The end of the World Cup in 2014 was also the end of the road for 67-year-old Ottmar Hitzfeld. His last match as a coach was the extra-time defeat for Switzerland against Argentina in the quarter final. It was time for one of the sport’s greats to bow out. Hitzfeld twice led Switzerland to the World Cup finals, and that is just the final act in a long list of achievements. He won the Bundesliga seven times, the DFB Cup three times – he also won the league and cup in Switzerland. But his biggest triumphs came on the European stage with Champions League titles for Borussia Dortmund (1997) and Bayern München (2001). Ottmar Hitzfeld remains the only coach to have won this trophy with two teams from the same country.
On Wednesday, Hitzfeld was presented with a lifetime achievement award from the DFB in Frankfurt. Afterwards he held an interview in which he spoke about the award, his values and his life.
DFB.de: Mr Hitzfeld, you were presented with the lifetime achievement award at the DFB gala at the end of the Hennes Weisweiler Academy’s football coach training course. As an outsider, do you feel a bit uncomfortable in this environment?
Ottmar Hitzfeld: An outsider? Because I am not longer coaching?
DFB.de: Yes, but also because you did not learn your trade at the Hennes Weisweiler Academy. In fact, you do not hold a coaching licence…
Hitzfeld: That’s true, I did my A and B Licence in Germany, but I did my level 2 in my last year as a player at Luzern in Switzerland. It was ideal for me because the training in Cologne was only six months at the time, and as a professional footballer in Switzerland it would not have been possible to do this whilst still carrying out my obligations as a player. I was able to combine the two in Switzerland.
DFB.de: What sort of level is the training at in Switzerland?
Hitzfeld: I have nothing to compare it to, but it provided me with a lot and I learnt a lot. Considering the size of the country, Switzerland really values the training courses, so I was able to profit from that. The training for coaches in Switzerland is traditionally similar to that of northern countries such as Norway and Sweden, where the level of training is always very high.
DFB.de: You were not just preparing for a career in coaching during your qualification, you also learnt a lot from your coaches as a player. From which of your coaches did you take the most for your later career as a coach yourself?
Hitzfeld: Helmut Benthaus really impressed me – he was my coach at Basel for four years. He was very objective, but very personable. He understood a lot about football, which he also got from his training in Cologne, and he could communicate his ideas and approaches very well. I learnt by watching him, even if I did not realise it. But I also picked up things from other coaches whose work did not convince me as much, because I then knew that I did not want to work like that. I also knew that I wanted to work with my teams and players in a different way.
DFB.de: Do you still remember the first time you thought that you wanted to head into coaching after the end of your playing career?
Hitzfeld: I cannot tell you exactly, but it was quite early. As a player I never imagined becoming a professional coach – I thought it would be a way from the big stage. My primary goal was to go work at a school after my career ended. I did try that.
DFB.de: You took your state teaching examinations in 1973, and in 1983 you applied to work with the education authority in Freiburg.
Hitzfeld: That’s right, but the authorities wanted me to take another exam, which I did not do.
DFB.de: Have you ever thought about how your life might have gone if you had got that job in Freiburg?
Hitzfeld: I probably would have spent my entire life teaching at a school in Lörrach, but I also wanted to coach nearby football teams in any case.
DFB.de: Not so bad.
Hitzfeld: No, absolutely not. But I am thankful that it turned out differently. I was very fortunate because my experience in football has been fantastic.
DFB.de: You set out a period of five years at the beginning of your coaching career to decide whether you would be able to have a successful career in coaching. But you did not need five years for this decision.
Hitzfeld: The first year was the most difficult. I had a unique president at SC Zug – he was a tyrant who wanted to dictate everything. My coaching career began with a battle, and I won that battle. The president stepped down and we made up a gap of six or seven points to win the Nationalliga B that season.
DFB.de: You then moved to FC Aarau and had immediate success there too.
Hitzfeld: We won the Swiss Cup and almost the league. We were just 20 minutes away from that. But this success also showed me that my methods worked and that I could lead a team. So from all of that I gained the confidence that I could be successful in the long term.
DFB.de: You were a footballer back in the day, but you weren’t earning millions of euros. That was also the case at the start of your coaching career. You have often spoken about pressure – do you remember the point in your career when you realised that this significant pressure had faded away?
Hitzfeld: Every coach has issues at the start of their career – ones that can end a career before it has even begun. One dismissal, then another, and then it’s all over. I lived with this pressure for a long time, but the first time I felt free of it was in Germany – after winning the Bundesliga with Borussia Dortmund. After that it was quickly clear to me that I did not have to worry about my career anymore.
DFB.de: That first title was followed by many more. With Borussia Dortmund and Bayern München you won the Champions League as well as numerous domestic titles and cups. Besides these successes, is there anything in your career that gives you a similar feeling of great pride?
Hitzfeld: I am very pleased that I have always remained faithful since my first day as a coach. I have always led my teams in the way I would like to be have been led. I have always been guided by the values that are important to me, and I have set an example. That includes integrity, loyalty, empathy, respect and solidarity. Nothing changed in that respect from 1983 to 2014.
DFB.de: Ottmar Hitzfeld the coach from 2014 was not too different from Ottmar Hitzfeld the coach from 1983.
Hitzfeld: Not in the essential qualities.
DFB.de: Dou you find that in any way astonishing?
Hitzfeld: It is consistency. Like I said, I have always led my teams in the way I would like to have been led. I also had authoritarian coaches during my playing career – coaches who themselves had not been well coached, who had too little empathy. I wanted to be different, and I kept to that for the entirety of my coaching career.
DFB.de: Leading a team and people is one thing, but you also had success at SC Zug and FC Aarau because you introduced new tactics to Swiss football.
Hitzfeld: We brought in zonal marking at SC Zug in 1983, which was something new. We played 4-4-2 and pressed a lot, but not only with Zug. With Aarau we were called “FC Miracle” – we played the same style even against the bigger teams and they hardly managed to get out of their halves. That caused considerable hype at the time, but that was a long time ago. (Laughs)
DFB.de: Do you have any general advice for the 23 new football coaches – apart from the classic theories?
Hitzfeld: I have basically already described it: It is important to remain authentic as a coach. You have to stand up for your beliefs and follow their own path. Coaches have to be a role model – those who aren’t then have no chance with their players. This was a golden rule for me in all of my decisions.
DFB.de: Can you give an example?
Hitzfeld: Being a role model includes remaining faithful. During my time at Aarau I received an offer from Servette Geneva. They had a billionaire backing them and wanted to bring me to Geneva, but I had a contract at Aarau, so there was no question about even possibly leaving. You cannot lose your beliefs as a coach. What would I say to the players when I break my contract? What sort of role model would I then be? These things damage you as a coach. I can only take on a new job when I am completely, 100 percent behind it.
DFB.de: Was that the reason you turned down the offer to be Germany manager? The DFB made you an offer in 2004 to take over the national team and lead them to the 2006 World Cup in Germany.
Hitzfeld: That was a decision from my head – my heart told me to take the job, but I needed to recover after my time at Bayern because I was burnt out. My brain told me that you can only take on such a job when you are completely fit and ready. You cannot be a part-time coach for Germany.
DFB.de: You had the offer, you turned it down. Do you not regret that?
Hitzfeld: No, but I absolutely would have loved the job if it had come around at a more suitable time.
DFB.de: But you did go on to become a national team coach for Switzerland. In the end it was your final job because you retired after the World Cup in 2014.
Hitzfeld: That had been the plan for a while. I decided in 2013 that the tournament in Brazil would be the end for me – and it was the right decision. A World Cup in Brazil is a nice way to round off my career.
DFB.de: 18 months have passed since then. How quickly have you aged since then?
Hitzfeld: Aged? I’ve gotten younger. Why would I have aged?
DFB.de: Because you said that it was your teams that kept you young, that the youthfulness of the players was your lifeblood.
Hitzfeld: That’s true, I did day that, but even more significant is that fact that the stress factor has gone. I can sleep better now; I can calmly plan a day; I can enjoy my time better; I can watch football much more relaxed now; I have new-found freedom, so I feel younger than I did in the summer of 2014.
DFB.de: You have won almost everything in football. Apart from money, fame and titles, what else has football given you?
Hitzfeld: A full life of fantastic experiences and great people that I have met along the way.
DFB.de: For example, Alex Ferguson. You always had a special connection with him. Does that still exist today?
Hitzfeld: Yes, we are in contact and we write to each other quite a bit.
DFB.de: That makes it easier to understand what he says. You have often mocked the way he speaks.
Hitzfeld: Yes, absolutely. (Laughs). It is almost impossible to understand him, especially on the phone. That makes writing a sensible alternative.
DFB.de: Who else would you name? Which friendships have remained?
Hitzfeld: My friends are the people I worked closest with, especially Michael Henke. We worked so well together in Dortmund and Munich. I could rely on him 1000 percent, he was loyal and so important for me. I’d also say Michael Meier at Borussia Dortmund or Uli Hoeneß at Bayern München. We celebrated wins and overcame difficulties together. That connects you, and it lasts. My career only went as it did because I was gifted important people who I could trust with important things.
DFB.de: And now you have picked up a lifetime achievement award. You are up there with Dettmar Cramer, Udo Lattek, Gero Bisanz, Otto Rehhagel and Jupp Heynckes. How significant is this recognition for you?
Hitzfeld: It makes me unbelievably proud to be a part of that great list. I never would have dreamed of achieving something so great. This recognition really is something special, so I am really thrilled. This award is also a caesura for me. When you pick up an award for your life’s work, then it really means that your career has finished and the job is finally done.
DFB.de: How final is it though? You recently had an offer from China…
Hitzfeld: An immoral offer.
DFB.de: Rumour has it that Guangzhou Evergrande offered to pay you €25 million over 18 months. Did this offer not cause you to stop and consider it?
Hitzfeld: I admit I did flinch when I saw the offer. But in the end you always have to ask yourself where your priorities lie at this point in your life. I could not have gone to China with my heart in it, and that would not have been fair. My priorities lie elsewhere – my family is my number one and I want to enjoy my time with them. No amount of money can replace the time I want to spend with my family.
DFB.de: You were in charge of the Switzerland national team from 2008. The EUROs this summer will be first tournament for a while without any involvement from you. How much are you looking forward to the EUROs in France?
Hitzfeld: More than in past tournaments. There is no pressure on me now, and I do not miss that. I hope there will be good football, high-quality matches and a happy, peaceful celebration of football.
DFB.de: Do you have confidence in your former side?
Hitzfeld: Romania, France and Albania is a doable group, so Switzerland should reach the round of 16. That’s when the knock-out stages begin and then it’s down to luck and form on the day, so making predictions is difficult.
DFB.de: And what do you expect from Germany?
Hitzfeld: It is not hard to know the objectives of the World Champions. It’s the same as coaching at Bayern München – you have to win everything. The coach and the team have to deal with this pressure, but it can also inspire. You can be proud as a World Champion and head into the tournament with your chest pumped.
DFB.de: Who do you see as the biggest threat for Germany?
Hitzfeld: I think that Spain are even stronger now. France are not just making up the numbers as hosts – they showed in 2014 how good they can be. The Italians have always proven that they are a tournament team. You also have to remember Belgium – they are top of the world rankings for a reason. So there are a few contenders, which is why I am looking forward to seeing who comes out on top in the end.
