| Ottmar Hitzfeld (German pronunciation: ; born 12 January 1949) is a German former professional football player and a former manager. He accumulated a total of 18 major titles, mostly in his tenures with Grasshopper Club Zürich, Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich.
A striker in his playing days, Hitzfeld won two Swiss Super League titles (1971–72, 1972–73) with Basel. He was top goalscorer in the league for the 1972–73 season. He earned six caps for the West Germany national team, all at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich.
A trained mathematician and sports teacher, Hitzfeld is one of the most successful coaches of German and international football. As manager, he won two Bundesliga titles with Dortmund and five Bundesliga titles with Bayern Munich. He won the 1996–97 Champions League with Dortmund, beating a star-studded Juventus team in the final. He won the 2000–01 Champions League with Bayern, defeating Valencia in the final.
He has been elected "World Coach of the Year" twice; he is one of only six managers to win the European Cup/UEFA Champions League with two clubs, along with Ernst Happel, Pep Guardiola, José Mourinho, Jupp Heynckes, and Carlo Ancelotti. Wikipedia text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License - Full article |
Hce 02-Jul-14 15:12
http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/28128884
Ottmar Hitzfeld retires after Switzerland s World Cup exit
Switzerland manager Ottmar Hitzfeld has retired following his side s elimination from the World Cup.
Regarded as one of the most successful managers in the game, the 65-year-old has won 18 major titles, including Champions League successes with Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich.
My job as a coach has finished, he said. I m proud of my career.
Hitzfeld will now work as a television pundit, and he joked: I don t lose when I work on TV.
Switzerland were beaten in extra time by Argentina in their last-16 tie on Tuesday and Hitzfeld, who retires with the Swiss ranked sixth in the most up-to-date Fifa world rankings, said he will leave the game with many fond memories.
I ve had some marvellous teams, he said. Every moment in football sticks in your memory. It s been a great honour and I have a heart full of emotion.
Hitzfeld retires with a glittering CV and was hugely respected by fellow managers, with Sir Alex Ferguson among his admirers.
The pair s most famous meeting was in the 1999 Champions League final when Ferguson s Manchester United team snatched the trophy from Hitzfeld s Bayern Munich with two late goals.
The German played as a striker during the 1970s and 80s for clubs including Basel and Stuttgart before moving into management. He enjoyed most of his success at Dortmund and Munich.
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