His career is proof of one of the most successful periods in German football history. During his playing career, he became a European champion in 1972 and a World champion in 1974. By 1990, he was part of the coaching staff with Germany’s World Cup winning squad, before leading the team to its last European title to date in England in 1996. From 2001 to 2014, he coached national teams around the world, from Kuwait to Scotland, Nigeria and Azerbaijan.
Berti Vogts has found success all over the world during the last 17 years – now, he’s adding one more stop, as the head coach of the DFB-All-Stars. Vogts will be behind the bench for the upcoming legends match against Italy on 7th October in Fürth. At his side will be assistant coach Andreas Brehme.
An array of legends
“Needless to say, of course I was going to take on this opportunity,” said Vogts. “I’m looking forward to the match and am certain that we will all have a good time. Both squads are full of great players, ones who have won everything there is to win. It will be a spectacular evening of football, where the focus will be on having fun.”
Notable names in the Germany squad include Jürgen Klinsmann, Guido Buchwald, Thomas Berthold, Uwe Bein, Thomas Helmer, Torsten Frings and Jens Nowotny. The Azzurri legends squad will feature several World Cup 2006 winners, including Francesco Totti, Andrea Pirlo, Fabio Cannavaro, Gennaro Gattuso and Gianluca Zambrotta.
Vogts’ career has crossed paths with Italy several times. His first encounter with Italy was in 1970, as Vogts was on the pitch for 120 minutes during Germany’s legendary 4-3 defeat (a.e.t.) to Italy in the semifinals of the 1970 World Cup in Mexico. “We were so close,” said Vogts. “I can still see how Karl-Heinz Schnellinger slid to make it 1-1 shortly before the final whistle.” What followed in extra-time remains both spectacular and memorable to this day. Germany took the lead once through Gerd Müller, but in the end, it was the Italians who came out on top. “We made too many mistakes in extra-time and failed to use our chances,” is what Vogts has to say about the match.
Vogts: “We want to put on a show for the fans”
Instead of looking back on the defeat, Vogts prefers instead to reminisce about the 1990 World Cup and his travels to observe the players in his squad. During his time as Germany’s head coach, all but nine of his players were active in Serie A, meaning that Vogts spent nearly every weekend in Italy. The 72-year-old looks back on that time fondly, and recalls how friendly and welcoming the Italians were. “All of the clubs would send someone to pick me up from the airport, and our first stop would be at a restaurant. We would take our time there. For the Italians, it was: food first, then football. It didn’t matter to them if we came late to a game due to a meal. Those were good times.”
First and foremost, the legends match is one big reunion for Berti Vogts. “We have ambitions, and want to put on a show for the fans. However, the result is not important to me. We want to have a great time with the fans, surrounded by friends and familiar faces.”
created by dfb/mmc
###more###
His career is proof of one of the most successful periods in German football history. During his playing career, he became a European champion in 1972 and a World champion in 1974. By 1990, he was part of the coaching staff with Germany’s World Cup winning squad, before leading the team to its last European title to date in England in 1996. From 2001 to 2014, he coached national teams around the world, from Kuwait to Scotland, Nigeria and Azerbaijan.
Berti Vogts has found success all over the world during the last 17 years – now, he’s adding one more stop, as the head coach of the DFB-All-Stars. Vogts will be behind the bench for the upcoming legends match against Italy on 7th October in Fürth. At his side will be assistant coach Andreas Brehme.
An array of legends
“Needless to say, of course I was going to take on this opportunity,” said Vogts. “I’m looking forward to the match and am certain that we will all have a good time. Both squads are full of great players, ones who have won everything there is to win. It will be a spectacular evening of football, where the focus will be on having fun.”
Notable names in the Germany squad include Jürgen Klinsmann, Guido Buchwald, Thomas Berthold, Uwe Bein, Thomas Helmer, Torsten Frings and Jens Nowotny. The Azzurri legends squad will feature several World Cup 2006 winners, including Francesco Totti, Andrea Pirlo, Fabio Cannavaro, Gennaro Gattuso and Gianluca Zambrotta.
Vogts’ career has crossed paths with Italy several times. His first encounter with Italy was in 1970, as Vogts was on the pitch for 120 minutes during Germany’s legendary 4-3 defeat (a.e.t.) to Italy in the semifinals of the 1970 World Cup in Mexico. “We were so close,” said Vogts. “I can still see how Karl-Heinz Schnellinger slid to make it 1-1 shortly before the final whistle.” What followed in extra-time remains both spectacular and memorable to this day. Germany took the lead once through Gerd Müller, but in the end, it was the Italians who came out on top. “We made too many mistakes in extra-time and failed to use our chances,” is what Vogts has to say about the match.
Vogts: “We want to put on a show for the fans”
Instead of looking back on the defeat, Vogts prefers instead to reminisce about the 1990 World Cup and his travels to observe the players in his squad. During his time as Germany’s head coach, all but nine of his players were active in Serie A, meaning that Vogts spent nearly every weekend in Italy. The 72-year-old looks back on that time fondly, and recalls how friendly and welcoming the Italians were. “All of the clubs would send someone to pick me up from the airport, and our first stop would be at a restaurant. We would take our time there. For the Italians, it was: food first, then football. It didn’t matter to them if we came late to a game due to a meal. Those were good times.”
First and foremost, the legends match is one big reunion for Berti Vogts. “We have ambitions, and want to put on a show for the fans. However, the result is not important to me. We want to have a great time with the fans, surrounded by friends and familiar faces.”
