlight. And it was the right decision to take my rst
steps as a coach in Bammental. I felt ideally prepared for the next stage.
With the next challenges, I never thought: I’m not ready for this yet. This is
too big a step.
It’s the same when planning a tournament or a season. It makes sense to
think game by game and focus on what’s next. Why should I worry about
something that’s far o in the future? By doing so, you only take away the
chance to deliver the best possible performance in the here and now.
We made that mistake, for example, in the semi nal against Italy at the 2012
European Championship: we rested players like Miroslav Klose and Thomas
Müller because we were already thinking ahead—to the nal. But it was
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precisely because of this that we couldn’t take the next step, as we lost. This
led to the model I’ve followed ever since: focus on what’s currently at hand
and prepare as best as possible.

A Lifetime of Learning
Football has turned my life into an exciting adventure. And the best part is:
I’m still in the middle of it. I constantly get to experience new things and
learn new things. Even in the later stages of my career, I’ve always seen
myself as a curious learner, who openly seeks new impulses and never stops
learning.
When I learn something new, I feel alive and happy.
I’ve always enjoyed observing others and still do so today. I like to be
inspired by my colleagues’ approaches and ask myself: How can I
implement that for myself? What ts with my approach? What ts less well
and why not?
For example, I enjoy visiting Pep Guardiola in Manchester or watching
Thomas Tuchel during his time at Paris Saint-Germain because I nd it
fascinating how they work with their teams, how they come up with solutions
for the next game, and how they think about football in general. I then try to
apply these insights to my own work and football philosophy. This way, I
continually develop. I see contrasts and similarities, see what others do
di erently, and ask myself how these di erences relate to my own model. If
something doesn’t t with me, I consider why that is and learn something
new through the distinction. And if something does t, it reinforces my
approach.
I am very grateful to my colleagues for maintaining such an open approach.
This is something I really appreciate about the coaching profession—in the
end, we simply love the same game and enjoy philosophizing about it
together, without being overly worried that the other might get too deep a
look at our strategies. The open, con dential conversation among fellow
coaches is a particularly enjoyable aspect of daily football life for me—
without airs, without pretension, without any vanity.
I especially like to think back to a moment with my esteemed assistant
coach at FC Bayern, Hermann Gerland. For me, it perfectly exempli es how
one can be on the right path and in harmony with their strengths and
passion. This occurred during a challenging phase of my time as head coach
in Munich. Everything was going well on the eld, but the lockdown and the
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rst weeks and months of the COVID-19 pandemic were lled with
uncertainty, additional e orts, and detailed safety protocols.
It was a damp, chilly morning at Säbener Straße when the two of us walked
out onto the pitch to prepare for training, and from the depths of my heart, I
said, “Hey, Hermann, isn’t it just awesome what we get to do here? It’s cold,
but the sun is slowly coming out, we’re in the fresh air, training with young
people who have immense qualities, and we get to help them develop just a
little bit more and accompany them on their journey.”
In that moment, I felt so ful lled because everything that brings me joy came
together: supporting others in their development, working with a fantastic
team that brings diverse skills to achieve our shared goals.
That I was able to pass on this attitude to one or two players makes me
especially happy. After Thiago left us at Bayern to join Jürgen Klopp at
Liverpool, I received a signed jersey from him. On it, he wrote: Enjoy your
passion—thanks for teaching me that.
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CHAPTER 2
FOOTBALL, ROLE MODELS, AND RESPONSIBILITY

Being able to work in professional football means, for me, giving back as
much as possible. Everyone who earns their living in football today was once
on the other side, dreaming of full stadiums and cheering fans. As a child or
teenager, the greatest thrill was getting close to your idols, perhaps getting
an autograph or even exchanging a few words.
I experienced this myself when I was 15 years old. Bayern Munich had come
to play a friendly match against VfR Mannheim, and I got to watch it live in
the stadium. After the game, a huge crowd gathered in front of the Bayern
bus, as everyone wanted to get as close to the big stars as possible. My idol
at the time, Kalle Rummenigge, had been substituted out of the game a bit
earlier and was already sitting on the bus. I gathered my courage and walked
straight up to the open door by the driver. Since no one stopped me, I
actually got on the bus. The driver was Rudi Egerer, who later became the
team bus driver during my playing career, and in the front row, I saw Kalle
sitting. A bit shyly, I asked him for an autograph, and Kalle signed a card for
me. No one told me I had no business being on the bus.
He laughed when I told him the story many years later.
That moment made me happy. It meant the world to me to get that
autograph, to see Kalle in person, and to speak with him brie y. The feeling
and joy I experienced back then have stayed with me. To this day, that
experience serves as a gentle reminder of the impact we footballers can
have on others. We have a responsibility as role models and must continue
to pass the light forward. Someone made us happy; we make others happy.
It's a positive domino e ect that I’m more than happy to be a part of.

In the Mirror of Society

Once, I was asked at a conference how it feels to share my job as national
coach with millions of other amateur coaches. In hindsight, I asked myself: If
there wasn’t such enthusiasm for this sport, would I even have this job?
First and foremost, I’m delighted that so many people take an interest in
what I do. It motivates me and lls me with pride. Naturally, the joy is limited
after a defeat, but failures are also part of life, and I accept the inevitable
criticism that then rains down on us from all sides. It’s part of the business.
It’s okay if my decisions are questioned and many believe they would have
known better. Football holds a high place in our country.
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Football is often referred to as a mirror of society. When I rst heard this

metaphor, I thought of my beginnings: the childlike joy of kicking a ball back
and forth with my father. The fresh air, the smell of a freshly cut lawn, the
sweat-soaked jersey. Football is, above all, something that brings immense
joy to millions of people around the world. Something simple and pure that
brings fun and builds bridges.
My rst real friendships were formed on the playground. In our small village,
which had only 1,200 inhabitants, it felt like all the children played football.
My rst painful defeats happened in football, but so did my rst great
moments of happiness—like when I realized I was getting better and could
already keep up with the older kids. It’s a really good feeling when you’re a
little boy and the older kids ask if you want to play with them.
And eventually, if—like in my case—you really catch the bug, you start
playing for a club. For the rst time, you become part of a team with which
you begin to identify, a sense of belonging develops, and at the same time,
the competition begins. At rst, it’s like the school sports days, where
everyone gets a participation certi cate at the end—everyone gets to play,
there’s lots of rotation, and it’s all about having fun.
But then, football soon enters the selection process. In the rst youth teams,
targeted talent development begins. Coaches try to identify and nurture
potential, and in many cases, the parents are even more ambitious than their
children. Larger clubs start recruiting players across the region even before
their tenth birthday.
You start training more, the commitment increases, and you gradually feel:
It’s getting serious. Coaches demand more, the parents’ tension rises during
important games, and the competition for a spot in the starting lineup
intensi es.
You often hear the phrase: You should be eleven friends. But those who truly
pursue the dream of professional football seriously know: We can’t all make
it.
Personally, I never actually felt it as pressure. The joy of playing was always
greater because I was never someone who worried about every possible
outcome. For me, playing football always meant the greatest possible
freedom. I felt like I had found my element and just wanted to have a good
time on the pitch.
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Let's Talk About Money

I have to be fair and say that the business was di erent when I rst ventured
into club football in the 1970s. It was more about the sport itself, and the
systems were much simpler. That remained true even when I broke into the
professional ranks.
During my time at Bayern Munich, we had a squad of at most 20 players and
a small, manageable team around us. We didn’t have things like a
goalkeeper coach, an analyst, let alone an entire analysis team—none of that
existed. Despite that, our training conditions were excellent. We had a
recovery area with a cold pool, hot bath, sauna, and physiotherapy—in other
words, we lacked nothing back then either. It was all just a bit more compact
and smaller.
Today, some clubs have nearly twice as many players as we did in my time. I
actually see this as a disadvantage for training and the quality of
development because the atmosphere within the team is di erent, and I have
to look after signi cantly more people and their well-being.
Sometimes I wonder if there is a connection between this development and
the declining number of children playing football and joining clubs in
Germany. Or have the digital world and e-sports now surpassed the appeal
of real gameplay? That would, of course, be more than unfortunate. As a
national coach, I also want to work towards ensuring that boys and girls nd
a new enthusiasm for the sport and that there are always enough role
models worth emulating.
Sometimes I can’t quite grasp it myself, that in the football business, we
reach so many people all over the world. With every game, we ignite new
hopes, evoke joy, disbelief, and sorrow. Fan cultures are as old as the sport
itself, but through social media, our in uence has reached an entirely
di erent level.
The statements of athletes can suddenly have signi cant political impacts.
This is even more pronounced in America than it is here, but even here,
players are aware of the power of their messages. With this leverage comes
a certain responsibility. As a public gure, I’ve consciously avoided social
media so far and mostly stay out of the players' activities in that realm. For
me, it’s primarily important that everyone behaves in a way that allows them
to perform at their best. However, this also means they need to recognize
what bene ts them and what harms them—whether it’s in their use of social
media or in their approach to nutrition and physical health.
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From time to time, I remind the players that millions of people look up to
them and that they are living the dream of countless children. I think it’s
important to keep this in mind repeatedly.

The Growth of Commercialization

During my time as a professional, the commercialization of football
increasingly took hold and has now reached levels I could never have
imagined. When I was a player, you would primarily see Uli Hoeneß, Karl
Hopfner, and an assistant at Bayern’s o ce. Today, it’s a global enterprise
with several hundred employees. You have to acknowledge that Uli did
pioneering work for our sport, elevating the entire industry to a new level.
Internally, we certainly discuss the economic conditions of our sport. One
example is the 50+1 rule. So far, it has prevented the nancial world and
investors from gaining control over clubs and ultimately having the nal say.
In the Bundesliga, this has led to stable conditions. In my view, in the early
2000s, Gerhard Mayer-Vorfelder, Wolfgang Holzhäuser, and Wilfried Straub
managed to strike a balance between the necessary modernization and the
desirable preservation of positive traditional values in our football. Today, the
Bundesliga is in a strong position in Europe, and many countries envy us for
our modern stadiums, the large crowds, and above all, the unique fan
communities of our clubs, who stand by their teams with incredible passion
and enthusiasm in both good and bad times. Time and again, smaller clubs
with modest budgets, like SC Freiburg or Union Berlin, rise to the top within
this system without external funds. We must absolutely preserve these
opportunities for such well-run clubs.
The argument that clubs from other countries, such as England, where the
50+1 rule does not exist, could leave us behind in terms of sporting success
is understandable. The fact is: With more money, I can attract better players
because I can o er higher salaries. However, my football-romantic heart tells
me something else: German football stands on solid ground, will always be
competitive, and the DFL has done excellent work under Christian Seifert in
recent years, securing good deals regarding television rights, for example.
And more importantly: The widespread belief that everyone in the football
business only follows the money is something I cannot fully agree with. I
have had countless conversations with various players and their parents and
have come to a di erent conclusion. There are always exceptions that prove
the rule—people who are solely motivated by money. But the narrative that
transfers fall through because a player was o ered too little often tells only
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half the story. In most cases, this "too little" cannot be measured in money.
It’s more about how a player is treated, how communication with him and his
environment is handled, and most importantly, how much he is made to feel
important—a crucial element in the planning of the coach and the club.
If you explain to players, their families, or agents honestly about the club's
situation, the plans in place, and why certain decisions are made—
essentially, if you involve them in the club's considerations—you build
understanding and strengthen mutual respect.
The player feels: I am being taken seriously. They are being honest with me.
A "take it or leave it" attitude in negotiations only alienates the player—even
if a gigantic sum is o ered. On the other hand, if the club makes the player
feel: "We need you here—we can be successful together!" then he is often
willing to turn down a better nancial o er. Players are human beings and
want to be treated as such.

PLAYERS ARE HUMAN BEINGS AND WANT TO BE TREATED AS SUCH.

I transferred to Cologne as a player in 1990 because Christoph Daum

inspired me so much. I would have walked from Munich to Cologne for him. I
turned down a better nancial o er because I was determined to play under
him. Daum presented me with a vision for my career that resonated with me.
In our discussions, he explained where I needed to improve and where I had
particular strengths that I could leverage even more. He said to me, "I’ll make
you a national player.”
That he was dismissed before the rst Bundesliga match of the new season
was, of course, a bitter pill for me as a player. Nevertheless, he was a coach
who could compensate for the mentioned "too little" with other factors.
When I look at fan culture in Germany and the consistently sold-out
stadiums, I can only say: We’re doing many things right here with our
traditions and love for the sport. A recent prime example is Eintracht
Frankfurt's impressive 2021/22 Europa League season and the immense
support from their fans, which gave me goosebumps.

A Vision: Thinking Football Into the Future

During my break from early 2018 to the summer of 2019, I had several in-
depth discussions with Prof. Matthias Lochmann from FAU Erlangen-
Nürnberg. Matthias developed a new concept for talent development,
inspired by the work of Horst Wein. It focuses, among other things, on
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actively involving all players in training, prioritizing fun, and fostering

creativity. Some may know this approach as “FUNino."
There are signi cantly more game forms, smaller playing elds, and a
departure from the rigid 7-a-side format in youth football that later transitions
to 11-a-side. This approach enhances the joy of playing and the ability to win
one-on-one situations, something that is increasingly needed in modern
German football. The often-cited typical German virtues are easy to develop:
we can work hard, march forward, win duels and aerial battles. Mentally and
athletically, we are usually very strong. However, to remain competitive in the
medium and long term, we must promote creative play and put fun at the
forefront. Only then will enough children continue to feel motivated to join a
club.
In many areas, the pandemic served as an accelerator of change. I explicitly
welcome this. The ve substitutions we’ve been allowed to make per game
since May 2020 greatly aid in managing players' workload and improve the
team atmosphere. More players can be brought into the game—this o ers
signi cantly more exibility, especially during periods of heavy workload with
many midweek matches.
It’s often not easy to change existing rules in football because we value our
traditions and like to hold onto them. However, I would still appreciate it if we
could be more open to discussing which changes might be bene cial for our
game. Temporary suspensions for certain tactical fouls— instead of yellow
cards—would be an interesting topic, in my opinion. Such a new rule would
bring even more dynamism to the game and enable power plays, similar to
those in other sports like handball or ice hockey. This would certainly be
exciting for the fans.
Another worthwhile consideration would be a creative solution to combat the
often frustrating time-wasting tactics. In this regard, I believe other sports are
ahead of us in terms of their dynamism and willingness to innovate.
The metaphor of football as a mirror of society is often used in a negative
context— for example, when fan groups overstep boundaries and incidents
occur that have no place in football. Nevertheless, I also see something
positive in this metaphor: the unifying element.
This was particularly evident to me during the 2010 and 2014 World Cups in
South Africa and Brazil. Football brought people together. In South Africa, for
instance, people of all races, di erent tribes, age groups, and levels of
wealth embraced each other when Siphiwe Tshabalala scored the opening
goal against Mexico. We were able to witness this live with our entire team,
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and I must say: It evokes a powerful feeling in me when I see what football
can bring out in people. Sometimes, it brings out the best in us and brings us
together. This aspect of our profession is something I truly love.

The Pandemic as a Catalyst

The pandemic of the last few years has brought into sharp focus the
privileges and responsibilities we carry in professional football. Despite
occasional violations of the regulations, I always felt that the pandemic
taught many in professional football a sense of humility. The fact that we
were able to return to our jobs so quickly and that our losses remained
relatively manageable often felt like a gift. During this time, my regular
message to the team was: "Let’s play good football so that people at home
can have some fun and something to look forward to.”
The saying that the pandemic is like an X-ray machine is quite apt. It
provides a transparent view of our systems, structures, and crises, while also
revealing the good in us. I nd this last point particularly important because
it’s often said that crises and tough times bring out the worst in people. My
experience and my view of humanity resist this pessimistic perspective.
I have an unwavering belief in the good in people. This applies even in times
of crisis like these. The pandemic as a global crisis, just like the inhumane
war of aggression in Ukraine, has inspired countless people to surpass
themselves in their compassion for others. They serve as courageous role
models for their communities and many others. The solidarity and cohesion
are touching and give us all hope.
The actions of the players—like "WeKickCorona," initiated by Leon Goretzka
and Joshua Kimmich—have shown that we stand together. I believe that a
hidden gift of the pandemic may be that many people have realized just how
much joy can come from giving and helping.
On a personal level, the pandemic reinforced my belief that I always try to
make the best out of any situation. As a team, we saw the pandemic as a
huge opportunity to work on the basics and, above all, on our physical
condition during the season. On the same day the lockdown was
announced, we sat down with the team leadership and developed a plan for
how we could continue to reach the players, support them through play and
virtual interactions, and keep them engaged.
It was particularly important to us to maintain morale and convey a sense of
lightness despite the unfamiliar situation. Our bus drivers delivered
equipment to the players' homes, and we immediately went on the o ensive.
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As a coach, I was thrilled to see how hard the boys worked and how
professionally they used the time to address physical de ciencies. The daily
interactions, joint sports sessions, and the fun factor—especially when
former teammates like Bastian Schweinsteiger joined in for a session—were
very bonding. This was good for us as a unit.
When the rst easing of restrictions came and we were allowed to start
training in small groups, we coaches regularly spent more than six hours on
the pitch, working with each group. The sessions were staggered to ensure
that the groups did not overlap. Overall, I felt a sense of relief and gratitude
that we could return to our jobs in the fresh air. I believe that sometimes such
a contrast can be helpful in sharpening our senses and reigniting a new
passion for our work and professional life.
The organizational e orts of Kathleen Krüger and the work of the entire sta
team need to be highlighted once again. Everyone pitched in. For example,
the groundskeepers drew hundreds of lines and boundaries to ensure we
adhered to every rule. The coaching team did world-class work, and it was
truly amazing to see how the players kept up with it and pushed each other.
Everyone went to their limits and even asked for extra sessions in the end.
This hunger motivates me as a coach to give everything for my team. The
fact that we trained so well and intensively during this time carried us
through the following months and laid the foundation for our success. The
tness level of the professionals was absolutely impressive, thanks to the
outstanding planning by our athletic director Holger Broich and his team. I
had the feeling that we were better prepared than anyone else, and the team
shared this feeling. It gave us additional con dence. The key is to make the
most of the given circumstances—no matter how challenging they may be.

TO MAKE THE MOST OF THE GIVEN CIRCUMSTANCES—NO MATTER

HOW CHALLENGING THEY MAY BE.

Initially, the back-and-forth during the pandemic naturally caused some

unrest. The situation was new for all of us. Looking back, I'm sure even the
politicians would have preferred to make some di erent decisions, but I also
have to take responsibility for myself, especially when I think back to my little
spat with Karl Lauterbach. At that time, we were on the verge of winning the
sixth and nal title of the season, yet the mood within the club was
somewhat tense. On Friday, February 5th, we had an away game against
Hertha BSC in Berlin, which had been scheduled a bit earlier so that we
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could y to Doha for the Club World Cup that evening. Although we arrived
at the airport on time after the game, we were denied takeo clearance due
to a delay of a few minutes, and we had to spend the night in the plane. We
were only allowed to y to Doha via Munich at around 6 a.m.
It felt brie y like an unnecessary power struggle with the authorities, and the
critical voices questioning why FC Bayern had to travel to Qatar in the
middle of a pandemic, while no one else was allowed to travel, grew louder.
The high frequency of games, the many COVID tests—often so early in the
morning that the players couldn’t get enough sleep—along with the
oppressive COVID atmosphere in the winter, all of this eventually took its toll
on us as athletes, even though we were still able to continue our jobs, unlike
many others. Then, when Thomas Müller tested positive before the nal and
had to go into isolation, and the FC Bayern bashing continued relentlessly, it
brie y got to me during a press conference. I was asked about Mr.
Lauterbach’s comments, who had sharply criticized our trip and Thomas’s
infection, and I became emotional for a moment.
My comment about the "so-called experts" was, of course, unfortunate, but
it also showed me afterward that con icts can create connections. I
apologized to Mr. Lauterbach, and since then, we have occasionally had
good and constructive discussions about the current situation. I learned
something from this experience as well: Even when things get heated, I
should take a moment to breathe and carefully consider my words before
speaking further.

Footballers are Human Beings Too

The business has grown so large that many want to get a piece of the pie.
The number of experts surrounding professional players these days is
staggering. Personally, I believe that players should receive more targeted
support in their career planning and a holistic education that considers them
as human beings and social individuals, not as investments or even
racehorses—as players are sometimes referred to by top management or
agents.
Without a stable social environment, it’s really di cult to navigate today’s
football business. You can't blame players for every small human mistake
and use their high paychecks as a blanket argument. Contrary to popular
belief, money doesn’t solve every problem. You can't expect a young athlete,
who comes from di cult circumstances and is suddenly showered with
attention and money, to handle it all coolly and perform like a machine in
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every game. The pressure is immense because performance remains the

most important currency in our eld. When someone shows weakness, it can
be exploited from many sides.
Therefore, it doesn’t surprise me at all that the discussion about mental
health is increasingly making its way into professional sports. With all the
money, attention, and euphoria of fan culture, we sometimes forget:
Professionals are indeed professionals, but rst and foremost, they are also
human beings. As an active player, I experienced football at a di erent time
and under di erent conditions, which helps me as a coach to understand the
personal circumstances of the players, grasp their reality, and support them
in their personal development. Life is much more than just football.
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CHAPTER 3:
ON DEALING WITH SETBACKS AND DEFEATS

A particularly tough lesson awaited me after the successful 2010 World Cup
in South Africa. We had played an exhilarating brand of football with a young
team, delivering great performances—like the 4-0 victory against Argentina
in the quarter nals in Cape Town. We even won the sympathy of fans from
other nations. We were cheered on the streets, received applause in hotels
after matches, and the locals danced and laughed a lot, making even the
noise of the vuvuzelas more bearable. The carefree attitude of our team,
which no one had counted among the favorites, especially after the injury of
Michael Ballack, made us optimistic for the upcoming tournaments.
After being eliminated in the semi nals by the eventual tournament winner
Spain, I spent a beautiful summer in Ibiza with my family and the family of my
best friend and longtime companion, Bobby Dekeyser. We simply enjoyed
life—the warm summer nights, being together, and having many good
conversations. The atmosphere on the island was, as always, a highlight.
Friendly, open people, delicious food, sun, sea, and nature—the perfect mix
to recharge and clear the mind.
One evening, a shared sports session was so much fun that Bobby and I
arrived late for dinner with our wives. But it didn’t dampen the good mood;
we sat together for a long time, laughed a lot, drank some wine, and had a
great time. I remember clearly how Bobby’s wife, Ann-Kathrin, said at the
end of the evening: "Thank you for the wonderful time. I’m already looking
forward to our next meeting.”
It was the last time I saw Ann-Kathrin. Just a few weeks later, she suddenly
collapsed into a coma during Pilates and was dead within a few hours. Jogi
and I were attending the Champions League match between FC Basel and
Bayern Munich in Switzerland that evening, and I had deliberately left my
mobile phone in the car. After the match, I saw ve missed calls from Bobby
on my display. He was on a business trip in the Philippines with his eldest
daughter at the time, and I immediately had a bad feeling. I dropped Jogi o
at home and then called Bobby back.
When he told me what had happened, I immediately pulled the car over to
the side of the road. I couldn’t believe how quickly life can change. Bobby
was in the middle of the growth phase of his company, Dedon, as energetic
and driven as ever. We had just had a wonderful time together with our
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families; things were going great for me at the DFB as well. And then, out of
nowhere, this news.
Bobby and I cried together on the phone. I couldn’t comprehend what had
actually happened. Ann-Kathrin and Bobby were like family to us, and now
we were never going to be together as a foursome again? It felt surreal, like a
bad movie. I didn’t even want to imagine what Bobby was going through,
sitting so far away in the Philippines, unable to do anything.
The saying "misfortune rarely comes alone" hit me as a bitter truth just three
weeks later. Silke was diagnosed with breast cancer. I felt a fear like I had
never felt before. Being there for her and the children became even more of a
priority than usual. During this time, the DFB provided me with exceptional
support, allowing me to take a step back for a while. I still admire my wife
today for the strength and inner calm with which she handled the di cult
situation. I found myself lying in bed at night with tears in my eyes much
more often than she did.
This chapter of my life taught me humility and gratitude. Being confronted
with death and our own mortality changes something within us. In our
society, where life expectancy continues to rise, we often manage to skillfully
ignore death. However, from my experience, occasionally re ecting on the
fact that we won’t be here forever leads to a more conscious way of living.
Since that period of my life, I view human interactions and relationships in a
di erent light and never take them for granted. And I don’t take sporting
defeats as personally anymore; I can put them into perspective di erently
than I did before because I’ve learned that there are things bigger and more
important than football.

THERE ARE THINGS BIGGER AND MORE IMPORTANT THAN

FOOTBALL.

I’m often asked how I manage to remain so stoic and calm amidst the
intense chaos of my job as a football coach. How I manage to maintain
composure and not get rattled. I secretly smile at this question because, of
course, I wasn’t always like this; I had to go through some valleys to arrive at
two central insights:
1. When I live in the moment and fully focus on the here and now, neither
what might happen in the future nor what has already happened and
can’t be changed troubles me.
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2. I don’t worry about things that are outside my control. I can’t in uence
them anyway, so I don’t waste my energy on them. I focus on the things I
can change and dedicate all my strength to them.

The Setback as an Opportunity

Those months at the end of 2010 were not the rst di cult phase in my life.
My entire football career almost ended before it even began. When I was ve
years old, I crashed my bicycle into a moving car. I was carefree, riding my
bike while preparations for the village fair were underway. Unfortunately, I
didn’t pay attention to tra c at that moment. I only remember suddenly
being under the car’s fender, and the driver just managed to brake in time. I
was lucky that all I su ered was a broken thigh bone.
When the healing process didn’t go as planned, even after a long hospital
stay, the doctors came up with the brilliant idea of inserting a nail into my
thigh bone to stabilize it. The thought of having a nail in my leg terri ed me
as a child: "Will I ever be able to play freely and normally with my friends
again?”
This constant worry didn’t leave me untouched. For a child, spending such a
long time with a leg in a cast feels like an eternity. If my father hadn’t
intervened and prevented the idea of the nail, my dream of becoming a
footballer would have been buried before I even started school. Instead,
during that time when my entire leg was in a cast, my father would play with
me, passing the ball to my other leg, and I would pass it back to him.
I appreciated that my father was there for me during such a di cult time.
Through playing, he provided a welcome distraction. I learned at a young
age: Even in a setback, there is something good to be found; there is an
opportunity in it. I try to maintain this attitude to this day.
Unfortunately, my professional career was also marked by many setbacks
and injuries. My active career came to an abrupt end during a game against
Dortmund when I went against my principles and didn’t listen to my gut
feeling: I stayed on the eld even though my muscles were completely tight. I
actually felt during the game that I should have been substituted. But it’s in
my nature to keep ghting, which back red in this case. One move later, I
got caught in the turf with my studs during a turn, and the ligaments in my
knee tore.
At rst, I didn’t want to admit that my time as a professional athlete was over.
I had successfully completed several rehabs after previous injuries and
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thought: I’ll make it back this time too. But that wasn’t the case—this time,
the injury was too severe, and I had pushed my body too far.
A short time later, at just 28 years old, I was forced to hang up my boots and
initially didn’t know what to do next. Before joining FC Bayern, I had
completed my training as a bank clerk and seriously considered returning to
that profession. The voices around me strongly urged me towards security,
telling me to "do something respectable"—especially since Silke and I had
become happy parents a few years earlier.
During this phase, it took one sentence from my friend Bobby to give me the
courage to start something of my own. Bobby, who had always been
somewhat daring and entrepreneurial, said during a trip to Taiwan: "You can’t
go back to a regular job after more than eight years of doing your own
thing.”
That sentence gave me the courage to venture into self-employment. I
opened a sporting goods store in Bammental, which allowed me to stay
close to my beloved sport and take responsibility for my young family,
providing them with a solid foundation for the future.

Joy and Sorrow in the Public Eye

Over the years, I developed a certain a nity for reading, and it was the
thoughts of Viktor Frankl that often served as a support during challenging
times. I was particularly moved by his biography, in which he describes his
de nition of inner freedom as the ability to freely choose one’s response to
any given stimulus and to never let anyone take away that freedom. Reading
about how he remained a beacon of hope for those around him despite the
harshest of circumstances, and how his books have helped millions of
people around the world continue to a rm their lives, deeply impressed me.
It put a lot of things into perspective for me regarding the fast-paced nature
of the football business.
Of course, it can be very stressful for everyone involved that in our eld, we
might be celebrated heroes today and the disgrace of the nation tomorrow.
It’s easy to say: “As a footballer, you just need to have thick skin! Besides,
they earn good money!” I think that’s too simplistic. There’s not enough
discussion about the impact of public pressure on individuals and how we
can help them process harsh setbacks and the subsequent ridicule. I
support the fact that players like Per Mertesacker, Benedikt Höwedes, and
André Schürrle have bravely spoken out about this in public.
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I generally like that, on a global level, there are more and more athletes,
especially female athletes, who are courageously and openly talking about
their inner worlds. Young people who give us a glimpse into their struggles
and bring attention to the issue. This is nally allowing softer topics to enter
our competitive and performance-oriented sports world: showing what is
considered weakness, the loneliness, and the mental exhaustion. We are all
just human beings, with hearts and feelings. We all make mistakes, which are
often really painful and can lead to being knocked out of a major tournament
or su ering a bitter defeat. This doesn’t just a ect us, but also the fans who
had placed their hopes in us and given us their enthusiasm.
But we have to make these mistakes and experience the defeats rsthand in
order to learn, grow, and come out of the situation stronger. I believe, for
example, that without the unnecessary and bitter defeat in the 2012
European Championship semi- nal against Italy, we wouldn’t have been
ready for the painful journey to the 2014 World Cup title.
You need a strong inner anchor to cope with the demands of our business, a
functioning value system, solid faith, and honesty in communication with
loved ones. Occasionally shifting your perspective can also help, for
example, by reading a book by someone like Viktor Frankl. Interestingly, one
could say that joy and sorrow are interdependent.

On the Way to Ho enheim

After my time as Jogi Löw’s assistant coach from 2006 to 2014, it was clear
to me that I wanted to do something di erent. We had shared a special, very
successful, and enjoyable sporting phase together, characterized by
appreciation, trust, and loyalty in our collaboration—including with Oliver
Bierho and Andreas Köpke. Now, I was looking for a new challenge, and I
had several interesting o ers on the table. I eventually decided on the
position of sporting director at the DFB.
I wanted to contribute to the training philosophy in German football and, in
collaboration with the coaches, establish a cohesive understanding of the
game across our youth teams. It was important to me to bring the positive
spirit from Brazil to the entire football federation. At that time, it had been ten
years since Jürgen Klinsmann had introduced new formats for talent
development, and I was eager to introduce new impulses. Additionally, I was
committed to fostering a good relationship between the DFB and the
individual associations and clubs.
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As always, I tried from the outset to build a team with a special sense of
unity. Once again, I realized that the greatest leverage comes when you
assemble your team from scratch. One should take enough time for this
process, carefully considering whether the person ts with the team and
aligns with one's own philosophy and vision. The right team is the key to
later success. In this context, I always ask myself the same questions: Does
the person with their background t into the team? Do they complement the
team with their qualities? Do they bring a new perspective? Because a group
of like-minded people does not make for a promising team. Or, to put it
another way, a bit of friction often bene ts the bigger picture.
The phase as a sporting director was very intense in that our sta was
involved with all teams at all tournaments. I was constantly on the move.
From May to September 2016, I was only home for 15 days. When my
father-in-law also passed away, I spoke with Silke and came to the
conclusion: "It can't go on like this.”
I had been dismissed as coach at TSG Ho enheim in 2005, which had been
disappointing for me. Nevertheless, the contact had never completely broken
o . From afar, I was enormously impressed with how the club had developed
over the years. During my rst tenure as head coach at Ho enheim from
2000 to 2005, the goal had been to lead the club from the Oberliga into
professional football. By then, the club was aiming for international
competition, and they were considering whether I could bring the trustworthy
spirit we had cultivated at the DFB to the club as their sporting director. The
discussions about my return became concrete when I informed the DFB
presidency that I needed a break to reassess my direction.
After a six-month break, my second term at TSG Ho enheim began in the
summer of 2017. Just like with my severe knee injury 25 years earlier, I
ignored my gut feeling and overlooked small signs of unease, even before it
all started. Perhaps I also wanted to prove something to myself.
When I was dismissed as coach in November 2005, I was extremely
frustrated. We had moved up together from the Oberliga to the Regionalliga,
played good football, and worked hard towards the big goal: promotion to
the 2nd Bundesliga. After we won against Bayer Leverkusen in the DFB-
Pokal in December 2003, I was given a contract until 2010. I put everything
into leading the club to success, and I felt that the team was on a very good
path.
We were in fourth place in the standings, within striking distance of the
promotion spots, and had just lost a home game when the call came that I
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was being relieved of my role and responsibilities as head coach. At rst, I

didn't want to believe it. I had poured so much passion into the project and
genuinely felt that my work wasn't nished. Reluctantly, I cleared out my
locker and drove home. During the drive, I picked up the phone to call
Dietmar Hopp. We were still on formal terms at the time, and I said to him:
"Dear Mr. Hopp - thank you very much for the opportunity to develop myself
here for ve and a half years and to train and support this special team. It
was a personally very ful lling time for me, even if it unfortunately didn't end
with the hoped-for success. For that, I just want to say thank you.”
I believe he was just as surprised by these words as I was myself. I felt the
need to say them—they came from the heart. At the same time, in the days
following the phone call, I was very disappointed and genuinely down.
However, I think it’s perfectly okay to go through a phase of grief and
emptiness after a major defeat, a signi cant setback, a dismissal, or other
disappointments in life. It’s okay to be frustrated, and in my view, it helps
with processing, coping, and strengthening one’s character to acknowledge
this. You don’t always have to put on a strong and invincible front right away.
For me—and I believe for many others as well—it’s during these dark phases
that I can engage in deeper re ection. I get to know myself even better. I
draw new strength from the defeat. I gain con dence and come to insights
that help me with what lies ahead. After the down phase, a di erent time
begins for me—a phase of enjoyment, of experimentation, of excitement
because something new is starting.

I DRAW NEW STRENGTH FROM THE DEFEAT.

What’s important and completely normal before that is the phase of

re ection, where I ask myself: What really went wrong? What could I have
done better? What can I learn for next time and for communication with my
team? What should I ensure doesn’t happen again? And what do I want to
take from this experience into the future?
And indeed, after my dismissal, life had a lot of good things in store for me: I
went to Red Bull Salzburg, worked on the coaching sta with Giovanni
Trapattoni and Lothar Matthäus, then became the assistant coach at the
DFB—and we won the World Cup.
During my second phase at Ho enheim, my body sent me clear signals after
a few months that something was not right. My great goal was to bring the
dynamism, the culture of trust, and the sense of unity that had driven our
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successes at the DFB into the club. Unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be,
which in hindsight certainly had something to do with me and my approach.
My contract with TSG Ho enheim was long-term, so I felt I could take my
time. I wanted to observe the dynamics and get a clear picture before
introducing new ideas. Honestly, I underestimated the club’s expectation that
I would deliver quick results.
Before things fell apart, I repeatedly had the feeling that I wasn’t in my
element and didn’t recognize myself in this form. My close con dant, sports
psychologist Hans-Dieter Hermann, con rmed to me at the time that I
couldn’t continue in this state. He had never seen me like that either. It
simply wasn’t meant to be a longer second engagement with TSG.
Nevertheless, I also look back on that time with gratitude. It clearly showed
me one thing: my passion lies on the eld. I love working directly with the
players, helping them develop, and being in immediate contact with them.
That’s where my heart is, and that’s where my strengths lie. It’s one of my
core principles in life to listen to yourself and gure out what you’re truly
passionate about. And after my time at TSG Ho enheim, it was time to focus
on what truly matters to me again.
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CHAPTER 4:
THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IN LIFE

Anyone who knows me a little knows two things about me:

1. Family comes rst for me. It gives me the strength I need.
2. I want to deeply understand what moves and drives people so that I can
respond to them and their needs individually.

The fact that these two points play such an important role for me has a long
history. If you ask me about my childhood and youth, there are many
beautiful memories I've already shared, which paint the picture of a sheltered
start in life. However, there were also formative moments that I look back on
less fondly. Nevertheless, they have shaped me into who I am today.
As a coach, I repeatedly observe the signi cance of a stable environment for
the performance of players. That's why it was important to me from the very
beginning of my coaching career to create a space for my teams that o ers
the greatest possible psychological stability. No matter what kind of team it
is or what industry you're in—I rmly believe that a certain framework is the
basic prerequisite for enjoying your work, delivering your best performance,
and developing as a person. Every person should feel through this
framework that they are allowed to be themselves and don’t have to pretend.
That's why I'm also pleased to see more and more initiatives that are
committed to the sustainable promotion of diversity in teams, ensuring that
people of di erent backgrounds, skin colors, and religions feel accepted and
embraced.

The Love of My Life

I consider myself very fortunate that, even as a player, I had an environment
that provided me with this sense of psychological safety. I met my wife Silke
when I was just 18 years old. She was 15 at the time and has been my most
important con dant, my compass in challenging times, and my safe haven
ever since. We trust each other completely, make all important family
decisions together, and support each other in our dreams and hopes.
I can remember exactly how we rst met. She already had that charming
smile back then, and I remember thinking: What a beautiful girl! Her laughter
still infects me to this day, and her positive outlook on life has truly made me
blossom.
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IF I AM OPEN, OTHERS WILL ALSO OPEN UP TO ME.

We’ve now been together for almost 40 years, and I love being with her just
as much as I did in the beginning. It sometimes amazes me, but above all, it
makes me incredibly happy. We’ve gone through so much together,
experiencing many highs and some lows, and we’ve always been able to rely
on each other. Having such a pillar in life has been immensely bene cial to
me at every stage of my career.
Knowing that there’s a woman at home who loves me, supports me, and is
there for me was especially the most important support for me as a young
player. I owe it to Silke, even today, that I can always focus on my
performance—and ultimately, that’s what matters most. It’s what I always tell
my players: “To deliver top performances, you must have a clear focus.”
Silke has also taught me a lot about communication. She can speak much
more clearly about her inner world, and through her, many doors have
opened for me. She has helped me understand what lies behind the saying:
If I am open, others will also open up to me.
At the start of my professional career with Bayern Munich, Silke used to
travel every weekend from Bammental by train to see me. Even though I was
completely obsessed with football back then and wanted to train and play all
the time, I can now admit with a smile, after all these years, that we were
both happy when I wasn’t included in the squad for an away game. Then, we
could spend the whole weekend together!
When I became permanently injured and we opened our store, Silke
supported me. And when I took my rst steps as a coach, she supported me
once again. She stood by me through every step, often made sacri ces, and
created a beautiful home for our family. At the same time, she has always
been very independent, co-managing our store and pursuing her own
interests, such as health, sports, and conscious nutrition, alongside family
life—though she especially enjoys family matters and our grandchildren.
That I can approach many things with great calm today, always putting
challenges and setbacks into perspective, and operate freely as a coach in
my professional life, I owe largely to her. Feeling the unconditional support of
my wife gives me the greatest inner freedom and is also the source of my
strength. When we spend time together, I can simply let go, talk a lot with
her, discuss, and have plenty of fun. Because of the deep trust, I feel
especially relaxed in her presence and can truly recharge.
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There’s always a lot going on in our family, and my job takes up a lot of my
time, so we don’t often have time just for ourselves—but when we do
manage to be alone, when we travel together and experience adventures
together, it’s always wonderful.

The Special Drive

One thing I’ve observed repeatedly over the years is this: What a person
lacks the most, where they feel pain or have had a di cult experience, that
exact spot can become their greatest motivation. I’ve often seen this pattern
in players who are exceptionally ambitious and constantly push beyond their
own limits. I especially sensed this in players from abroad, for whom football
was often the only way out to improve their and their families’ situations.
This has also been true for me in some ways. My childhood was protected
on one hand because I could always count on my parents doing everything
for my brother and me. On the other hand, it was a tough school because
psychological security was sometimes lacking—especially when, in my
father’s view, I made a mistake.
Football has always been his great passion. He’s a big FC Bayern fan and
loved playing himself. He worked in construction, was a crew leader, and
worked tirelessly to provide a good life for his family. My father encouraged
and pushed me, pulling out all the stops to help me make the unlikely step
into professional football. His ambition and relentlessness made me train
even harder and deepened my insatiable desire: I wanted to become a
professional footballer. He did everything to ensure we had a good life—he
worked and worked and worked even more.
One particularly fond memory is of the black and yellow Puma shoes that
Pelé used to wear. I was supposed to get a di erent pair, but we went to the
neighboring village to the sports store because the owner mentioned he had
a very special pair in my size, which he had originally ordered for someone
else. When my father made it possible for me to get those shoes, I couldn’t
have been prouder or happier. He really enjoyed making my younger brother
and me happy.
At the same time, some of his methods would likely be considered tough
today. When the atmosphere at home was good, training was always fun. I
felt secure and knew we were training toward a common goal. His way of
doing things strengthened my will; I could literally feel myself getting stronger
and better, and that brought me joy.
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His style of training was borderline because we repeated exercises until we

dropped, and I had to push myself to the limit physically. This made me feel
my passion even more. I realized that pushing the limits gave me a special
thrill.
The goal of becoming a professional footballer was clear to me from a young
age. I wasn’t afraid to state it clearly either. I remember telling my elementary
school teacher, Mrs. Arnold, "I’m going to be a pro and play for FC Bayern."
That was very clear to me—I didn’t see any other possibility. Mrs. Arnold
would occasionally call my parents up until her passing in 2022 and liked to
bring up this story.
My father often sparked competition by telling me the times that peers, older
kids, and even the ttest players from his team ran the same distances I did.
This all took place at an older sports facility in Reichartshausen. There was a
sort of trim trail with a running track where he regularly trained with his own
team during his active years.
He would tell me about a former teammate who was particularly fast. Of
course, I then wanted to beat those times—and I felt great joy in the shared
challenge with my father.
It motivated me to be a team with my father and to give everything to set
new records. Nothing seemed impossible in those moments.
But sometimes, the good atmosphere would tip. One event that left a lasting
impression on me happened when I was 11 years old. I switched from our
village club, BSC Mückenloch, to the next larger club, SpVgg
Neckargemünd, because I wanted more challenges and opportunities. I was
simply ready for the next step. The youth leader of Neckargemünd, Helmut
Schachler, had recruited me to his club. Then, at an indoor tournament in
Eberbach, what had to happen, happened: We played against Mückenloch
with my new club and lost 1-0. When we drove home after the tournament,
my ride was abruptly cut short: It was winter, cold, and dark, yet my father
made me get out in the snowy forest and walk several kilometers home
alone. That was really tough for me and weighed on me for quite a while.
On one hand, I could understand my father because he had invested a lot in
me and saw in me a chance to live out certain things that had been denied to
him in his own life. At the same time, I had a queasy feeling because I never
knew how he would react to the next disappointment. After all, we had only
lost that one game against Mückenloch! The punishment felt
disproportionately harsh. My father often took losses and mistakes
personally at that time, and he made sure I felt it too.
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At the time, I su ered from it, although I would never blame my parents,
especially my father. My mother had me when she was 16, and my brother
shortly after that. My father was also very young and had to adjust his life
accordingly. He had to take on responsibility and provide for the family. Both
of them sacri ced so much for us children that I can only be grateful to them.

Strength from Pain

Looking back, I've often re ected on this perceived contradiction. To perform
at your best and bring out everything within you, you need a good and
trusting atmosphere, security, and the assurance that it's okay to make
mistakes. Yet, it’s precisely because I went through periods where I lacked
this sense of security that I am now able to provide my teams with the right
conditions.
Because I was always on guard during my youth and closely observed when,
how, and where the mood might shift, I still sensitively pick up on every
change in the air today. I constantly strive to identify potential con ict areas
early and address them to keep the team dynamics stable. This doesn't
mean that there can't be con icts or that every con ict should be rigorously
avoided. My job is to ensure that we function as a team and that everyone
ghts for each other. We must always be able to rely on one another. For
that, we accept that things might get uncomfortable from time to time—so
we can reach the next level together.
Because I was so often reproached for my mistakes as a child, I now
demand that my players acknowledge their own mistakes. Mistakes happen,
especially when you're acting courageously. Mistakes are human and part of
the process. Only through mistakes can you improve and re ect on your
actions.
This is the foundation of my entire playing philosophy: play boldly, take the
initiative, develop an o ensive spirit. And also take risks! Of course, mistakes
on certain positions weigh more heavily than on others, but overall, my goal
is for us to grow together—and mistakes are inevitably part of that process.
Nobody likes defeats. But setbacks, painful losses, and the experience of
failure are the best teachers. They force you to pause, take a step back,
question yourself, and then proceed with the right conclusions and
decisions.
Re ecting on these phases has taught me that I am responsible for my
actions and my results. I have never seen myself as a victim. I have faced
various situations, made mistakes, but always tried to do my best. Taking full
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responsibility for your actions, your path, and your decisions is one of the
most important conclusions you can draw to lead a happy life.

Family Life
The moment of becoming a father is one of the most beautiful memories of
my life. Being present at the birth and witnessing what a woman endures
during those hours gave me an entirely new perspective on Silke and all
women in general. The entire pregnancy triggered this deep appreciation in
me, especially because I can hardly imagine that we men could ever handle
something like that.
Silke and I always felt it was important to provide our children with a home
that o ered them security and all the opportunities for personal growth. I
wanted to give the children as much normalcy as possible and spend as
much time with them as I could. Once, I accompanied my younger daughter,
Hannah, on a school trip to a camp in Walldürn, helping out for a few days
and nights. It wasn’t easy to t this into my schedule as a coach, but it was a
really good, bonding experience.
Recently, my granddaughter's teacher mentioned to me that she heard I had
once helped out on a school trip with my daughter and jokingly suggested
that I could do the same with my granddaughter. I told my granddaughter
about this, and she responded, "Grandpa, don’t even think about it. That
would be so embarrassing.”
When the children were younger, despite my professional commitments, we
placed great importance on routine and spending time together. Breakfast, in
particular, was sacred to us. We always started the day together, taking time
to connect and learn as much as possible about each other’s lives. We also
tried to have lunch together as often as possible at my in-laws’ house. The
kids would talk about school and their friends, and the grandparents, Silke,
and I would share stories from our daily lives. What I nd especially beautiful
is the candid honesty of my children. The purity of children in their early
years sometimes amazed me, and it helped me view my profession as a
footballer more lightheartedly, bringing me immense joy. Children live in the
moment and tell you straight up what they think—and it’s almost always the
truth. As a coach, I’ve therefore focused on these qualities: honesty and
presence are the pillars of my philosophy.

I make it a point to clearly communicate my thoughts to everyone I work

with; everyone should always know where they stand. And I live in the
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moment because it's the only thing I have any control over. My children
taught me the purest form of this approach.

HONESTY AND PRESENCE ARE THE PILLARS OF MY PHILOSOPHY.

Watching your own children’s children grow up is yet another unique gift. I
would describe myself as a very proud grandpa. I observe the development
of my grandchildren with gratitude—seeing them happy and knowing they
are doing well makes me forget all the pressures of my job. It simply makes
me happy.
I believe it is very important to provide children and grandchildren with a
sense of security and to help them develop healthy self-con dence. This is
how I see my role as a father, grandfather, and also as a coach. The ability
for children and grandchildren to express their feelings clearly and openly
holds great signi cance for me, especially in light of my own experiences as
a child. The rule that certain things shouldn't be said because they might not
be appropriate doesn't exist in our family. The children should be able to
articulate their thoughts as they feel them, even if it doesn't always align with
what the parents or grandparents might prefer. By allowing them to freely
express their thoughts without fear of judgment, they can fully develop and
explore their inner world.
I wholeheartedly agree with the approach outlined by Rutger Bregman in his
book Humankind: A Hopeful History. I rmly believe that humans, and
especially children, are inherently good. There is no doubt about that! And
it's our job as adults to ensure that this good core remains as pure as
possible for as long as possible.
I see this in all the players I’ve had the pleasure of working with. What they
desire most is to be treated well, fairly, and with honesty. They want to be
seen as human beings and accepted for the good within them. When this is
provided, they often thrive.

Good Friendships Enrich Life

Aside from family, friendships mean a great deal to me. The deep trust that
characterizes close friendships greatly helps me approach my work with
inner calm. I can look to the future with con dence because I know there are
people in my life whom I can rely on. People who genuinely care about my
well-being and share in my successes with sincere joy.
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To me, a true friendship is marked by the ability to genuinely wish the other
person well. There is no envy, no ulterior motives—just pure happiness for
the other’s positive developments, successes, and happiness.
A prime example of this is my friendship with Bobby Dekeyser. There is
nothing we can’t talk about, no important decisions that we don’t discuss
with each other. Even if we don’t hear from each other for a few weeks, we
reconnect on the same open level. It certainly helps that our children and
grandchildren are roughly the same age.
During my time as head coach at Bayern Munich, Bobby sent me a message
before every single game, cheering me on and o ering his support. He was
fully invested and shared in my joy when we succeeded. That’s what
friendship is—truly celebrating each other’s successes. Never have I felt a
moment of envy thinking, “Damn, Bobby is so successful.” He takes such
high risks and pours so much energy and passion into his numerous
ventures—it’s infectious for me and everyone around him. It’s simply
wonderful!
We also try to take short trips and vacations together as often as possible,
where we laugh a lot, philosophize, and enjoy life together. And sometimes
we argue like little boys. On our last trip together, for instance, we took a little
road trip through France. We were on the highway near Bordeaux when
suddenly a heavy rainstorm hit. Bobby was driving—and despite his many
strengths, he’s unfortunately a lousy driver. It was raining so hard that we
couldn’t see anything at all. And what does Bobby do? He keeps driving.
Slightly panicked, I shouted at him, “Stop, stop!” But Bobby’s logic is
sometimes di erent. He said he didn’t want someone to crash into us from
behind.
I don’t even know why, but shortly after the downpour ended, we both burst
into a t of laughter. That’s often how it is with Bobby. It’s always an
adventure, always entertaining, and we both feel truly alive when we’re
together. It’s often in seemingly unspectacular moments that we share a
deep, instinctive joy.
I often think of the relationships in my life as circles. The innermost circle
consists of my immediate family. The next circle includes my closest friends
and selected relatives. Then come colleagues and acquaintances, followed
by other companions—people whose paths I cross occasionally.
This approach helps me especially during challenging phases and situations
of pressure. For example, when I face criticism, I often remind myself of who
is in which circle and how far they are from me. If criticism comes from the
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outer circles, I carefully consider how it might help me on my path, and

often, I nd it easier to let it roll o me. On the other hand, feedback and
opinions from the inner circles are things I take very much to heart. They
carry the most weight for me. A strong social environment plays a crucial role
in all areas of life.
This mindset was particularly helpful to me after my departure from
Ho enheim in early 2018. Things were said about me that could have
shattered my self-con dence for the rest of my life if I had given them too
much space. But in exactly such situations, I retreat into my innermost circle
and draw new energy from this safe harbor to tackle the challenges ahead.
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CHAPTER 5
ON THE BEAUTY OF THE GAME

In April 1990, we played in the Champions League semi- nal against AC

Milan. At the time, Milan was coached by the legendary Arrigo Sacchi and
was rightly considered the pinnacle of European football. The atmosphere in
Italy was incredible; as a player, you could almost feel the stadium shaking.
We put up a brave ght but ultimately lost in extra time at the
Olympiastadion due to the away goals rule that was still in e ect.
Looking back, it was de nitely one of the highlights of my professional career
to play against personalities like Marco van Basten, Frank Rijkaard, and the
young Paolo Maldini. Even more importantly, this game was absolutely
formative for my coaching career. I liked Sacchi’s style of play, and at the
beginning of my coaching career, I studied his views in great detail. He was
one of the rst to shift from man-marking to zonal marking, giving his players
signi cantly more freedom, and he also interpreted the role of defense in a
notably modern and o ensively-oriented way.
These two components later became integral parts of my philosophy.
Coaches are often categorized and put into boxes. For example, there are
the motivators, with Jürgen Klopp at the top of the list. Then there are the
tactical geniuses like Pep Guardiola. I am often grouped with Jupp Heynckes
in the category of coaches who understand and empathize well with their
players. Regardless of these categories and our individual approaches, what
unites all of us coaches is our love for studying the game, preparing our
teams for the next match, and improving the quality of individual players.
That’s what drives us. That’s why we stand on the sidelines.
My idea of the game has only changed in nuances over the last 20 to 25
years. The core principles have always been the same for me: I stand for
bold and o ensive football that should excite the fans. The foundation is
always a solid defense, but at the same time, I encourage the players:
outside the danger zones, they should con dently take risks. My defensive
back four is allowed to play relatively high to make the eld as tight as
possible and give the opponent no space.
I involve the players in tactical considerations as often as possible and
especially want to hear from the team leaders about their thoughts on the
upcoming game. Together, we then develop a few anchors for the match -
following the pattern: "If A happens, then we do B." For example: If the
opponent plays a long ball, we use the time it takes the player to wind up to
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pre-orient ourselves. This helps us decide whether to apply direct pressure

on the opponent or secure the depth of the space.
I’ve always been a fan of creative and skillful solutions on the eld and could
never warm to the English-style kick-and-rush football. When I recently read
an interview with my esteemed Italian coaching colleague Carlo Ancelotti,
where he said that German footballers are not very creative and are more like
soldiers, I thought to myself: We need to move away from that image.
We want to stand for other values and virtues in German football and will
promote the creative element earlier in training. During my tenure as national
coach, I want to counter the criticism that Germany produces too many
template players. Modern German football should be fresh, bold, and
exhilarating!

A Personal Football Philosophy

Not only Arrigo Sacchi but also other coaches and their approaches were
subjects of my study early in my career. I often think back to my beginnings
at the DFB. In the summer of 2007, I started regularly attending Arsenal
London’s pre-season camps. At that time, Arsène Wenger was still the
coach, and the team was preparing for the new season in Austria. I would
stay for a week each time and have the opportunity to exchange ideas with
Arsène.
The way Arsenal played football, especially their passing game, and how
Arsène involved the players as a coach, was truly impressive. I could
observe a lot from him, and I thought: This suits me and my style well.
What I particularly liked was his interaction with the players. He always
wanted to hear from them what made them feel more comfortable and
con dent. He would ask the players what they thought the purpose of a drill
was, repeatedly pausing to engage in dialogue with them. It was a very
collegial process. The players were given responsibility and, as a result, were
empowered to make intelligent decisions on the eld.
Arsène managed to convey his ideas in such a way that the players felt they
were part of the development process. This led them to internalize the
training concepts di erently than if they had simply followed instructions and
tried to recall something mechanically learned during the game. This
approach appealed to me because, in the end, it’s the players who have to
nd solutions on the eld. We coaches can prepare a game, but during those
crucial ninety minutes, we can’t lead the players by the hand across the
pitch.
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One element that I now value much more than before is the players’ activity
on the eld. I expect a higher tempo, greater intensity from the players, and
for them to put the opponent under pressure earlier and more frequently.
From a purely footballing perspective, this is the area where the game has
most signi cantly changed since I was on the eld. It has become faster,
more athletic, and tactically more varied, which means I also have to
demand more from the players.
All players, whether with or without the ball, must actively participate and
anticipate the next action. The famous one-step-too-late or that extra
centimeter you have to ght for—these things aren’t just clichés in emotional
sports commentary. At the highest level, it really does come down to these
ne details.
Our playing philosophy, which we developed during my rst tenure at the
DFB, takes precisely this into account: Against the ball, we play with high
pressing, not letting the opponent breathe, and working together with all
players to close down spaces. With the ball, we create as much space as
possible, make ourselves available, engage the opponent, or at least try to
maintain control over them. So if a player doesn’t have the ball or isn’t calling
for it, they should be in a position where they can immediately help in what
we call the "rest defense" to win the ball back. The player should always be
where they can contribute.
It’s crucial for us that all players remain fully present throughout the game.
This, of course, needs to be trained and requires thorough preparation on all
levels: mental, physical, tactical, and in terms of analysis. On the stage, we
want to entertain the audience. But behind the scenes, we must meet the
complexities of modern football. The team of physios in a professional squad
today is larger than the entire sta was in my time. As head coach at Bayern,
I had three assistant coaches, a goalkeeping coach, a full athletic team
including a rehab department, two doctors and an internist, one or two team
managers, four equipment managers, a dedicated media department, and a
complete innovation and analysis unit. And this team works exclusively for
the professional squad! That’s remarkable and would have been unthinkable
in the past.

The First Steps

A signi cant in uence on my coaching philosophy has always been Dutch
football. How did a relatively small country produce so many incredible
talents and top stars, and why did Ajax Amsterdam become one of the nest
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talent factories in the world? From the beginning of my career, I wondered

what the Dutch were doing di erently.
The joy of playing and creativity in Dutch football impressed me, and I
wanted to learn everything about their training and playing philosophy. Louis
van Gaal, Rinus Michels, and especially Johan Cruy shaped entire
generations with the way they played and thought about football. Cruy
fascinated me as a player and coach due to the cleverness, possession-
based play, and o ensive spirit his teams embodied.
I can still remember the 1974 World Cup when Germany defeated the Dutch
in the nal. I was nine years old and captivated by the player Cruy . Back
then, World Cups and European Championships were special because they
were the only times you could see the best players from other nations on
television—the foreign leagues weren’t broadcast on German TV. Yet, the
name Cruy was well-known, and I watched him with great enthusiasm in
that World Cup nal.
He loved having the ball, was already a fan of the short-passing game as a
player, and always sought out creative solutions on the eld. This approach
became his life’s work. He re ned it over decades, inspiring Pep Guardiola
and FC Barcelona to achieve the most successful era in their club’s history.
Elevating the sport to a new level through his own philosophy is a
remarkable achievement. We footballers owe him a lot.
After studying Dutch football, I turned my attention to Italian football. At rst,
I thought I would primarily learn how to keep a clean sheet and master
defensive tactics. But then I stumbled upon an element that immediately
appealed to me: hill runs. I liked how they trained adaptability and, above all,
the explosive power needed for running. It simply takes much more e ort to
run uphill and overcome the incline.
In my early years as a coach, when I was much more intense, I used to
measure everything. As a coach at Ho enheim, we trained with hill runs and
monitored the players' lactate levels. Our physiotherapist was thrilled—the
players, not so much. It was a di erent, very demanding type of training.
However, the regularity and new stimulus led to positive development. The
success was quickly noticeable, which motivated the players. When you see
the results of your hard work, it always drives you further. The way the
players eventually powered up those hills was sensational! We were the best
team physically and in terms of play, and we rightfully earned promotion to
the Regionalliga together.
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When I introduce new measures, I always evaluate their e ectiveness. It

should never be about doing something just for the sake of it. For instance,
with the hill runs, the goal was to consistently run within agreed-upon heart
rate zones. There were di erent types of runs—intense runs, hill runs, interval
runs, endurance runs. The players had to adhere to their limits for each run
and manage their workload accordingly. The clever players would write their
limits on a piece of tape stuck to their heart rate monitor because they knew
I would periodically ask them about the zones they needed to stay in during
the di erent runs. Some players didn’t know their numbers, and at that stage
of my career, I still imposed penalties for that. Today, I would be less strict,
but the message remains important to me: Take responsibility for your job
and get the best out of yourselves.

WHEN EFFORT SHOWS RESULTS AND PAYS OFF, IT ALWAYS

PROVIDES MOTIVATION.

I rst introduced my own video analyses with my assistant coach Alfred

Schön at Ho enheim, in collaboration with the then-young Professor Daniel
Memmert and his students. We worked with four categories: O ensive Plus,
O ensive Minus, Defensive Plus, and Defensive Minus.
Whenever a game started, Alfred would turn on his voice recorder and try to
categorize as many scenes as possible into these four categories. This
process ran in sync with the camera recording, which was controlled by a
student. We noted at the team level what we liked and didn’t like in terms of
both attacking play and defending. The students would then provide us with
the corresponding video clips organized into the categories.
This resulted in about 40 to 50 clips per game, and this work already allowed
us to give very targeted feedback to our team, review speci c scenes with
them, and evaluate them together. It may sound old-school today, but back
then, it was innovative and helped us advance in the tactical aspect of the
game.

Attention to Detail: Set Pieces and Automatism

Sometimes, I look at other sports with a bit of envy when I see the training
equipment and opportunities available there. I’m particularly envious of how
certain plays are more predictable and how often the coach can intervene.
During an educational trip through Silicon Valley with Oliver Bierho and a
small DFB delegation, we looked at various new technologies designed to
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help with individual and team training. We were shown applications that used
virtual reality to analyze plays in football. Basketball players worked on their
shooting techniques with augmented reality, and tennis players tried to
optimize their swings this way. Unfortunately, no truly valuable applications
for football were shown to us at the time.
The explanation is simple: the dynamics of football are di erent, as the ball
often stays in play much longer and rehearsed plays become much more
variable. I recommended to the folks in Silicon Valley that they focus on set
pieces and o er targeted training sessions for them. This would be valuable
for the goalkeeper, the players, and the coaches.
When we visited the San Francisco 49ers football team to see their training
facilities, I was especially impressed by their camera system. The equipment
was sensational—a dream for any coach and analyst! The 49ers had
cameras and tracking systems for every detail, such as footwork or center of
gravity in the huddle. Comparable systems in football would give us even
more detailed feedback. I’m really excited to see what technological
innovations lie ahead!
As a coach, I try to leave as little to chance as possible. One thing I wanted
to integrate at Bayern Munich was a dedicated set-piece specialist. There’s
no other area where you can work so much on the details. I see this now
with Mads Buttgereit at the DFB, whose work has already paid o . He has
been working on set pieces for several years and brings a corresponding
level of expertise.

AS A COACH, I TRY TO LEAVE AS LITTLE TO CHANCE AS POSSIBLE.

When Mads rst presented his approach to us, I immediately noticed: Okay,
this is something di erent and simpli es the execution—especially for the
players. Everyone knows what they have to do, who is blocking, who is
moving into which spaces, and where the ball is supposed to go—both in
attack and defense. Mads perfectly prepares everything for the players and
the joint sessions. He shows scenes on the video screen and marks the
corresponding zones on the oor in the physical space to actively involve the
players. This really helps us clearly convey to the players what we expect
from them in each situation.
In addition to the detailed work on set pieces, we try to build automatisms
into certain processes. The back four is a good example of this. We were
already working on this when I was Jogi’s assistant coach—the challenge is
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that clubs often train di erently and have di erent expectations for their
defense than we do, even if they also play with a back four. There isn’t a right
or wrong approach since every team sensibly tries to utilize the strengths of
their available players. However, it makes a big di erence how high the back
four stands, who covers for whom, and how the play is built from the back.
When the processes in the back four are correct, it gives you immense
stability. A well-drilled defensive line is extremely di cult to break down,
even in outnumbered situations.
I remember an exercise during my coaching training under Jörg Daniel. He
had eight attackers play against four defenders. He set up the back four
perfectly and explained exactly what the players should do in each situation.
The eight attackers always had the ball at the start of the exercise, and their
task was to score as many goals as possible. The playing level wasn’t the
highest, of course—we all just wanted to get our coaching license and
weren’t working on a comeback as players. Nevertheless, no goals were
scored. The back four was too stable.
This exercise left a lasting impression on me and led to my fundamental
premise: With a stable, well-drilled defense, we can keep a clean sheet and
still ignite reworks up front. The back four and the defensive mid elders in
front of them are the team’s insurance policy.
Preparing for the Next Game Our job is to prepare the players. We can’t just
sit back and say: These are professionals, they know best how to do it. The
quality of the players is undeniable, but we still have to work with them to
develop how we want to play and what we expect from them.
Apart from the hill runs, I’ve always been a coach who works a lot with the
ball. The Dane Morten Olsen was an inspiration to me in this regard. I had
the chance to experience him in Cologne immediately after my severe knee
injury, and his way of training, always involving the ball whenever possible,
immediately resonated with me. Because of him, I later even incorporated
passing and game forms into endurance training as a coach, where the ball
was always involved. That’s also how we trained at Bayern Munich—intense
passing drills, rondos, and nishing with a goal-scoring exercise. I often had
4 vs. 4, 6 vs. 6, or 8 vs. 8 games on di erent eld sizes with a set number of
allowed touches. In these exercises, everyone is fully engaged, covering a lot
of ground, and still working with the ball—which is always fun.
How I prepare my team for the next game also depends on the opponent.
Take, for example, the second leg of the 2021 Champions League
quarter nal against Paris Saint-Germain, where we were unfortunately
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knocked out. We had lost the rst leg in Munich 2-3 despite dominating and
having more chances, and we knew we had to take some risks in Paris. This
position was particularly tricky because Paris’s o ensive players, top talents
like Kylian Mbappé, Neymar, and Ángel Di María, were just waiting to exploit
any space they were given and use their speed. When playing high pressing
against such players, there’s always the risk that the ball will be played
behind your defense, creating gaps. It’s always a ne line against teams that
have several players capable of deciding the match with individual actions.
In this particular case, we told our players that in one-on-one situations
against Paris’s attacking players, they should primarily protect the depth and
not stick too close to the opponent.
The rule of thumb we gave our players for the game is familiar to most
people from driving on the highway: keep half the speedometer’s distance
from the car in front. Our approach was similar; we called it “Half-Half.” The
distance to the opponent should not be greater than half the passing
distance. Simply put: If Neymar had the ball and Mbappé was 30 meters
away, our player shouldn’t be more than 15 meters away from the latter. At
the same time, we wanted to give the opponent a little space, o er them
something, and then, when the ball was passed, attack together and force a
mistake. Against Paris, we paid particular attention to maintaining the right
distances and positioning.
Our idea of how we want to play is always adjusted to the details of the
opponent. It’s about small things, like how we press the opponent when they
take a goal kick. With the rule change allowing a player to receive the ball
inside the penalty area and thus pass it shorter, particularly creative teams
play out from the back much more and don’t kick the ball over the halfway
line as often. In such cases, we try to identify patterns and weaknesses to
relay to our players. We designate areas where we try to apply particular
pressure on the opponent.
Whether and how we play out from the back ourselves also depends on the
opponent and their tactics. Do they play with two strikers or just one? Does
a third or even fourth opponent press directly? Does the opponent tend to
drop back and let us come to them? All this has a signi cant impact on our
game. The term “tactical chess” isn’t so far o . It’s often used when two
opposing teams neutralize each other with their respective tactics, but
football always involves a pattern of action and reaction—just like in chess.
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The Extended Arm

Despite the best preparation, there are always days when the match plan
doesn’t work out. You can't nd your rhythm in the game and realize: we
need to change something. In football, unlike in sports like handball or
basketball, you can’t call a time-out, so the only opportunity to talk to all the
players at once is during halftime.
As a coach, I therefore rely on the famous "extended arm" on the eld. This
is almost always an experienced leader who can immediately interpret my
signals from the sidelines and communicate them to the team. This allows
me to intervene during the game and make tactical adjustments.
Before I do this, however, I always give my team time to respond on their
own and adjust to the opponent. If the situation becomes too critical and I
sense that an external impulse is needed, I rst look at the particular line that
isn’t gaining control and might need some adjustment. Then I call over a
player from that line, explain what needs to be changed, and he then carries
it to the team.
At Bayern Munich, Thomas Müller was often my rst point of contact on the
eld. Since I spoke with him frequently during training sessions and
explained our approaches to him, he always understood exactly what I
wanted. Manuel Neuer and David Alaba were also key contacts on the pitch.
David could respond as the defensive leader if I wanted to send a signal from
the sidelines, and Manuel, as the captain, gave commands from the back.
With players who take the ideas from the game and communicate them to
the team, you have to go into even more detail during training so they really
internalize what is expected of them and the team. They need to be well-
prepared to be able to implement the necessary adjustments during the
game. First, you need to determine if the player is willing to take on such a
role. Many players have immense quality on the pitch, but are not suitable as
an "extended arm." They need to be free to focus on their own game. If I
burden such a player with an additional responsibility and he suddenly has to
take care of the others, he might not be able to fully play to his strengths on
the eld. That’s why it’s so important to develop and train a player who
wants to take on the communication role on the pitch so that he can
successfully ful ll his task.
The halftime break and speech are then used to make more targeted
adjustments. I address speci c situations from the game and give feedback
on how we might do things di erently in the second half. Sometimes I have
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brief individual conversations and then once again gear up the team for a
successful second half.

The Perfect Game

As a coach, you're often asked about the perfect game. In its purest form,
such a thing probably doesn’t exist, but there are de nitely games that make
a coach’s heart swell. When the players execute the match plan exactly as
you’ve discussed together, it’s similar to the satisfying feeling in chess when
you sense an opportunity several moves ahead, and the plan actually works
out.
There are games like the 7-1 against Brazil or the 8-2 against Barcelona,
where the team gets into a ow, and everything just seems to go right. This
is pure joy and a huge delight, especially for the fans and players. And then
there are games that are particularly ful lling for us as a coaching team. We
come up with a few tricks, the players implement them, and they make the
decisive di erence.
A game like this was our rst leg of the Champions League Round of 16 in
2020 against Chelsea London. It was a pivotal match for us as a club, a real
benchmark, and a very important game for me as a coach. We prepared
meticulously for it. We studied numerous past games of the English team,
analyzing their build-up play, set-pieces, individual actions, and their play
with and against the ball. We were able to identify several weaknesses that
we wanted to exploit—and our plan worked perfectly.
During the opponent's goal kicks, we had our o ensive players press their
defense not from the outside in, as usual, but deliberately from the inside
out. Normally, we liked to attack through the center and build our pressing
from there, but against Chelsea, we repeatedly pushed them to the outside.
This was connected to Chelsea's build-up play, and it caused them
signi cant problems in this match. The team found it di cult to play out from
the back, and we were able to force many early turnovers right from the
start.
When you press the opponent well, they eventually stop playing short
passes from the back and try to relieve pressure with long balls. We had
prepared well for this too, with a strategy in place for how we would win the
second balls and immediately push forward again. This led to one of our
goals, for which Serge Gnabry received special praise from me because he
perfectly executed the pre-planned run.
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In the end, we were rewarded with a 0-3 away victory. In moments like this, I
often think back to my various in uences: Arrigo Sacchi's modern zonal
marking, Johan Cruy 's wonderful creativity, or Arsène Wenger's team spirit.
Ultimately, success rarely comes from a single philosophy—it's the di erent
details and aspects that, with a bit of luck, come together to create the
perfect game.
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CHAPTER 6
LEADERSHIP PHILOSOPHY

As a leader, you have to lead by example, you have to stand for what you
say. Because everyone notices whether something is just said for the sake of
it or if you actually live by your words. It’s pointless to just spout slogans
aimlessly.
Throughout my career, there have been numerous formative moments with
players and coaches that have had a lasting impact on my current
understanding of leadership.
I like to tell the story of my rst youth coach, Uwe Goldenbow, at BSC
Mückenloch, for example. He had this special gift of inspiring young people
for football. Not just on the pitch, but also o it, he exuded a contagious
energy and enthusiasm for what he did. At the time, football coaching was
still in its infancy, which gave him a lot of freedom in designing his training
sessions. He made good use of that freedom.
In Mückenloch, the football eld was on a hill, and we players lived in the
village, which was more or less in a valley. After training, Uwe Goldenbow
would simply pack some of us—at least seven to nine players—into his car.
He drove an Opel Kadett, not a big car, and yet he took us all with him.
Some sat in the trunk, others squeezed together on the back seat. And so,
he dropped each of us o at home one by one. It was really exciting for us
boys; we laughed a lot and had a memorable time together. We didn’t
mention the adventurous ride home to our parents, as we didn’t want to spoil
the good times. Of course, something like this wouldn’t be possible today.

FOR SOME PEOPLE, YOU JUST GO THAT EXTRA METER BECAUSE

THEY BELIEVE IN YOU.

Uwe Goldenbow showed us that he cared about our lives, making us feel
that we mattered to him. He gave us that special feeling: "You are important
to me." Even though we were very young, he always took us seriously.
It may sound like a cliché now when people say, "Players would go through
re for their coach." But it's true: for certain people, you'll go that extra mile
because they believe in you.
Team sports are complex and exciting because so many di erent
components in uence performance. Just like trust in the coach, physical
conditioning—meaning athleticism, endurance, and agility—is fundamental.
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This foundation must be solid, or there's no point in competing at a certain

level. The mental aspect, however, is harder to quantify. The saying "The
game is won in the mind" exists for a reason. A clear head, especially when
things aren’t going according to plan, often makes the di erence in knockout
games. But when the mind knows it can trust the body, a crucial connection
is made. That's why even in professional sports, we still do a lot of
foundational work and coordination and stability exercises that players often
nd tedious. It's like a music virtuoso who practices scales daily.
You often only realize what this foundation really means when you stop
training regularly after your career. At least, that was my experience. The
sense of your body and its limits starts to fade. Injuries increase, and mental
uncertainty arises about what you can physically handle.
Then there’s the interpersonal level, where leadership requires a lot of
nesse. Like the mental aspect, it’s often hard to grasp but is of central
importance. On this level, many teams have failed despite having the best
individual players in the world. I see the interpersonal aspect as another
foundation that requires constant ne-tuning; it's never fully completed and
remains fragile. Sure, the bonds within a team can be strengthened, and the
cohesion among players can become more resilient. But the work on this
front is never done.
Uwe Goldenbow was an excellent rst teacher in this area. He was simply a
great person who made playing football and learning fun. He cared about
including everyone in the team and taught us that it’s all about working
together. No one can win alone—no matter how good they are.
I also learned a lot about dealing with and leading players from Jupp
Heynckes. There was one particular moment with him that I will never forget.
At the time, I was a young player, in my early twenties, full of ambition, and
always eager to train. It was an intense period, with several games in quick
succession. During the rst training session after one of those games, I was
getting ready when Jupp Heynckes came up to me and said, "Hansi, you’re
staying in today.”
I immediately responded, "Coach, no, no. I want to train.”
But he rmly insisted, "Hansi, you’re staying in today. I’m satis ed with you.
Tomorrow is a day o ; we’ll see each other again the day after.”
These are moments when, as a young player, you feel valued, and it really
boosts your con dence. Knowing that someone trusts you, believes in you,
and communicates that openly and honestly has greatly in uenced my own
coaching career. I wanted to pass on the feeling that Jupp Heynckes gave
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me back then: showing appreciation to people, accepting them as they are,

and not treating everyone the same, but rather developing a sensitivity to
individual needs—these were the lessons I learned.
Jupp Heynckes' decision to excuse me from training was a great sign of
trust. That trust motivated me even more; I wanted to prove myself worthy of
it at every opportunity. Often, it's small gestures like those from Jupp
Heynckes that have a signi cant impact on interpersonal relationships.
There’s no calculation behind it, just genuine humanity and the simple
message: "I see you." This makes a subtle but crucial di erence, and I
realized back then that this was something I should adopt and maintain
throughout my life in my interactions with others.
However, if such gestures are driven by ulterior motives, they lose their
magic. Players and sta can sense that. Sustainable motivation and a
healthy relationship can only succeed if all parties feel that it comes from the
heart.

Heart Over Ego

The greatest adversary of the heart can often be one's own ego. Ryan
Holiday's book Ego Is the Enemy resonated with me in this regard. I found it
particularly interesting how our ego can prevent us from reaching our full
potential, developing our abilities, and behaving in a humane and humble
way. Whenever the "I" threatens to overshadow the cause or the collective
e ort, I, as a leader, must intervene. I have observed with many brilliant
individualists: when they ip the switch and realize that working for the team
also bene ts them, it can lead to performance explosions throughout the
entire team.
As with everything, balance is key. A certain degree of self-centeredness and
a healthy ego can indeed be helpful in such a performance- and
competition-oriented eld. However, in a team sport, if someone only looks
out for themselves, they might nd themselves abandoned by others in
critical moments. For me, the art lies in the balanced interplay between heart
and ego. Our heart knows best what we want, brings out our humanity, and
is a wise advisor. The ego, when tamed, can serve as the necessary engine
and drive needed to succeed.
My role as a coach also involves helping players balance their heart and ego.
The immense attention our sport and players receive makes this balance
challenging. Sometimes, though, I can’t help but smile at excessive egos—
because I believe that no one has a reason to take themselves too seriously.
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We’re all just trying to do good work in our jobs, and as individuals, we're
merely small pieces of a larger puzzle. This perspective must be maintained
—not to diminish oneself, but to keep one’s importance in check and not let
it go to one's head.
Ultimately, leading a team always comes down to this: How well can you
relate to people? What is your relationship with others like? What do you
give them? Being genuinely kind, seeing the person without any ulterior
motives—that, in my opinion, is the secret to e ective leadership. For me
personally, it’s the most rewarding aspect and the measure of my own
e ectiveness. And I believe that the importance of interpersonal relationships
will continue to grow in the future, which I think is a good thing. We need
more humanity in higher leadership positions to tackle the major challenges
of our time together.

Making Decisions as a Team

Leadership, in addition to humanity, also means: trusting others. In my daily
work, this means that I trust my fellow coaches by involving them in
everything and giving them a lot of freedom and space. They lead some
training sessions themselves and gain valuable experience working with top
stars. We maintain a close exchange of ideas and work together to develop
and achieve goals. I also provide them with many opportunities for personal
and professional development. The infrastructure at the DFB, with its
academy, is excellent in this regard. Everyone can develop in the direction
that interests them, whether it's media appearances, tactics, technical skills,
or mental aspects—we are well-equipped.
For me, trust is a cycle. By sowing it, you strengthen trust in yourself as a
leader, as well as the self-con dence of the players and the coaching and
sta teams. Additionally, you foster it by openly addressing weaknesses and
o ering to work on them together. It’s important to me that you always show
respect to the person you're dealing with through your attitude.
When trust is present, it’s easier to make and communicate good decisions.
Before we reach a decision as a team, I want to hear what each person’s
thoughts are on the subject. I actively ask them what they think. At Bayern,
for example, I regularly asked the coaching team and key players, "How
would you set up the team?" This way, I get a comprehensive picture and
then have to make decisions based on that. The nal decision is my
responsibility as head coach. When everyone feels heard, they can usually
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accept the decision well. And sometimes, like with the decision to start
Kingsley Coman in the Champions League nal, it’s pure gut feeling.
In our team, everyone should feel and know that they can express their
opinion—whether in a meeting or a workshop. Everyone should contribute.
Every word, every thought is equally valuable, whether it comes from me, my
assistant coaches Danny Röhl and Marcus Sorg, or Oliver Bierho —it
doesn’t matter. It’s important to know what everyone is thinking. With this
knowledge, as I learned during my time as DFB sports director, I can make
much better decisions on a completely di erent basis.
In every decision I make, the well-being of the team is the priority. It might
not be good for you or me, but if it’s good for the team, then it’s good.
One thing is clear, though: If you, as a leader, have to react harshly, the right
moment has almost certainly already passed. It’s always about recognizing
early on when a situation is developing in the wrong direction and taking
small steps to counteract it in time. The team will absolutely respect that, as
the leader, you have to make decisions. But you should also be able to
explain those decisions clearly and articulate why you made them.

Leadership Manifesto at the DFB

The World Cup in Brazil is, for me, a prime example of value-based
leadership and top-level teamwork. From the planning of the tournament to
the squad selection and the management of the team behind the team,
everything t together perfectly, ultimately leading to great success.
First, within the leadership team comprising Jogi Löw, Oliver Bierho , and
Andreas Köpke, we wrote a "Manifesto of Sporting Leadership." In this
manifesto, we clearly outlined how we envisioned working with the team and
the players, and what we prioritized in our leadership. For example, the
manifesto stated: "Our task is to actively support the players on their way to
the World Cup and during the World Cup, to challenge them, to identify the
strongest players both technically and mentally, and to form them into a real
and resilient team. A clear shared game plan, courage, and creativity guide
our actions. Our leadership ability has the greatest impact on our team's
performance at the World Cup.”
I took the last sentence to heart. In a tournament, everything has to be spot-
on for the players to push themselves to their limits and deliver their best
performance throughout the entire period. Even the smallest mistake can
lead to an early knockout.
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Leadership must always be demonstrated. Within our leadership team, our

approach was: "We regularly coordinate and communicate transparently. We
bear the main responsibility and have the courage to make unpopular
decisions with the players and to endure con icts. The nal decision rests
with the national coach. We always make decisions together. The specialists
support us with information that we request and access.”
To bring this leadership approach to life, we de ned six core values that we
wanted to embody. These values were: Integrity, Focus, Appreciation,
Approachability, Inspiration, and Clear Communication. To align with these
values, we committed to the following:
• We have maximum trust in each other. We are aware of the topics and
statements that do not leave the inner circle. We protect each other and
are always available to listen to our colleagues. We use the Pareto
principle positively, focusing on the essential! We use 20% of our time
for 80% of our discussion content. We conclude topics as directly as
possible and document the results.
• Each of our 23 players is important; each one receives our full
appreciation at all times.
• We approach the players, regularly seek contact, and challenge each
other to maintain this approach.
• Our behavior and communication style serve as inspiration for the
players and the support sta .
• We communicate with each other fully honestly, openly, and regularly—
especially in di cult situations. In front of and within the team and
support sta , we communicate transparently, clearly, solution-oriented,
and usually positively. However, harmony is not the primary goal. We
de ne a small circle of leadership players around Philipp Lahm, who are
our rst points of contact on the players' side.

Bastian Schweinsteiger was naturally part of this circle, and he aptly

described his role and understanding of leadership on the players' side: "For
me, a player’s personality is de ned by someone who sets directions not
only on the eld but also o it, someone who doesn't think of themselves
rst, but of the entire team!”
When it comes to such topics and actions, I've always been a fan of the
KISS principle: Keep it short and simple. This is how we handled discussions
with the players, analysis sessions, and even standard training. We
determined in advance what the message of the session should be,
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communicated it to the players, clari ed any open questions, and then left it
at that.
The goal is to ensure that no one is overwhelmed while also keeping
everyone on board. If you approach something too intellectually, you lose
half of the players along the way. The strategy, the goal, the rules for working
together, and the rationale behind all decisions must be clearly de ned. From
such a foundation, momentum can build, as we experienced during the
World Cup in Brazil.

Working on the Shared Vision

During my rst tenure at the DFB until my role as assistant coach at Bayern, I
often had the pleasure of working with companies in the private sector. It
was always centered around the key question: "How do I create and lead
high-performance teams?" Discussing this topic with others and sharing my
approaches ultimately helped me design a clear model and re ne my own
approach.
For me, the rst step is always developing a mission statement. This mission
statement then serves as a communication tool within and outside the
organization. It provides orientation, motivates, and legitimizes one's
behavior. It consists of three main pillars:
1. The Vision
2. The Values
3. The Mission

Without the vision, without a clear picture of what you desire and are working
towards, no team can unleash the potential within it. The vision is the guiding
star that everyone must follow and know. In our case, this was literally true.
After the 2014 World Cup, we wanted to see the fourth star on our jersey and
become the rst European team to win a World Cup title on South American
soil. Our vision was to bring the greatest possible joy to the people at home
and nally bring the golden trophy home after nearly a quarter-century of
waiting.
Especially in di cult phases, a strong vision is of utmost importance
because it keeps you going and ghting. The more tangible and motivating
the vision is for the team, the higher the intensity, focus, and e ort in the
work.
Values are the lived principles within the organization—whether in sports or
business. Values unite and help work towards the vision with a clear code of
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conduct. They are re ected above all in the daily actions of each individual.
Here too, the clearer and more tangible the values are, the easier they are to
live by in daily business.
I’ve already mentioned our six core values at the World Cup. The interplay of
these values was crucial to our success. The appreciation shown to all sta
members, combined with approachability, led to a unique team spirit. The
foundation for this was clear communication and integrity, without which
collaboration can never be successful.
The longer the tournament lasted, the more important the remaining two
values became: Focus and Inspiration. We constantly aimed to bring
inspiration to the entire team through new impulses, such as highlight
videos. The commitment to maintain focus until the very last moment was
passed on to the entire team. We regularly reminded each other to focus only
on the next task and to give everything for it.
The mission is about the purpose and task of the organization. For example,
our clear mission with Bayern Munich was to win all the titles. We were all
passionate about this mission. The vision, however, is always a level higher.
At Bayern, it was about inspiring fans worldwide, giving them hope through
the way we celebrated football, encouraging them, and developing ourselves
as people in the process.
For these pillars to bear fruit, careful selection of personnel is crucial. High-
performance teams only work when everyone on board identi es with the
contents of the three pillars. This was the case at both the DFB and FC
Bayern. Every team member stood behind the ambitious goals of sweeping
all the trophies while simultaneously inspiring, giving hope, and instilling
courage in the fans. We all subordinated ourselves to this endeavor and put
teamwork at the forefront.
If I had to de ne a core value that has always been at the forefront of my
coaching work and value philosophy, it would be this: a trusting and ego-free
collaboration.

Leading Teams and Individuals

Before every conversation with a player, I ask myself: What do I expect from
the player? What can I o er them? What do I want to know from them? But
also: What might the player expect from me? Such personal preparation
takes time and energy, but that’s my job. If I want to understand the player
and improve their performance, I have to be interested in them. In the end, it
has great value for the entire team if I can give a player very individual
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messages and demand speci c things from them. Together, we create a

tailor-made plan and then work together to implement it.
I often keep in mind the words of the Irish writer George Bernard Shaw, who
beautifully said: "The only man who behaves sensibly is my tailor. He takes
my measurements anew every time he sees me, while all the rest go on with
their old measurements and expect them to t me.”
Just as I draw inspiration from positive examples in my own career, I’ve also
noted some negative examples to remind myself how I absolutely do not
want to treat players.
Towards the end of my playing career, there was such a moment. Our coach
at the time would post the roster for the next game in the locker room after
the nal training session. We players would then go to the notice to nd out if
we were in or not. The reasons behind the decisions were never
communicated. When I didn’t see my name on the list before a game, I went
to the locker room to ask the coach if we could have a quick talk. I wanted to
understand why I wasn’t selected and, more importantly, what I could do
better in the future.
Throughout the entire conversation, the coach looked out the window. He
barely looked at me. And I thought to myself: If you’re not going to look at
me, I might as well leave. So that’s what I did.
Some coaches avoid confrontation with players. Personally, I think it’s the
most important thing for maintaining unity and a healthy atmosphere. Only
through regular and clear communication with everyone can you sustainably
create a good balance within the team that carries you through an entire
season or tournament. And that’s something you have to manage as a
coach. That’s your job. It’s purely a matter of communication. Players can
handle the truth. But the statements must be clear.
This is how I’m handling the preparation for the World Cup in Qatar. I explain
the rules of the game, let the players know where they stand, and clearly
communicate to those on the bubble how their position currently looks and
that some will be on standby in case someone gets injured. Then everyone
can decide for themselves whether they want to go along with the rules. This
way, no one is left in the dark.

Treating Others as You Want to Be Treated

I live by a philosophy of transparency and honesty. I let people know where
they stand and never communicate with ulterior motives or hidden agendas.
I once read in an article: "Hansi Flick is a poor poker player." And that’s true.
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I can’t and don’t want to play poker; I want to be completely transparent and
let everyone involved feel where things stand.
In my communication, no matter with whom, I try to be as direct and sincere
as possible. When the people around me sense that I’m being genuine, it
also makes my life easier. I don’t have to remember who I told what to or
what I’ve revealed. Everyone knows where they stand with me. This saves
energy and especially mental resources.
I’ve never been able to pretend or put on a facade. It was the same when I
was a player. After my lung injury during my debut season at FC Bayern, I
was sidelined for a few weeks. When I was fully back in training, Udo Lattek
came up to me and asked, "Hansi, can you play?"
I honestly told him, "Coach, I need another week."
We won the next game 7:2, and I was only elded once more in the entire
second half of the season. That was, of course, disappointing because the
season and maybe even my career could have gone di erently if I had
played, but it was the truth.
I always ask my players for an honest self-assessment and never penalize
anyone who gives me sincere feedback. If someone can’t play—whether due
to injury or personal reasons—I accept that and give them another chance.
If I had to summarize my communication style and, more importantly, my
personal development in communication in one sentence, it would be this: "I
used to talk more; now I listen more." Early in my coaching career, it was
important to me that others understood my thoughts as precisely as
possible. Today, I’m much more interested in knowing how others think and
what they feel about something. Even when it comes to private matters, I
always lend an ear. That’s part of it and simply very important. And I always
try to nd the right setting for my messages.
Especially when I have to tell a player something that I know will hurt them, I
sometimes even y out to deliver the message personally instead of just
sending a quick WhatsApp message—though that would be faster and
easier. It’s important to me that the players feel genuine appreciation and
know where they stand. Even if they’re not playing or not in the squad, I
strive to include them in the communication and explain the reasoning
behind my and our decisions and what they can work on.
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CHAPTER 7
THE TEAM IS EVERYTHING

How do I assemble successful teams? How do I nurture and utilize each

individual's strengths? And how do I manage to instill the values and
principles from the last two chapters into the team so that we all work
towards a common goal?
These questions occupy my thoughts daily. I'm fascinated by the dynamics
of a team. Watching a group of people come together for a shared purpose
and set new standards in unity excites me time and time again.
The Finnish Formula 1 World Champion Mika Häkkinen put it nicely: "You
never win alone. The day you believe otherwise is the day you start losing."
However, a team structure, like any other interpersonal relationship, is
regularly tested. Di cult phases, where results don't meet expectations,
ruthlessly expose how strong the cohesion truly is. In professional football,
navigating such a phase is a delicate balancing act.
Performance and results are the most important currency in our business.
When you win, everything seems bright. When you lose, many things are
called into question.
The press excels at this—asking questions is, after all, their job. However,
when you hold the position of head coach at success-driven clubs like
Bayern Munich, it's crucial to protect the team from the many loud voices
outside.
Many expect professionals to let everything roll o their shoulders—they
earn so well and get to lead a luxurious life! But the fact that behind the well-
known football star is fundamentally a human being—and not a machine—is
often overlooked. Over the years, I've had to develop a sensitivity to
balancing the players' needs with the press's demands, the in uence of
o cials, and the many other small pieces that a ect a team's performance.
To be honest, I continue to learn more about this with every new role.

The Player-Coach Relationship

Sometimes, the learning process happens the hard way. In some cases, it's
the players who give me valuable feedback. That helps me a lot. I fondly
remember the time when I had just taken over as head coach at Bayern
Munich. My rst priority was to give the players con dence, to strengthen
their belief in their own abilities, and to develop a sense of their individual
needs. I had many one-on-one conversations and closely coordinated with
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the team council, including Manuel Neuer, Robert Lewandowski, David

Alaba, Joshua Kimmich, Thiago, and Thomas Müller. I was in particularly
close contact with Manuel throughout that period. He is someone who is not
only world-class on the eld but also as a person.
In public discourse, there’s often talk about the "luxury problem" a coach
faces when given a team full of world stars and having to choose the starting
lineup. The problem certainly exists, but as is often the case, it all comes
down to the right balance. A season is long, and if you want to be successful
in the end, you need all the players. You also need harmony, cohesion, and
mutual support among the players—despite the competition.
I love the challenge of turning a group into a tightly-knit team. It motivates
me every day to understand the complex dynamics of a squad. During the
week, everyone tries to prove themselves and be better than the others to
earn a spot in the starting lineup for the weekend. And that’s how it should
be! But on the weekend, we all have a common goal. We’re playing against
another team, with a similar dynamic, and we want to get three points.

Mistakes Are Inevitable

It’s an ongoing challenge to foster team cohesion. Let me give you an
example: Philippe Coutinho. Philippe is a Brazilian, a sensitive person, and a
brilliant footballer with a lot of experience in international football, who came
to us from Barcelona. In the beginning, he didn’t get much playing time, but I
still wanted to bring him into the game as often as possible. Sometimes,
things didn’t go well, and he was rightfully upset. On one occasion, I
substituted him in just a few minutes before the nal whistle during a game
where we were leading by a wide margin. For a player of his stature and
quality, who had already proven himself at other top European clubs, this
was understandably di cult. He has a certain pride, and my decision wasn’t
ideal. I should have brought in a young player who would have been happy
with a brief appearance.

WE ARE A TEAM, AND ONLY IF WE ARE OPEN WITH EACH OTHER

CAN WE BE SUCCESSFUL TOGETHER.

Thiago approached me after the game in a quiet moment and said, "Coach,
bringing Philippe in for such a short time, that’s tough." When he said that, I
had to pause for a moment. First, I thought about the content of his
statement. Thiago was right; it was indeed an unfortunate decision on my
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part. Then I felt grateful—that a player dared to con de in his coach because
he knew: Hansi, like everyone else, wants to improve and, despite his role as
head coach, is not infallible. We are a team, and only if we are open with
each other can we be successful together!
When players dare to speak up like that, it shows that there’s a solid
foundation. I can learn something, and the conversation, as well as my
reaction, hopefully, brings us closer together. My players should always
know and feel that I am receptive to them and honest with them. At Bayern, I
believe this had a tremendously positive impact on team cohesion and the
overall atmosphere.
Another example highlights the role of players who have a feel for the team.
Often, it’s not just about the lineup, training, or competition—but also about
what’s going on with the team o the pitch. David Alaba was there for the
players both on and o the eld, and we all knew and felt that. He frequently
checked in on the personal well-being of his teammates, knew in most cases
what was bothering his teammates o the eld, and always stood up for his
colleagues when someone was spoken ill of. He had a healthy social life and
liked to include others.
Such welcoming personalities are invaluable to any team. They have natural
authority due to their performance, put themselves at the service of the
team, and speak up when they believe it’s in everyone’s best interest. I’m not
at all surprised that David immediately t into the team structure at Real
Madrid, earned the highest respect, and won both the Champions League
and La Liga in his rst season with Real.
I also recall a situation involving David Alaba from my early days as head
coach at Bayern. Before my rst game, directly in the Champions League
against Olympiakos Piraeus, we only had two training sessions. As a coach, I
could only make small adjustments. My approach was based on my tried-
and-true methods: communicate a lot, radiate joy and ease, and give
everyone a good feeling. We won the game. Some things were already good,
but it wasn’t really a top performance. Three days later, Dortmund was on
the horizon, and it was clear to everyone: we needed to step it up. We had a
clear idea of how we wanted to play. We wanted to be proactive, exude
con dence, put the opponent under pressure, and operate from a compact
defense. As a coach, I had to exude this con dence so that the players felt I
wouldn’t falter when things got tough.
Then there was a situation just before the game during the nal meeting at
the hotel near the Allianz Arena. I was standing at the front and had a clear
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plan of what I wanted to say and how I wanted to prepare the team for the
game. I showed a few scenes and went over the details again. Everyone was
listening intently until David Alaba suddenly interrupted and said, "Coach, if
we do it like this and everyone shifts over in that situation—will it really
work?" And I told him, "Of course it will work. When the ball comes,
everyone knows exactly what to do and how to defend. Have con dence in
yourselves—it will work. You did great in training.”
When the rst situations in the game went well, it boosted the players’
con dence. And in turn, their con dence re ected back on me as a coach.
In situations like the one before the Dortmund game, you have to be steady
and genuinely convinced of what you’re saying. Your conviction must be
communicated to the players. If you hesitate or show uncertainty even once,
the players will notice immediately. At that point, authenticity is crucial. You
have to truly mean what you say and live by it. In that moment, the entire
coaching team was fully convinced of our match plan. We were clear about
how we wanted to act. And that’s why we were able to clearly set the
course.

Making Teams Better

A truly important person for me at the beginning of my coaching career was
the Italian legend Giovanni Trapattoni. He is an exceptional person and a
successful coach who particularly supported young players. From him, I
learned how treating players with respect and care can enhance their
performance. I was impressed that he participated in most of the exercises
himself. Moreover, he dedicated a noticeable amount of time to young
players, conducting individual sessions with them, working on the basics,
and showing great patience in introducing them to professional football. He
did this during his time at Bayern and also during our time together in
Salzburg. You could really feel how excited the young players were about it.
One of my guiding principles when it comes to player and team development
comes from Udo Lattek: "I prefer to make players feel taller rather than
shorter." For me, this holds a lot of wisdom that I try to live by in my
interactions with others. If, as a leader, I see the good and the strengths in
others, recognize potentials in them that they often don't see in themselves,
and communicate these to them, they grow in their development as players.
They improve because someone believes in them and sees something in
them. I like to treat my players as if all their best qualities are already fully
developed because they then strive to live up to that. And they do live up to
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it. When someone else sees more in us than we see in ourselves, it helps us
immensely to grow into our role.
A good example of this is Jérôme Boateng. Many had already written him
o , and he was considered the fourth choice among Bayern's central
defenders. Then I talked to him about taking responsibility and showed him a
plan on how he could return to his top level through meticulous work. For
him, it was mainly about treating his body well so that it would, in turn, treat
him well.
Our tness coach, Holger Broich, worked a lot with him, and Jérôme and I
put in extra sessions, even when the team had time o . We focused a lot on
the basics, on passing and heading, to help him regain con dence in his
strengths. And, as always, we had very honest conversations. Players accept
it when you tell them clearly that someone else currently has the edge. They
just don't want to be lied to. Jérôme accepted the challenge, worked hard on
himself, and fought his way back. As a result, he became a central pillar of
our game again and was probably much more satis ed with himself and his
performance.

Talent Development
My basic thesis is: improvement happens in training. This is where the full
focus lies because the game then only serves as con rmation of good
training—almost as a test to see if improvement has been achieved.
At Bayern Munich, where the quality of play has been extremely high for
decades, it was especially important that the training was well thought out
and that the players were speci cally nurtured. Introducing new talents to the
professional squad is not easy because you can't risk established world-
class players getting annoyed and disrupting the training process. On the
other hand, you don't want to put unnecessary pressure on young players;
you want to give them a chance. Most talents, therefore, take a detour
before making it at a club like Bayern. The existing players need to feel that a
new talent brings something extraordinary. When that's the case, a young
player is quickly integrated.
Jamal Musiala is a good example of this. Hermann Gerland mentioned that
Jamal was an extraordinary talent. I observed his movements in training,
agreed with Hermann, and invited Jamal directly to train with the rst team.
He brought a special carefree attitude and a pronounced air for the game—
especially for his age. I liked that.
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The other players also sensed that Jamal had a special quality and
immediately accepted him as a new part of the team. He got the chance to
shine in a game and seized it right away.
I usually give young talents more time and, as a coach, I primarily protect
them from external pressure. But with Jamal, everything moved a bit faster;
we gradually gave him more responsibility and started him in important
games. This is an important signal—not only for the player but also for all
other talents who have the same goal. They see that such a path is possible,
and they push themselves even harder.

Building Blocks for a Successful Team

Over the years, I’ve repeatedly noticed similar mistakes when assembling
teams. The most common ones were:
• Selection based on sympathy. Of course, interpersonal relationships
matter, but sympathy alone isn’t enough for major success.
• Selection based on availability. Sometimes, patience is needed to nd
that crucial missing piece.
• Political calculation. Power struggles always harm the culture and
ultimately everyone involved.
• Teams that are too large. For every task, there’s an ideal team size.
When the team is too large, individual performance decreases.
• Lack of quality. Depending on the goal and standard, you can't
compromise on quality, or the overall result will su er. The old saying that
A-players want to work with A-players still holds true.

A positive example for me, when it comes to team play and putting the team
rst, is Lukas Podolski. He had the complete package. I always like to
highlight his role in the 2014 World Cup. He brought great quality, always
gave his all in training—really always—pushed himself to the limit, and
maintained a super positive attitude the entire time, even though he only
started in our lineup once during the whole tournament. This inspired
everyone else in a similar situation.
This was of enormous value to us as a team, especially in the substitute
training sessions. A tournament like that spans weeks, and it’s easy to get
discouraged when you haven’t played again. But Lukas was the opposite. I
remember a session where we nished with a sprint challenge. The way he
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trained with everything he had and pushed himself to the limit was truly
impressive and did us all a lot of good.
In a team, all factors must be covered, all the positions you need. At the
World Cup in Brazil, we managed to do this well, and Lukas was a crucial
component of our success. He played a key role in maintaining a healthy
atmosphere within the team.

The three factors I pay particular attention to in a team are the following:
1. Diversity. A team always needs diversity. You need di erent
characters to be successful together in the end. The current debate
calling for more diversity in teams and organizations is absolutely right
and timely. If everyone thinks the same way, acts the same, and has
very similar personalities, you’ll always get the same results, but
certainly not major breakthroughs.
2. Quality. This point was very pronounced at Bayern Munich. We had
many players with extremely high quality and at least equally high self-
motivation.
3. Team players like Lukas Podolski or David Alaba. Especially in teams
like the national team or Bayern Munich, this point is a crucial
component. Players and sta who continually push everyone and
create a good atmosphere are indispensable—especially when it
comes down to the wire at the end of the season or in a tournament.

Ubuntu & Lessons from Basketball

When it comes to successful teams, I like to look at other sports. What
initiatives do coaches in those sports take to foster team cohesion? I'm
particularly interested in American basketball and its legendary coaches.
One of them was Coach John Wooden, who coached the UCLA Bruins, the
university team in Los Angeles, for twelve years and won the championship
ten times during that period. Shortly before his death in 2010, he was named
the "Greatest Coach of All Time" by Sporting News.
What particularly appeals to me about John Wooden are his humility, his
adherence to principles, and his clear communication. There's a story about
him mopping the gym oor at the university's training facility, which was
seen by various players and sta members. Wooden had already won
several titles at that point, and he was cleaning the oor at a moment when
he believed he was unobserved. Apparently, he cleaned the gym regularly
and did it for no one other than himself. In my view, the character of a person
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is most clearly revealed when they believe they are unobserved. How we
behave when we think no one is watching re ects the purest form of our
nature. Wooden mopped the oor because it grounded him and never let him
forget his roots.

THE CHARACTER OF A PERSON IS MOST CLEARLY REVEALED, IN MY

OPINION, WHEN THEY BELIEVE THEY ARE UNOBSERVED.

Such an attitude moves me deeply, as it is sadly becoming extinct in sports

under all the glory and public attention. Coach Wooden was focused on
serving his team, enhancing the abilities of his players, and making them
better people. Perhaps I am a bit idealistic, but I believe that this is exactly
the mission of every leader. It’s not about the leader or me as a person, but
about the cause we, as coaches, commit ourselves to when we take
responsibility for a team.
Another basketball coach interestingly chose a career at a university over the
much larger stage o ered by the NBA: Mike Krzyzewski, better known as
Coach K from Duke University. He and Wooden have a very clear idea of
what success means to them. They do not equate success with titles and
victories. And I believe that is precisely why they have left such a signi cant
legacy. They never wanted success to be de ned externally but set their
goals internally with their players and the entire organization.
For these coaches, success meant the inner peace that comes when you
know you have given everything and made the most of your abilities. For
them, it was a success to help people grow. To this end, both coaches
designed their own value pyramids, which still hang in countless locker
rooms, meeting rooms, and players' rooms today.
In these pyramids, you nd some of the values I discussed in the previous
chapters. These values also served as the foundation for Wooden and
Krzyzewski. At the top of their pyramids, however, are values that go far
beyond sports. They emphasize greatness in competition, which includes fair
handling of defeats and recognizing the achievements of others. Losing a
game, for these coaches, is part of sports and life. For both, there is no
defeat if you lose but have given your best and learned something.
Conversely, it is not a success if you win but your attitude was not right.
It’s all about attitude. And about trust, faith, and patience. The latter,
especially, is crucial in today’s world, where everything is increasingly fast-
paced and expected to be instantly available. Without patience, exceptional
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abilities cannot be developed. Coach K and John Wooden were and are
masters at imparting these values.
In addition to these two coaches, two other basketball coaches have
particularly resonated with me due to their approach. One of them is Phil
Jackson, the most successful coach in NBA history. His unorthodox
approach and the way he dealt with his players led to unique successes. He
took time to understand his players, wanted to know them and their
motivations thoroughly, and had a special sense of which types of players
were needed to achieve success together.
As the coach of the Chicago Bulls, he led the team to six championships in
the 1990s. What I found particularly remarkable was how he managed to
integrate the last puzzle piece into the team: Dennis Rodman. Rodman was a
highly controversial player because he had previously played for the Bulls'
biggest rival, the Detroit Pistons, and had been excessively rough on the star
of his new team, Michael Jordan. Additionally, Rodman was known as a
scandal-prone player who regularly caused trouble o the court.
But Phil Jackson had this special sensitivity, and he knew: His players
trusted him and his leadership qualities and relied on him to make all
decisions in the best interest of the team and their ultimate goal of winning
more championships. He was aware that his decision to bring Rodman to
Chicago was highly controversial and would even provoke short-term
displeasure among the fans. But he also knew that his players were
professionals who would immediately understand that Rodman improved the
team.
From a coach's perspective, what is particularly relevant is that Jackson
must have also been aware of something else: A basketball team can only
handle one personality like Dennis Rodman. Jackson needed the support of
his two most important players, Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, to be
able to manage Rodman and his antics. This sensitivity, with which a coach
understands how a team operates and how the gears must interlock,
fascinates me.
In terms of communication and leadership, Phil Jackson probably played in a
league of his own during his active time. He meditated with his team and
introduced them to Zen Buddhism to teach the players presence and
mindfulness. He did not interfere with the players' major decisions and
respected their autonomy and will. And when necessary, he channeled that
will in a way that served the team. With Dennis Rodman, for example, he
succeeded by nding common ground in discussing the traditions of Native
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Americans and portraying Rodman’s role for the team through the symbolism
of those traditions. Phil Jackson knew: This resonates with this player; he
can identify with it. Leading people in such a way is an art.
The other coach is Doc Rivers. He is currently coaching the Philadelphia
76ers, and before that, he spent a long time with the Los Angeles Clippers
and the Boston Celtics. What resonates with me most about him is a
philosophy that is quite similar to my own. We encountered it around the
same time: Doc Rivers adapted it in Boston in 2008 and won the
championship as a result. I came across it while preparing for the 2010 World
Cup in South Africa.
I'm talking about Ubuntu. The term has its roots in the Bantu languages of
southern Africa, and the philosophy behind it can be summed up in one
sentence: The greater good is more important than individual success. Or,
more poetically: I am because we are, and only through our connection with
each other can we truly live.
It is the purest form of humanity. The "we" is more important than the "I."
The "I" only nds its ful llment in the "we" and cannot exist alone. To this
day, I don’t know of a more tting approach than the Ubuntu philosophy
when it comes to leading a team harmoniously, humbly, and collectively
toward a goal. This approach is most strongly associated with Nelson
Mandela and Desmond Tutu. And when I look at what these two men have
accomplished for our world in the past and the con icts and crises we face
today, I can’t help but say: A bit more Ubuntu in our world would be a
blessing for us all.
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CHAPTER 8:
STAYING TRUE TO ONESELF

I didn’t show it, but leaving FC Bayern as a coach really hurt me. The
decision was a di cult one. It’s no secret: My club has always been FC
Bayern Munich. I had two phenomenal years with the players, and the entire
coaching team did outstanding work throughout that time. Looking at
European football, it was all an absolute benchmark at that point.
Returning to Säbener Straße as an assistant coach in 2019 felt like coming
home. This club simply radiates something special. I felt that as a young fan,
as I emulated my idols; as a player, when I won several titles and got to play
with some extraordinary talents; and as a coach, when the unexpected
dream came true of working with the best players in the world and chasing
titles.
The close bond with the players, my coaches, and the sta made the
farewell particularly di cult. At least I was able to inspire the great coaching
talent Danny Röhl for the new task at the DFB. However, I will miss the good
conversations in the sauna with Toni Tapalovic.
There’s this now-legendary statement from Otto Rehhagel, who said that
anyone who signs a contract with FC Bayern must know what they’ve done.
And he was absolutely right. The fact that contracts at FC Bayern hold a
particularly high value in the football world always impressed me. Clubs need
planning certainty, and no individual person should place themselves above
a club—regardless of which club it is. That’s a fundamental value in sports,
where the team is the greatest asset.
From day one, my goal was to achieve the greatest possible success with
the club that has given me everything. I was passionate about it and gave
my all. And despite the best intentions, an exceptional team, and a valid
contract, there came a point where I had to ask myself the tough question of
whether I should step aside for someone else. Someone who might be able
to get more out of the existing conditions and be better suited for the job
than I was.
To play to my strengths and fully focus on my job, I need an environment
where I feel comfortable and where I sense trust. If that’s not there, I lose too
much energy, and that’s not good for me or the bigger picture. It goes
against my professional principles if I can no longer give my all to my team
and players. I’ve also seen too often what happens when someone doesn’t
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leave in time and ends up harming themselves and everyone involved. I

wanted to avoid that at all costs.
After much re ection and conversations with people from my inner circle, I
came to the conclusion that I would be violating my own principles if I
continued. Although part of me wanted nothing more than to keep working
with this incredible team and the players, the conditions were simply no
longer there.

IN MY VIEW, IT SHOULD BE A GIVEN IN TEAMS THAT THERE IS TRUST,

AND THAT PEOPLE HELP EACH OTHER GET BACK ON TRACK WHEN
THINGS AREN’T GOING WELL.

In my view, it should be a given in teams that there is trust, and that people
help each other get back on track when things aren’t going well. This is the
basic requirement for sustainable success. The fact that within many
organizations today, people still work against each other and prioritize their
own interests over shared goals out of political calculation is something I nd
hard to comprehend. Whenever that’s the case, I have to draw a line and
say: It can’t go on like this.
Being the head coach of the club that made my father and me happy as a
child, with which I had a beautiful and successful time as a player, lls me
with pride and immense gratitude. The fact that I was able to give something
back to the club and that we were so successful together is something I will
always carry with a special sense of ful llment. And that I got this
opportunity is something I can and want to thank everyone at FC Bayern for.
One fan wasn’t lost through my departure, by the way, as my father quickly
made it clear to me: "You do realize that I’m still going to be a Bayern fan,
right?”

From Club Coach to National Coach

The time as Jogi’s assistant coach was perfect preparation for my current
role. Jogi did a fantastic job and gave me a lot of freedom as his assistant.
This allowed me to bring in my own ideas and continue my development in
several areas. Whether in scouting, developing training content, analyzing
opponents, or communicating with players, Jogi always involved me. Feeling
that trust from him laid the foundation for our successful collaboration.
During my rst phase at the DFB, there were often comments like, "You’re
going to be the next national coach, why not stay a bit longer?" That it has
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actually come to this now, and that I was able to gain all those other
experiences beforehand, I see as a great gift. It’s something I needed for my
own development. I now have even more con dence in my actions and in
making the decisions required in my position.

As the national coach, I have three main advantages that align with my
nature and play to my strengths:
1. I have more time to further my education, observe, and then make
decisions. The DFB is extremely supportive when it comes to further
education for its employees.
2. Despite the high intensity of the job, I can take breaks to recharge,
maintain a healthy physical condition, communicate extensively, and
take the time to exchange ideas with all involved.
3. I can promote diversity within the team more and have signi cantly
more freedom in player selection and team composition.

One major disadvantage of working as a national coach, however, is that you

have much less time to convey your own philosophy to the players.
Initiatives like the mentioned Player’s Lounge help me maintain contact with
the players regardless.
Additionally, with the national team, everything naturally revolves around the
big tournaments, which brings a special kind of pressure. Expectations in
Germany are naturally always high. However, I gladly face that because I love
competition and enjoy getting the most out of the team.
I regularly use the time between national team games for workshops with my
coaching sta . For example, we were in Madrid for a few days for the
Champions League return match between Real Madrid and Chelsea London.
We rented an Airbnb and then drew lots within the coaching sta to decide
who would get which room. Since there was only one room with its own
bathroom, the draw was taken with a fair amount of humor but also
seriously. We organized a small motivational talk for ourselves and worked
together on tactical and team-relevant topics.
Besides that, I attend a lot of games, often exchange ideas with those
responsible in the clubs, and especially with the players. I also like to get
involved in issues that are systemically relevant to German football: coaching
education, youth and talent development, and the philosophy for the youth
teams.
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The Magic of Major Tournaments

Tournaments are always something special. It starts with the preparation, the
thrill surrounding it, which exponentially increases as the tournament
progresses. For those involved, it’s a strange time because you nd yourself
in a sort of bubble. You know the whole world is watching the tournament,
but initially, you don't really feel the weight of that attention. The further you
advance, the more you start to see images of the cheering crowds back
home. This was already the case during my rst major tournament, the 2008
European Championship, and it was the same during the World Cups in
South Africa and Brazil, even though they took place much farther from
home.
When you then watch the news on German channels, it’s crazy to see what’s
happening back home: the car parades, the crowds, the many ags. It lls
you with pride and provides an extra boost of motivation. The feeling you get
when you see that people back home are doing well, that they’re happy and
identifying with the team, is hard to describe. It’s a huge privilege to play for
the people, to give something back to them, and to show them: We’re
ghting for all of you.
Preparing for a World Cup is always associated with a lot of work. However,
this work is very ful lling and brings great joy. I still fondly remember the
many trips to South Africa and Brazil, where Oliver Bierho and I scouted
various locations and planned and discussed the logistics together.
At the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, Oliver did an especially outstanding job in
preparing and selecting and designing our camp. We always try to
incorporate a few special elements that bring joy. These can be details in the
facilities or culinary extras. In Brazil, the variety of spaces where you could
retreat, relax a bit, or have quiet conversations was truly excellent and
contributed to a great atmosphere among everyone involved. There were
many opportunities to take time for the people who give their best as the
team behind the team. This is extremely important because things can
quickly go wrong if not everyone feels included and involved. Discontent in
one person immediately spreads to others. We are so closely knit that you
can’t help but notice when the mood turns sour, and it creates an issue that
distracts from the main goal. And that must never happen.
I’ve seen this at all my stops. When the atmosphere turns sour and the mood
isn’t good, it inevitably impacts the results at some point—no matter how
good the players are and no matter how well we prepare the team for the
games and the opponent. My time as a professional at Bayern Munich still
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serves as a prime example for me. It was unique. Uli Hoeneß held everything
together in an impressive way. He would sometimes tell you his opinion very
directly, and occasionally you had to report to his o ce, but you always
knew: If something was wrong, no matter what, you could count on Uli
Hoeneß. That was unique and fostered high levels of loyalty, appreciation,
and gratitude within the team. And it showed me very early on what makes a
successful club, a successful team. I have often looked to that example and
tried to create a similar atmosphere within my teams.

The Best Conditions

The location of the camp in Brazil was breathtaking. The sea was right
nearby, which Jogi particularly enjoyed for his runs. It felt like a small,
isolated village where we could be entirely among ourselves. There was a
beautiful, open dining area, a great bar, a pool, a tness area, and many
small lounge areas. The short distances meant that everyone frequently
crossed paths, fostering interaction among us. Wherever you went, someone
was always sitting somewhere, which encouraged conversation. Some
events during the training camp in South Tyrol had already created a relaxed
atmosphere, like Thomas Müller clowning around in a dirndl after losing a
bet. Lukas Podolski playfully threw a SportBild reporter into the water, fully
clothed with pockets full, which everyone took in good humor, and once, Per
Mertesacker got all of us to go to the sauna together. We laughed a lot. It
was clear early on: the spirit was right, and we were getting along well.
It's the little things that decide whether a camp during a tournament is well-
received and whether everyone feels comfortable. For example, how the
team is assigned to their rooms or, as in Brazil, to certain areas. In 2014,
Hans-Dieter Hermann managed this and ensured good camaraderie. The
more experienced players were allowed some say in the arrangements. For
instance, Miro said he would take the younger, quieter players with him.
Every departure for the next game was something special. We had to take a
ferry to get to the buses, and the atmosphere in the country was excellent—
it made everything even more enjoyable.
A World Cup is always a highlight. Such a tournament is both a marathon
and a sprint at the same time. In the matches, especially after the group
stage, the team has to be fully present from the rst second after kicko ;
otherwise, the tournament can end very quickly. If you want to go far, you
need endurance and a certain level of resilience. Things never go entirely
according to plan, and you have to work hard for your luck in the game and
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quickly overcome setbacks. A lot has to come together to win a tournament

with so many teams, which is part of its special appeal.
The start in Brazil was perfect. We won our opening game decisively, 4-0
against Portugal, laying the perfect foundation for later winning the group.
The decisive third group match against the U.S. team coached by Jürgen
Klinsmann was an emotional highlight. After the hard-fought 1-0 win, he
wished us all the best for the rest of the tournament and said he had a
feeling that it was Germany's time again.
In knockout duels, it's a di erent ball game, as our rst match showed:
Algeria gave us everything we could handle in the round of 16. We needed
extra time to reach the quarter nals against France. The relief was immense
when André Schürrle broke the deadlock early in extra time with the crucial
1-0, and Mesut Özil sealed the victory shortly before the nal whistle.
Games where you're the overwhelming favorite and the underdog has
nothing to lose are often the most dangerous. However, this particular match
was important for us because it sharpened our senses even more.

Two Matches for Eternity

The game against Brazil will likely remain etched in the memory of football
fans in Germany forever. Many friends and acquaintances told me after the
match that the experience felt surreal, especially after the two similar goals
by Toni Kroos and Sami Khedira—the 4-0 and 5-0—when they had the
feeling they were watching a replay. I had to laugh because, even though I
was standing on the sidelines live, it felt the same way to me. Everything we
had planned and practiced came together perfectly in that game. For
example, during the analysis beforehand, we noticed that Brazil was very
strong at the near post during set pieces but correspondingly thinner in the
middle and at the far post. Before the match, I, along with our analyst
Stephan Nopp, took a screenshot of Brazil's behavior during set pieces,
printed it out, and approached Toni, Thomas, Mats, and Miro. We discussed
together where the ball needed to go during corners, how each player
should behave, and how we could exploit Brazil's defensive setup during set
pieces. That Toni then delivered a brilliant corner early in the game, with the
ball going exactly where we had discussed and Thomas nishing with his
foot in the middle, was a great feeling for everyone involved. It's pretty
awesome when something like that works out. Especially in the rst half,
everything we had planned fell into place. The players executed everything
perfectly.
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After the game, our sta team immediately sensed that the players wanted
more and were able to put this historic victory behind them, focusing their
concentration on the biggest task still ahead: the nal. I also believe that the
experience we had during the World Cup qualifying match against Sweden in
October 2012 taught us a valuable lesson and helped us during and after the
game against Brazil.
Back then, we were already leading 3-0 at halftime against Sweden. The
match took place at the Berlin Olympic Stadium, where the walk from the
locker rooms to the eld is longer compared to other stadiums. As the
players returned to the eld after the halftime break, they were celebrated by
some sta members along the way, as if the victory was already secured.
With the rst chance after the restart, we extended the lead to 4-0. And you
could sense that everyone thought: The game is over.
The rest is history. For the rst time in the history of German football, we
squandered a four-goal lead.
That experience helped us to say at halftime against Brazil: The game starts
at zero again, and we play for the next goal. In hindsight, the Sweden game
was a very important lesson for us.
In the nal, we faced the expected toughest opponent in Argentina. The
proud Argentinians had been waiting four years longer than us for their next
World Cup title and were highly motivated to become world champions for
the third time, especially in the country of their biggest rival. Moreover, after
the lost nal in 1990 and the two quarter- nal exits in the previous two World
Cups, they had more than one score to settle with us.

The Thrill and Tension Were Palpable

The thrill and tension were palpable in both camps. You could feel it
immediately as we arrived at the stadium. Except for Miro, the experience of
a World Cup nal was new for all the players on both sides. As the game
progressed, it became increasingly clear just how extraordinary it is to play
for your country in a World Cup nal. What started with mutual respect and
cautious play turned into a relentless battle as the match wore on, especially
during extra time. The images of Basti in the nal minutes, throwing himself
into every play with all he had, despite bleeding, to nally bring the trophy
home, remain unforgettable.
I also want to highlight Sami at this point. The fact that a player, right before
a World Cup nal, comes to the coaching sta during the warm-up to say
that he's not at 100% and that another player might help the team more at
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that moment is simply remarkable. Making such a decision for the good of
the team in the biggest game of one's career is the best example of sel ess
and team-oriented behavior that I have personally witnessed.
When I emphasize repeatedly that, for me, the greatest thing is to achieve
common goals with a team, then a nal like this one, especially with such a
result, is undoubtedly the absolute pinnacle. Becoming world champions is
an indescribable feeling and bonds you together forever. Seeing how
everyone rushed onto the pitch after the nal whistle, celebrating with tears
in their eyes, still gives me goosebumps. I particularly remember the tears of
joy from Stephan Nopp, who remains a central part of our team to this day.
After the match, we stood on the pitch for what felt like an eternity. It took a
long time for the ceremony to start. Personally, after the game, I would have
preferred to sit on the sidelines and just observe. In such moments, I am
overwhelmed by a sense of complete satisfaction and bliss. I feel like I’ve
done everything I could. I also get to see di erent facets of each person's
character because moments like these are so rare, and I nd it fascinating to
see what comes out of people in the moment of greatest success and pure
joy. It’s simply beautiful to witness. And honestly, when the guys are
celebrating, I’d only be in the way.

Back in Germany
Returning to Germany with the World Cup trophy lled us all with pride. As
we ew into Berlin, we could already see the unimaginable crowds of people
from the air. The pilot made a little victory lap, tilting the plane as if waving its
wings. The mood among everyone was simply fantastic.
Getting o the plane and riding in the open-top bus to the Brandenburg
Gate, with the crowds cheering us on, celebrating with us, and being proud
of our team, was overwhelming. Even the prisoners in the jails we passed
waved to us.
Seeing the excitement of the people and the way Germany celebrated still
leaves us speechless today. That we can generate such euphoria with our
sport is, on the one hand, a special motivation. On the other hand, it always
feels like a dream. Stepping onto the stage at the Brandenburg Gate with the
trophy in hand was fantastic, simply fantastic…
The only thing that could dampen the joy in such a moment for a family
member: when your own wife doesn’t recognize the singer Rihanna and thus
can't inform your daughter about it. We still chuckle about the fact that
Kathrin was annoyed because Silke later said, "There was this really pretty
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girl, but she had a really ugly nose ring. The players were still going crazy
over her." Kathrin's shocked reaction: "Mom!?! That was Rihanna!”

A Look into the Future

After major successes, the same questions always arise: Are the players still
hungry? Are changes needed? How do you motivate yourself to start anew?
For me, the journey is always the most important thing. How did we train?
What was the quality of the entire process? What can we still improve? And
then the key for me is this: When we've won something, there's nothing for
us to defend afterward—only something new to win. That makes a big
di erence. One feels like a burden and is more negatively charged. The other
awakens the anticipation of a new challenge. I always say: Champions
continue their journey.

WHEN WE'VE WON SOMETHING, THERE'S NOTHING FOR US TO

DEFEND AFTERWARD—ONLY SOMETHING NEW TO WIN.

Lewis Hamilton and Michael Jordan both inspired me with their attitude of
always wanting to prove their success again and again. They never said,
"Now I've proven myself to everyone, and I can relax." For them, it went on
and on and on.
Having that drive to continually push yourself to be the best—that's what
sets apart top teams and champions.
In sports, I'm never satis ed; there's always the next challenge waiting to
spur me on. It can always be better. That's why I often told the players
during my time at Bayern Munich: Success isn't owned; it's only rented—
and the rent is due every day. Only through constant readiness to perform
can you achieve exceptional success over the years. The big goal for all of
us at the DFB is clear: We want to return to the Brandenburg Gate. We want
to return to the top of the world, and we want to celebrate our successes
with as many people as possible while playing exciting football. The
preparation for the rst Winter World Cup in the history of football is unique.
It's a challenge that the usual lead-up with a training camp and a joint
preparation time will more or less completely fall away. At the same time,
everyone has the same conditions, and we are taking on the challenge.
The sta and players are preparing very carefully for the situation in Qatar,
and we also want to set a good example there. The fact that the World Cup
will take place in Qatar can't be changed. However, in the future, the
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awarding of a World Cup should carefully consider whether the host country
and the values we stand for in football—humanity, fair play, integration—
align. Our full focus is primarily on sporting success. That's our job. But we
also cannot and do not want to ignore what has happened beforehand. It's
part of our responsibility as athletes with a role model function not to turn a
blind eye.
As for the sporting aspect, the pitches and infrastructure developed there are
top-notch, without a doubt. Our camp is also great again. We are based in
the north of Qatar, have a secluded area for ourselves, and are located very
close to the training ground. The facility where we can prepare feels like a
fortress, and I was quite impressed. Oliver and everyone at the DFB have, as
always, done an outstanding job. As for how everything will ultimately work
out logistically on-site—with 32 national teams, the security requirements,
and all the other regulations that need to be met—I’m curious myself.
Success can't be guaranteed. But you can prepare yourself as best as
possible for everything. That's our duty, and that's what we will do. Two
years after the World Cup in Qatar, we will have the European Championship
in our own country. The "summer fairy tale" is still very present for many of
us, dear readers, and one thing is clear: We will write a new chapter!