Köbi Kuhn facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Köbi Kuhn

Kuhn, c. 2006
Personal information
Full name	Jakob Kuhn
Date of birth	(1943-10-12)12 October 1943
Place of birth	Zürich, Switzerland
Date of death	26 November 2019(2019-11-26) (aged 76)
Place of death	Zollikerberg, Switzerland
Playing position	Midfielder
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1961–1977	Zürich	398	(79)
National team
1962–1976	Switzerland	63	(5)
Teams managed
1983	Zürich
1983–1984	Zürich
1995–2001	Switzerland U21
2001–2008	Switzerland
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Jakob "Köbi" Kuhn (born October 12, 1943 – died November 26, 2019) was a famous Swiss football player and manager. He was often called "Köbi" by his fans.

During his time as a player, he mostly played for FC Zürich. He also played 63 games for the Swiss national team. One of these games was at the 1966 FIFA World Cup in England. Later, as a manager, he led the Swiss national team to major tournaments. These included Euro 2004, the 2006 World Cup, and Euro 2008.

Köbi Kuhn's Football Playing Career

Köbi Kuhn was known as a smart and skilled midfielder. He played for FC Zürich for 16 years. During this time, he was the team captain. He helped them win the Swiss Super League six times. They also won the Swiss Cup five times.

Kuhn also played for Zürich in the European Cup semi-finals. This happened in 1963 and again in 1977. Towards the end of his playing career, he briefly played for Grasshopper Club Zürich.

He played 63 games for the Swiss national team. When he was 22, he played one game at the 1966 World Cup. However, he was sent home early and banned from the national team for a year. This happened because he broke team rules.

Köbi Kuhn's Coaching Journey

After he stopped playing football, Kuhn returned to FC Zürich in 1979. He started working with their youth teams. He also briefly served as the club's main manager. This was between May 1983 and July 1984.

In 1995, he joined the Swiss FA. There, he coached youth teams. He led the national under-18 team to a great performance. This was at the 1997 European Championships. Later, he helped the U21 team qualify for their European Championships for the first time.

Becoming the National Team Coach

In June 2001, Köbi Kuhn became the coach of the senior national team. He took over from Enzo Trossero. At first, some people were unsure about his appointment. This was because he didn't have much experience coaching senior teams.

However, he proved them wrong. He led the Swiss team to Euro 2004. He also guided them to the second round of the 2006 World Cup. Before Kuhn, Switzerland had only qualified for one World Cup (1994) and one Euro finals (1996) since 1966.

Kuhn coached the national team for seven years. He used many young players he had coached before. This helped build a strong group of players. This group was later coached by Ottmar Hitzfeld. Köbi Kuhn is second in the number of matches coached for the Swiss team. Only Karl Rappan coached more.

Leading Switzerland in Euro 2004 and World Cup 2006

To reach Euro 2004, the Swiss team beat out Russia and the Republic of Ireland. In their first game at the finals, they drew 0–0 with Croatia. After that, they lost to England and France. This meant they finished last in their group.

In the game against France, Johan Vonlanthen scored Switzerland's only goal. This made him the youngest ever scorer in the tournament.

On their way to the 2006 World Cup in Germany, the Swiss team did very well. They were undefeated in their qualification group. They then had a tough play-off against Turkey. Switzerland won and moved on because of the "away goals" rule.

At the World Cup finals, the Swiss defense was very strong. They finished first in their group. This group included France, Togo, and South Korea. In the next round, they drew 0–0 with Ukraine. They were knocked out after a penalty shootout. The team achieved something rare: they were eliminated without letting in a single goal during the tournament.

Euro 2008 and Farewell

In October 2006, Kuhn announced he would leave his role after Euro 2008. Just before the tournament, his wife had an epileptic attack. This meant she had to go to the hospital. This was a difficult time for him.

In their first game at Euro 2008, Switzerland lost 1–0 to the Czech Republic. During the game, Switzerland's captain, Alexander Frei, got injured and left the tournament. In their second match, against Turkey, Switzerland missed many chances. They lost 2–1 after Turkey scored a late goal.

Before that game, Kuhn learned that his wife had woken up from her coma. He later said he felt both great disappointment about the game and great joy about his wife's news.

For Kuhn's final match, Switzerland played against Portugal. Portugal had already qualified and made many changes to their team. Switzerland won 2–0, with both goals scored by Hakan Yakin. After the game, the Swiss players held up a banner. It said Merci Köbi (Thanks Köbi) to show their appreciation. Kuhn had hoped the Swiss team would win the tournament at home. He was replaced by Ottmar Hitzfeld.

Managerial Statistics

Team	Nat	From	To	Record
				G	W	D	L	Win %	GF	GA	+/-
Zürich		August 1983	August 1983
Zürich		December 1983	May 1984
Switzerland U21			2001
Switzerland		2001	July 2008	73	32	18	23	43.84	111	88	23
Total

Images for kids

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  Kuhn supervises training for Euro 2008.

See also

In Spanish: Jakob Kuhn para niños