Ottmar Hitzfeld facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Ottmar Hitzfeld

Hitzfeld coaching Switzerland in 2011
Personal information
Date of birth	(1949-01-12) 12 January 1949 (age 76)
Place of birth	Lörrach, Germany
Height	1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Playing position	Forward
Youth career
1960–1967	TuS Stetten
1967–1968	FV Lörrach
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1971–1975	Basel	92	(66)
1975–1978	VfB Stuttgart	80	(38)
1978–1980	Lugano	55	(35)
1980–1983	Luzern	72	(30)
Total		300	(169)
National team
1972	West Germany (Olympic)	6	(5)
Teams managed
1983–1984	SC Zug
1984–1988	Aarau
1988–1991	Grasshoppers
1991–1997	Borussia Dortmund
1998–2004	Bayern Munich
2007–2008	Bayern Munich
2008–2014	Switzerland
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Ottmar Hitzfeld (born January 12, 1949) is a famous German former football player and manager. He is known for winning many big titles. He won 18 major trophies during his time with clubs like Grasshopper Club Zürich, Borussia Dortmund, and Bayern Munich.

Hitzfeld played as a striker. He won two Swiss Super League titles with Basel in 1972 and 1973. He was also the top goalscorer in the Swiss league in the 1972–73 season. He played six games for the West Germany national team at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich.

Ottmar Hitzfeld studied mathematics and was a sports teacher. He is one of the most successful football coaches from Germany and around the world. As a manager, he won two Bundesliga titles with Dortmund and five with Bayern Munich. He also won the UEFA Champions League with two different clubs. He won it with Dortmund in 1997 and with Bayern Munich in 2001.

He has been named "World Coach of the Year" twice. He is one of only six managers to win the Champions League with two different teams. The others are Ernst Happel, Pep Guardiola, José Mourinho, Jupp Heynckes, and Carlo Ancelotti.

Playing Career: From Striker to Champion

Ottmar Hitzfeld was born in Lörrach, Germany. He started playing football in the late 1960s for smaller German teams. In 1971, he joined FC Basel, a top team in Switzerland. With Basel, he won the Swiss championship in 1972 and 1973. He was even the top scorer in Switzerland in 1973. In 1975, he also won the Swiss Cup with Basel.

While playing for Basel, he also finished his studies. He became a teacher of mathematics and sports. He kept his amateur status so he could play in the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich. At the Olympics, he played alongside Uli Hoeneß, who later became a key person at FC Bayern Munich. Hitzfeld scored five goals in that tournament.

In 1975, Hitzfeld joined VfB Stuttgart, a team in Germany's second division. He was part of a team that scored many goals. In one game against SSV Jahn Regensburg, he scored six goals! This is still a record for a player in the 2. Bundesliga. After two years, in 1977, his team moved up to the top league, the Bundesliga. Hitzfeld scored 33 goals in 55 league games for Stuttgart. After three years, he returned to Switzerland. He played for FC Lugano and then FC Luzern. He ended his playing career in 1983 at the age of 34.

Managerial Career: Leading Teams to Victory

Coaching in Switzerland (1983–1991)

In 1983, Ottmar Hitzfeld began his coaching career with SC Zug in Switzerland. His team won the second division and got promoted to the top league. In 1984, he moved to coach FC Aarau. He won his first trophy as a coach there, the 1985 Swiss Cup.

Soon, a big Swiss club, Grasshoppers, noticed him. Between 1988 and 1991, he won four more trophies with Grasshoppers. He won the Swiss Cup again in his first season. The next year, he won both the league and the cup. He finished his time there by winning the Swiss Championship again in 1991.

Borussia Dortmund: European Glory (1991–1998)

In 1991, Hitzfeld became the manager of Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund. In his first year, his team finished second in the league. The next season, Dortmund reached the final of the UEFA Cup, but lost to Juventus.

In 1995, he led Dortmund to win their first Bundesliga title since 1989. In 1996, they won the title again. The biggest win came in 1997. Dortmund finished third in the league, but reached the UEFA Champions League final. They played Juventus again, a team with stars like Zinedine Zidane. Borussia Dortmund won 3–1 in Munich. For this success, Hitzfeld was named "World Coach of the Year." After this, he became a sports manager at the club. He finished his time at Dortmund with 144 wins, 63 draws, and 65 losses.

Bayern Munich: A Dominant Era (1998–2008)

First Time at Bayern (1998–2004)

In 1998, Hitzfeld joined Bayern Munich, Germany's most successful club. In his first year, he led Bayern to win the league title by a huge 15 points. However, they lost the German Cup final. They also reached the Champions League final. In a very dramatic game, Manchester United scored two goals in injury time to win. Bayern had also won the DFB-Ligapokal that year.

The next season, Bayern won both the league and the German Cup. They won the league on the very last day. In the Champions League, Bayern reached the semi-finals but lost to Real Madrid.

In the 2000–01 season, Hitzfeld led Bayern to win the league for the third time in a row. They also reached the Champions League final again. This time, Bayern won after a penalty shootout against Valencia. This made Hitzfeld only the second coach to win the Champions League with two different teams. He was again named "World Coach of the Year." Bayern also won the 2001 Intercontinental Cup against Boca Juniors.

In the 2002–03 season, Bayern dominated German football again. They won the league title with four games to spare. They also won the German Cup, completing another "double." The 2003–04 season was not as successful. Bayern finished second in the league and were knocked out of other competitions. Hitzfeld left the club in May 2004. He had a record of 193 wins, 73 draws, and 53 losses.

Second Time at Bayern (2007–2008)

After taking a break, Hitzfeld returned to Bayern Munich on February 1, 2007. He took over after the previous coach was let go. Bayern finished fourth in the league that season. This meant they did not qualify for the Champions League for the first time in over ten years.

Before the new season, Bayern spent a lot of money on new players. Hitzfeld led the club to another period of success. They won the DFB-Ligapokal, the German Cup, and the league championship. Bayern reached the semi-finals of the 2007–08 UEFA Cup, but lost badly to Zenit St. Petersburg. Hitzfeld announced he would leave Bayern at the end of the season. His final match was a 4–1 win against Hertha BSC.

Swiss National Team (2008–2014)

Hitzfeld at a 2012 press conference

In summer 2008, Hitzfeld became the coach of the Swiss national team. His first game was a 4–1 win against Cyprus. Switzerland finished first in their qualifying group for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. At the World Cup, Switzerland won their first game against Spain. However, they lost to Chile and drew with Honduras, so they did not move past the group stage.

Switzerland did not qualify for UEFA Euro 2012. They finished third in their qualifying group. Hitzfeld then led Switzerland to qualify for their second straight FIFA World Cup. They went unbeaten in their qualifying campaign for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. On October 17, 2013, Hitzfeld announced he would retire after the 2014 World Cup. At the World Cup, Switzerland finished second in their group. Hitzfeld's last game was a 1–0 loss to Argentina in extra time in the Round of 16. Vladimir Petković took over as coach.

Retirement

Ottmar Hitzfeld officially retired from coaching after the 2014 World Cup. There were reports that a Chinese club, Guangzhou Evergrande, offered him a huge contract. However, he turned it down.

Managerial Statistics

Personal Life

Hitzfeld (right) in 2005

Ottmar Hitzfeld was born in Lörrach, a town in southwest Germany near the Swiss border. He is the youngest of five children. Hitzfeld once said that after he first left Bayern in 2004, he felt very tired and needed a break. He recovered and then had some of his best years coaching Bayern when he returned. He believes it's important to stay calm and treat each situation on its own. His uncle, Otto Hitzfeld, was a general during World War II.

Ottmar Hitzfeld is married to Beatrix Hitzfeld. They have one child and three grandchildren.

The Ottmar Hitzfeld Arena, which is the highest football field in Europe, is named after him.

Honours

Player

Basel

• Swiss Super League: 1971–72, 1972–73
• Swiss Cup: 1975

Individual

• Swiss Super League top goalscorer: 1972–73 (18 goals)

Manager

SC Zug

• Nationalliga B champions: 1983–84

Aarau

• Swiss Cup: 1985

Grasshopper

• Swiss Super League: 1989–90, 1990–91
• Swiss Cup: 1988–89, 1989–90
• Swiss Super Cup: 1989

Borussia Dortmund

• Bundesliga: 1994–95, 1995–96
• DFB-Supercup: 1995, 1996
• UEFA Champions League: 1996–97
• UEFA Cup runner-up: 1993

Bayern Munich

• Bundesliga: 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2002–03, 2007–08
• DFB-Pokal: 1999–2000, 2002–03, 2007–08
• DFB-Ligapokal: 1998, 1999, 2000, 2007
• UEFA Champions League: 2000–01; runner-up: 1998–99
• Intercontinental Cup: 2001

Individual

• German Football Manager of the Year: 2008
• IFFHS World's Best Club Coach: 1997, 2001
• World Soccer Magazine World Manager of the Year: 1997
• UEFA Coach of the Year: 2001
• ESPN 13th Greatest Manager of All Time: 2013
• World Soccer 17th Greatest Manager of All Time: 2013
• France Football 19th Greatest Manager of All time: 2019

See also

In Spanish: Ottmar Hitzfeld para niños