Marcel Koller facts for kids
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Koller managing Austria in 2014
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 11 November 1960 | ||
| Place of birth | Zürich, Switzerland | ||
| Height | 1.73 m | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Al Ahly (manager) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1970–1972 | FC Schwamendingen | ||
| 1972–1978 | Grasshoppers | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1978–1997 | Grasshoppers | 428 | (59) |
| National team | |||
| 1982–1996 | Switzerland | 57 | (3) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 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– | Al Ahly | ||
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Marcel Martin Koller, born on November 11, 1960, is a famous Swiss football manager and former player. He is currently the head coach of Al Ahly, a big club in the Egyptian Premier League.
Contents
Marcel Koller: A Player's Journey
Marcel Koller played his entire career for one club: Grasshoppers Zürich in Switzerland. He played for 24 years! During this time, he helped his team win seven Swiss championships. They also won five Swiss cups.
Koller was a midfielder. He played 56 games for the Swiss national team. He scored 3 goals for his country. He was also part of the Swiss team that played in Euro 1996.
Marcel Koller: A Manager's Story
After his playing days, Koller became a football manager. He has coached many teams in different countries.
Starting in Switzerland
Koller's coaching career began in Switzerland with FC Wil in 1997. He helped his team get promoted to a higher league. In 1999, he moved to FC St. Gallen.
Just one year later, FC St. Gallen won their first championship in almost 100 years! This was a huge achievement. They even beat the famous English club FC Chelsea in the UEFA Cup. Koller was named Swiss manager of the year in 2000.
In 2002, Koller returned to his old club, Grasshoppers Zürich. He won his second championship as a coach with them in 2003.
Moving to Germany
Koller then moved to Germany to coach 1. FC Köln in the Bundesliga. This was a tough time for the club. Koller tried his best, but the team struggled. They only won four matches while he was there.
Even though it was a difficult period, Koller gave young players a chance. One famous player he helped was Lukas Podolski. 1. FC Köln ended up getting relegated, and Koller left the club.
After that, Koller became the coach of VfL Bochum in 2005. The team had just been relegated to the second division. Koller's goal was to get them back to the top league right away. He succeeded! VfL Bochum returned to the Bundesliga with five games to spare.
In the next season, 2006–07, the goal was to stay in the Bundesliga. The team started slowly, but the club's leaders trusted Koller. They even extended his contract. VfL Bochum improved a lot and finished in 8th place. This was one of the best seasons for the club ever.
Koller stayed with VfL Bochum for several more seasons. He helped them stay in the Bundesliga. However, after a difficult start to the 2009–10 season, Koller was sacked in September 2009.
Coaching National Teams
On October 4, 2011, Koller became the new manager of the Austria national team. He helped Austria reach the final stage of a European Championship for the first time through qualifying. In 2016, the Austrian team reached its highest ever position in the FIFA World Rankings, climbing to 10th place.
Back to Club Football
From 2018 to 2020, Koller coached FC Basel in Switzerland. He led them to win the 2018–19 Swiss Cup in 2019.
In September 2022, Koller signed a two-year contract with Al Ahly, a big club in Egypt. He quickly started winning titles with them.
Success with Al Ahly
- On October 28, 2022, he won his first title with Al Ahly. They beat Zamalek SC 2–0 in the 2021–22 Egyptian Super Cup.
- On April 10, 2023, he won his second title. Al Ahly beat Pyramids FC 2–1 in the 2021–22 Egypt Cup final.
- On May 5, 2023, he won his third title, again beating Pyramids FC in the Super Cup.
- On June 11, 2023, he led Al Ahly to win the 2022–23 CAF Champions League, a major African club competition.
- A month later, on July 15, his club won the 2022–23 Egyptian Premier League. They finished the season with only one defeat.
- He then led the team to win the 2023–24 CAF Champions League again. This extended Al Ahly's record in the competition to 12 titles.
Honours
Marcel Koller has won many titles as both a player and a manager.
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
Manager
St Gallen
- Swiss Championship: 1999–2000
Grasshoppers
- Swiss Championship: 2002–03
VfL Bochum
- 2. Bundesliga: 2005–06
Basel
- Swiss Cup: 2018–19
Al Ahly
- Egyptian Premier League: 2022–23, 2023–24
- Egypt Cup: 2021–22, 2022–23
- Egyptian Super Cup: 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24, 2024–25
- CAF Champions League: 2022–23, 2023–24
- FIFA African–Asian–Pacific Cup: 2024
See also
In Spanish: Marcel Koller para niños
