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Marcel Koller
Austria vs. Russia 20141115 (005).jpg
Koller managing Austria in 2014
Personal information
Full name Marcel Martin Koller
Date of birth (1960-11-11) 11 November 1960 (age 64)
Place of birth Zürich, Switzerland
Height 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Youth career
1970–1972 FC Schwamendingen
1972–1978 Grasshoppers
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1978–1997 Grasshoppers 428 (59)
International career
1982–1996 Switzerland 57 (3)
Managerial career
1997–1998 FC Wil
1999–2002 St. Gallen
2002–2003 Grasshoppers
2003–2004 1. FC Köln
2005–2009 VfL Bochum
2011–2017 Austria
2018–2020 Basel
2022–2025 Al Ahly
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Marcel Martin Koller (born 11 November 1960) is a Swiss professional football coach and former player. He was most recently the head coach of Al Ahly in Egypt.

Playing Football: Marcel Koller's Career as a Player

Marcel Koller was born in Zürich, Switzerland. He played his entire football career for one club, Grasshoppers Zürich. He stayed with them for 24 years! During this time, he helped his team win seven Swiss championships. They also won five Swiss cups.

Koller also played for the Swiss national team. He played 56 games for his country and scored 3 goals. He was part of the Swiss team that played in the Euro 1996 tournament.

Marcel Koller's Journey as a Football Coach

After his playing days, Marcel Koller became a football coach. He has coached many different teams in Switzerland, Germany, and even a national team.

Coaching in Switzerland: Early Successes

Koller started his coaching career at a Swiss club called FC Wil in 1997. He helped them get promoted to a higher league. In 1999, he moved to FC St. Gallen. Just one year later, his team won their first championship in almost 100 years!

FC St. Gallen also had success in European competitions. They even beat the famous English club FC Chelsea in the UEFA Cup. Because of his great work, Koller was named Swiss manager of the year in 2000.

In 2002, Koller returned to his old club, Grasshoppers Zürich. He led them to win another Swiss championship in 2003. However, after some tough losses, he decided to leave the club in October 2003.

Coaching in Germany: Challenges and New Starts

Koller then moved to Germany to coach 1. FC Köln in the top German league, the Bundesliga. This was a difficult time for the club. Koller tried his best, but the team only won four matches while he was there. The club ended up moving down to a lower league.

Even though it was a tough period, Koller gave young players a chance to play. One famous player he helped was Lukas Podolski, who later became a German international star. Koller left 1. FC Köln after the season ended.

Leading VfL Bochum to Promotion

In 2005, Koller became the coach of VfL Bochum. This team had just moved down to the Second Bundesliga. Koller's goal was to get them back to the top league right away. He succeeded! Five matches before the season ended, VfL Bochum had already secured their return to the Bundesliga.

The next season, 2006–07, the main goal was to stay in the Bundesliga. The team started slowly, and some fans wanted Koller to be replaced. But the club believed in him. They even extended his contract! VfL Bochum bought some new players in the winter. They then started winning many games. They had exciting home wins against rivals Borussia Dortmund and FC Schalke 04. Bochum even set a new club record with four away wins in a row. They stayed in the Bundesliga and finished in 8th place, which was one of the best seasons for the club ever.

In the 2007–08 season, Bochum played well and stayed in the middle of the league table. For the 2008–09 season, Koller thought his team was the best he had at Bochum. However, the team struggled and faced the risk of moving down a league again. They managed to stay up, finishing 14th. Koller faced pressure from fans during this time.

In the 2009–10 season, Bochum started poorly. After a home loss, many fans gathered to ask for Koller to be removed. The next day, on September 20, 2009, Koller was no longer the coach of VfL Bochum.

Coaching National Teams: Austria's Rise

On October 4, 2011, Marcel Koller became the new coach of the Austria national team. He officially started in November 2011. Under his leadership, Austria reached the final stage of a European championship through qualifying for the first time ever. In 2016, the Austrian team reached its highest ever ranking in the FIFA World Rankings, reaching 10th place.

Coaching FC Basel and Al Ahly

From August 2018 to August 2020, Koller coached FC Basel in Switzerland. He led them to win the 2018–19 Swiss Cup in 2019.

On September 9, 2022, Koller signed a two-year contract with the Egyptian club Al Ahly. He quickly started winning titles with them. In October 2022, he won his first title with Al Ahly, beating Zamalek SC 2–0 in the 2021–22 Egyptian Super Cup. In April 2023, he won his second title, the 2021–22 Egypt Cup.

Koller continued his success in May 2023, winning another Super Cup. Then, in June, he led Al Ahly to win the African Champions League, a very important club competition in Africa. A month later, in July 2023, his club won the 2022–23 Egyptian Premier League, losing only one game all season. He then led the team to win the 2023–24 CAF Champions League again, making it 12 titles for Al Ahly in that competition.

On April 26, 2025, Koller left Al Ahly after the team was eliminated from the African Champions League semi-finals.

Marcel Koller: Coaching Record Overview

Team From To Record
G W D L GF GA GD Win %
FC Wil 1 July 1997 30 June 1998 &&&&&&&&&&&&&041.&&&&&041 &&&&&&&&&&&&&015.&&&&&015 &&&&&&&&&&&&&016.&&&&&016 &&&&&&&&&&&&&010.&&&&&010 &&&&&&&&&&&&&063.&&&&&063 &&&&&&&&&&&&&049.&&&&&049 +14 &&&&&&&&&&&&&036.59000036.59
St. Gallen 1 January 1999 8 January 2002 &&&&&&&&&&&&0129.&&&&&0129 &&&&&&&&&&&&&059.&&&&&059 &&&&&&&&&&&&&034.&&&&&034 &&&&&&&&&&&&&036.&&&&&036 &&&&&&&&&&&&0230.&&&&&0230 &&&&&&&&&&&&0170.&&&&&0170 +60 &&&&&&&&&&&&&045.74000045.74
Grasshoppers 9 January 2002 2 October 2003 &&&&&&&&&&&&&075.&&&&&075 &&&&&&&&&&&&&040.&&&&&040 &&&&&&&&&&&&&018.&&&&&018 &&&&&&&&&&&&&017.&&&&&017 &&&&&&&&&&&&0163.&&&&&0163 &&&&&&&&&&&&0102.&&&&&0102 +61 &&&&&&&&&&&&&053.33000053.33
1. FC Köln 2 November 2003 16 June 2004 &&&&&&&&&&&&&024.&&&&&024 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&04.&&&&&04 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&05.&&&&&05 &&&&&&&&&&&&&015.&&&&&015 &&&&&&&&&&&&&024.&&&&&024 &&&&&&&&&&&&&040.&&&&&040 −16 &&&&&&&&&&&&&016.67000016.67
VfL Bochum 23 May 2005 20 September 2009 &&&&&&&&&&&&0152.&&&&&0152 &&&&&&&&&&&&&055.&&&&&055 &&&&&&&&&&&&&039.&&&&&039 &&&&&&&&&&&&&058.&&&&&058 &&&&&&&&&&&&0214.&&&&&0214 &&&&&&&&&&&&0215.&&&&&0215 −1 &&&&&&&&&&&&&036.18000036.18
Austria 1 November 2011 31 December 2017 &&&&&&&&&&&&&054.&&&&&054 &&&&&&&&&&&&&025.&&&&&025 &&&&&&&&&&&&&013.&&&&&013 &&&&&&&&&&&&&016.&&&&&016 &&&&&&&&&&&&&081.&&&&&081 &&&&&&&&&&&&&058.&&&&&058 +23 &&&&&&&&&&&&&046.30000046.30
Basel 2 August 2018 31 August 2020 &&&&&&&&&&&&0101.&&&&&0101 &&&&&&&&&&&&&061.&&&&&061 &&&&&&&&&&&&&019.&&&&&019 &&&&&&&&&&&&&021.&&&&&021 &&&&&&&&&&&&0214.&&&&&0214 &&&&&&&&&&&&0114.&&&&&0114 +100 &&&&&&&&&&&&&060.40000060.40
Al Ahly 9 September 2022 26 April 2025 &&&&&&&&&&&&0161.&&&&&0161 &&&&&&&&&&&&0106.&&&&&0106 &&&&&&&&&&&&&037.&&&&&037 &&&&&&&&&&&&&018.&&&&&018 &&&&&&&&&&&&0289.&&&&&0289 &&&&&&&&&&&&0108.&&&&&0108 +181 &&&&&&&&&&&&&065.84000065.84
Total &&&&&&&&&&&&0737.&&&&&0737 &&&&&&&&&&&&0365.&&&&&0365 &&&&&&&&&&&&0181.&&&&&0181 &&&&&&&&&&&&0191.&&&&&0191 &&&&&&&&&&&01278.&&&&&01,278 &&&&&&&&&&&&0856.&&&&&0856 +422 &&&&&&&&&&&&&049.53000049.53

Marcel Koller's Trophies and Awards

Marcel Koller has won many titles both as a player and as a coach.

As a Player

Grasshoppers

  • Swiss Championship: 1981–82, 1982–83, 1983–84, 1989–90, 1990–91, 1994–95, 1995–96
  • Swiss Cup: 1982–83, 1987–88, 1988–89, 1989–90, 1993–94
  • Swiss Super Cup: 1989

As a Manager

St Gallen

Grasshoppers

VfL Bochum

Basel

  • Swiss Cup: 2018–19

Al Ahly

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Marcel Koller para niños

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