Ottmar Hitzfeld was born in 1949, January 12, in Lörrach. This is one of the most famous football players and coaches in Germany. This person has a rich and rich career, and he is a respected personality, so it’s worth telling more about him.
Youth
Young Ottmar Hitzfeld was born and raised in a place called Lörrach. It was near the Swiss border. So the fact is clear that, having mastered the basics of football skills in local youth teams, he went to a neighboring country. It was with Basel that he concluded his first professional contract. It happened in 1971. And a year later, with his new team, he won the Swiss Champion title. In 1973, success was repeated. Then he became the best scorer in the country. And already in 1975, the team became the owner of the Swiss Cup.
Hitzfeld Ottmar, whose biography is very interesting, performed very well at the Olympic tournament, which was held in Munich in 1972. He played in the national German team. Then Ottmar attracted the attention of many representatives of eminent clubs in Germany. In 1975, he signed a contract with the famous Stuttgart. However, after three years he returned to Switzerland, where he played two years for Lugano, and then three more for FC Lucerne. When he was 34 years old, Hitzfeld decided to hang his boots on a nail and began to engage in coaching.
The beginning of a coaching career
Hitzfeld set himself the task of achieving success over the next five years, thanks to which he could not wait for any proposals from the managers, but choose the club himself. And he did it. Exactly five years of coaching took place, as he was invited to lead Grasshopper. Ottmar Hitzfeld agreed. And in 1991 he returned to Germany and took under his coaching leadership the Dortmund “Borussia”, whose representatives strongly wanted to get it.
Many believed that Ottmar could not cope - after all, since 1963, “Borussia” has changed ... 23 coaches! However, contrary to all, he succeeded. He did a great job, and in 1992 the club won the title of vice champion of Germany. And in the following season, the team reached the final of the UEFA Cup. And in 1995 - she won the title of Champion of Germany, a year later, in 1996, repeating this achievement. Moreover, in 1997, Ottmar Hitzfeld led “Borussia” to the Champions League final. And the club won it! With the score 3: 1 - at the Turin Juventus! It was a truly massive achievement.
Further success
Despite what Ottmar did for the team, management ceased to get along with him. Like the players. As a result, he decided to leave, because he did not heed his advice regarding the purchase of new players and turned this into a major disagreement, forgetting about everything he had done for the club.
In 1998, he became the head coach of the most successful German team - Bayern Munich! Prior to concluding the contract, he was still the director of Borussia. It was rather a paid vacation - a reward for the grueling years of tremendous work. But when the representatives of “Borussia” learned that Ottmar was leaving to competitors, they dismissed him immediately.
Last years
And “Bayern” Hitzfeld led to the title of champions of the country. 1999th, 2000th, 2001th - these years the title was theirs! The German Cup won once, in 2000. In the tragic finals of the Champions League 98/99, the “Bavarians” lost to “Manchester United” - five minutes before the end of the game, the British came in a plus, and the game ended with a score of 2: 1. But then they won the Champions League in 2001! In 2004, Hitzfeld left the club - the reasons are not clear, we only know that ahead of schedule. Then “Borussia” came to my senses and even “Dynamo” with “Locomotive” - they began to offer him contracts. He refused. He rested in the mountains, occasionally lectured at the Higher Sports School, and led columns in some popular football publications. And in 2007 he unexpectedly returned to Bavaria! He worked there for a year, and from 2008 to 2014 he coached the Swiss national team.
On July 1, 2014, Ottmar Hitzfeld, whose photo can be seen above, decided to end his career. He achieved a lot - dozens of champion titles, international calling, fans around the world ... So he completed his job and can now enjoy the rest.