Ottmar Hitzfeld

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Hitzfeld's managerial career began in Switzerland, where he led SC Zug to immediate promotion as Nationalliga B champions in 1984. He then won the Swiss Cup with Aarau in 1985 before moving to Grasshoppers, where he collected four trophies between 1988 and 1991, including a double. In 1991, he took over Borussia Dortmund. In his first season, he secured second place in the Bundesliga. The 1996–97 season brought his greatest triumph: Dortmund defeated a star-studded Juventus team 3–1 in the Champions League final at Munich's Olympiastadion. He was elected "World Coach of the Year" for this success. After friction with the team, he was promoted to sports manager, where he witnessed his successor win the 1997 Intercontinental Cup.

In Their Own Story

In 1998, Hitzfeld was hired by Bayern Munich. His first season saw Bayern win the Bundesliga by a record margin of 15 points, but the Champions League final ended in dramatic defeat: Manchester United scored two goals in stoppage time to win 2–1. The next season, Bayern won the domestic double, clinching the league on a tiebreaker on the final day. The 2000–01 season was historic: Hitzfeld led Bayern to a league championship hat-trick and back to the Champions League final. There, Bayern defeated Valencia in a penalty shootout. This made Hitzfeld only the second coach after Ernst Happel to win the major European trophy with two clubs. He was again named "World Coach of the Year." Bayern then won the 2001 Intercontinental Cup final against Boca Juniors on a goal by Samuel Kuffour in extra time.

Reader's Guide

Hitzfeld's second spell at Bayern began in February 2007 after the sacking of Felix Magath. His first match back was a 3–0 loss to 1. FC Nürnberg, and Bayern finished fourth, failing to qualify for the Champions League for the first time in over a decade. A multimillion spending spree helped Hitzfeld lead the club to a new phase of domestic dominance, winning the DFL-Ligapokal, the DFB-Pokal, and the league championship. Bayern's UEFA Cup campaign ended in the semifinal with a 4–0 defeat by eventual winner Zenit St. Petersburg. Hitzfeld announced he would not return for another season, and his final match was a 4–1 win against Hertha BSC. He then took over as coach of the Swiss national team in summer 2008. His overall record at Bayern was 193 wins, 73 draws, and 53 losses.

Did You Know?

• Hitzfeld is a trained mathematician and sports teacher, having graduated from Lörrach College in 1973 while playing for Basel.
• He scored six goals in a single 2. Bundesliga match for VfB Stuttgart against SSV Jahn Regensburg, still a record for a 2. Bundesliga player.
• Hitzfeld played in the first ever encounter between the national sides of West and East Germany at the 1972 Summer Olympics, scoring one of his five tournament goals in a 3–2 loss.
• He won the 1996–97 Champions League with Borussia Dortmund, beating a Juventus team featuring Zinedine Zidane, Didier Deschamps, and Christian Vieri.
• Hitzfeld is one of only seven managers to win the European Cup/UEFA Champions League with two clubs, alongside Ernst Happel, Luis Enrique, Pep Guardiola, José Mourinho, Jupp Heynckes, and Carlo Ancelotti.