ottmar hitzfeld

Legendary football manager Ottmar Hitzfeld is one of world’s most successful football coaches. He enjoyed a swift rise to prominence after taking up the post of head coach at Borussia Dortmund, shaping the Bundesliga team into a premier European team and winning the Intercontinental Cup and the Champions League. Rewarded with the World Coach of the Year accolade in 1997, he has accumulated an impressive total of 18 major titles during his managerial career, mostly with Dortmund, Grasshopper Club Zürich and Bayern Munich.

At international level he was head coach of the Swiss national football team from 2008 until 2016, leading the team to two consecutive FIFA World Cup championships in 2010 and 2014. Nicknamed “The General”, Hitzfield’s balanced and calm demeanour on the football pitch has helped him stand out from other managers throughout his glittering career.

Born in Lörrach, West Germany, Hitzfield was a talented forward who won the Swiss championship with Basel. After hanging up his boots as a player in 1983 the legendary manager began his coaching career with Swiss side SC Zug, and he demonstrated his promise on the touchline helping the team achieve promotion to Nationalliga A. Hitzfield left Switzerland for Bundesliga team Borussia Dortmund in 1991 and made the world take notice when he shaped the side into one of the best teams in Europe. He then moved to a struggling Bayern Munich and guided the side to victory in the most coveted trophy in Europe – the Champions League. Hitzfield announced his retirement from coaching after his second World Cup as manager of Switzerland, after having achieved more success than most football managers could dream of.