Otto Rehhagel
Encyclopedia
Otto Rehhagel is a German
football
coach
and former football player. Along with Helmut Schön
, Ottmar Hitzfeld
, Udo Lattek
and Hennes Weisweiler
, he is considered one of the most successful German managers.
Rehhagel is the only person who, as player and as manager combined, has participated in over 1000 Bundesliga
matches. In the Bundesliga, he holds the records for the most victories (387), most draws (205), most losses (228), and his teams have scored the most goals (1473) and conceded more (1142) than any other.
Internationally, Rehhagel coached the Greece national team
from 2001 to 2010 in what has been the nation's most successful footballing era – during that period, the Greek team won the 2004 European Championship and qualified to the 2010 World Cup
, their second ever World Cup finals participation.
in 1952 before moving to Rot-Weiss Essen
(1960–63), after the start of the Bundesliga
for Hertha BSC (1963–65), and until 1972 for Kaiserslautern
. He played 201 games in the Bundesliga. As a player, Rehhagel was known as a tough-as-nails defender.
, but failed to make an immediate impact. Most famously, with Borussia Dortmund
, he suffered a historical, record-setting 12–0 loss after which the tabloids called him Otto Torhagel ("Tor" means goal in German, and "Hagel" means a hailstorm).
and Fortuna Düsseldorf
he worked for Werder Bremen
from 1981 to 1995. During these fourteen years, Rehhagel transformed Werder from a small minnow into a powerhouse, dazzling spectators with powerful up-tempo play and a smothering defence. During this spell, Werder Bremen established themselves as one of the main teams in the Bundesliga, overtaking hated rivals Hamburg
as the top club in the north and sparking an intense feud with Bayern Munich
. In the mid-eighties, Rehhagel often fell just short of success and had a string of second places and Cup Final losses. In that time, his nickname was Otto II or Vizeadmiral ("Vice Admiral"). After this unfortunate period, Rehhagel led them to two German championships, in 1988 and 1993 and two German Cup victories, as well as one win in the Cup Winners' Cup. In this period, Rehhagel produced a host of international stars, such as Rudi Völler
, Karlheinz Riedle
, Dieter Eilts
, Marco Bode
, Mario Basler
, Hany Ramzy
, Andreas Herzog
and Rune Bratseth
. His Werder Bremen team of 1988 was until recently the squad which conceded the fewest goals ever in the Bundesliga (22), this record was surpassed by Bayern Munich in the 2007–08 season with 21 goals. His stint with Werder Bremen (14 years Bundesliga) is the second longest consecutive occupation as a manager ever in the Bundesliga. It was only recently surpassed by Volker Finke
of Freiburg
(15 years – 10 Bundesliga, 5 second Division).
, Andreas Herzog
, Rehhagel and others, and it was widely expected that Munich would steamroll the opposition. However, from Day 1, Rehhagel clashed with the team and the team environment. His single-minded and occasionally eccentric ways did not mesh at all with Bayern, who quickly felt that Rehhagel was too rural at heart and had no clue about how to interact in the fancy environment of Munich. Moreover, Rehhagel's old-fashioned tactics and patronizing of the players caused major antipathy in the Bayern team, especially from Klinsmann, who never missed an opportunity to take shots at Rehhagel. The team disintegrated in the second half of the season. Rehhagel was famously ousted three weeks before they were to play in the final of the 1996 UEFA Cup
, after a disappointing end to their league campaign. His job was taken over by Franz Beckenbauer
, who led the team to victory in the cup.
. The team qualified directly for Euro 2004
, ahead of Spain
and Ukraine
. Ranked 100–1 outsiders, they sensationally defeated Portugal
(the hosts), France
(the holders) and the Czech Republic
(favourites for many) on the way to the final where they defeated Portugal again to lift the cup. Rehhagel, who was seen as the man most responsible for the team's success, became the first foreign coach ever to win a European Championship
. Despite not having a star-studded line-up, the Greek team won the championship, conceding no goals in the knock-out stage.
Rehhagel adopted a defensive approach in playing his Greek side, using energetic midfielders to wear down the opponents and the policy of defending in numbers to numb the opposition's attacks. When charged with boring play, he said, "No one should forget that a coach adapts the tactics to the characteristics of the available players." Interestingly, his time at Werder Bremen is remembered for the flashy and spectacular attacking football the team favoured.
After Rudi Völler
resigned as Germany
coach in the wake of that country's first-round exit in Euro 2004, Rehhagel was considered by many to be a strong candidate for his homeland's job. He had the support of the public, despite being considered a maverick by the footballing establishment. After three other candidates removed themselves from consideration, Rehhagel received an offer to take over as Germany coach, which he officially turned down on 10 July.
In their qualifying group for the 2006 FIFA World Cup
, the Greek side failed to make the grade, finishing fourth in a tough group which saw Ukraine advance as group winner and Turkey go on to the play-off. The team returned to success though by qualifying for Euro 2008, ending the qualifying stage with the highest points total of any team and ensuring they would be able to defend their title. On 30 March 2008 Otto extended his contract with Greece until 2010.
For the qualifying group and having finished second in group Two behind Switzerland, coach Rehhagel and the national team met Ukraine in a two-legged play-off and won 1–0 in Donetsk after a 0–0 draw in Piraeus, with Dimitrios Salpigidis getting the winner. The success against Ukraine has allowed the Greek squad to compete in the 2010 FIFA World Cup
to be held in South Africa
and has solidified the position of Otto Rehhagel as one of the most important people in the history of Greek sport.
Greece lost to South Korea, Argentina, defeated Nigeria 2-1 and exited the FIFA World Cup after the first round, scoring the first Greek goal ever in World cups against Nigeria
. Rehhagel announced his wish to leave his coaching position after the World Cup. On 23 June 2010, he officially announced his resignation from the Greek National Team.
, Rune Bratseth
or Traianos Dellas
. In defence Rehhagel usually prefers robustness and height over footballing abilities (the most notorious example being Ulrich Borowka
). In the period of all-round, fluid defence, many have criticized this as dated and anachronistic, but Rehhagel loves to reply that his success makes him right.
Rehhagel's teams also regularly develop a lot of pressure on the wings, e.g. Mario Basler
/Marco Bode
(Bremen) or Andreas Buck
/Marco Reich
(FCK), who were dominant wingers when Rehhagel coached them. His teams also regularly employ at least one dominant header as the central striker (Karlheinz Riedle
, Rudi Völler
, Frank Neubarth
, Olaf Marschall
, Angelos Charisteas
). The wing play and the header-strong striker obviously complement each other.
The backbone of his teams are usually older, more experienced players, talents rarely find themselves taking responsibility. Under him, even the young Michael Ballack
often sat on the bench as a substitute. However, Rehhagel is also known for being an excellent talent scout, having discovered Völler, Riedle, Marco Bode
, Dieter Eilts
, Marco Reich, Miroslav Klose
, Angelos Charisteas
, Sotiris Kyrgiakos
, Theofanis Gekas
and many others.
Rehhagel is also known for being a good motivator. His teams regularly have a lot of team spirit, most famously the Greek national squad, which he turned from a dead-end squad nobody wanted to play for into a must-be-there-at-all-costs team. He is also famous for reigniting the careers of older, seemingly dead-end players, such as Manfred Burgsmüller
, Mirko Votava, Olaf Marschall
or Theodoros Zagorakis
.
Rehhagel is also a deft and ruthless club politician. He is notorious for restructuring clubs so that he wields absolute power, making friends with powerful people and using them to eliminate the opposition. He prefers the system of a benign dictatorship. His way of handling a club – in a competent and innovative, but also highly patronizing and condescending way – has been immortalized as ottocracy, a pun on his name alluding to the style of management/government; autocracy
.
Finally, Rehhagel is considered somewhat of a maverick in Germany. In decades of interviews, he has established a reputation for being elitist, eccentric and unwilling to admit mistakes, similar to e.g. José Mourinho
. However, seeing his impressive record, he is apparently able to back up his words.
Famous players associated with Rehhagel include Klaus Allofs
, Mario Basler
, Marco Bode
, Rune Bratseth
, Manfred Burgsmüller
, Angelos Charisteas
, Traianos Dellas
, Dieter Eilts
, Andreas Herzog
, Marian Hristov
, Miroslav Klose
, Olaf Marschall
, Hany Ramzy
, Karl-Heinz Riedle, Wynton Rufer
, Thomas Schaaf
, Ciriaco Sforza
, Rudi Völler
, Theodoros Zagorakis
, Andreas Brehme
and Michael Ballack
.
Rehhagel likes to call himself Kind der Bundesliga ("Child of the Bundesliga"), having played in the very first Bundesliga game, and spent his club career there, with nine teams. In Greece
, he is occasionally called King Otto (βασιλιάς Όθων), probably in allusion to King Otto of Greece
from Bavaria, however he already had this nickname during his coaching career in Germany. As a wordplay referring to Herakles, son of Zeus
, he has been nicknamed "Rehakles" as well.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
coach
Coach (sport)
In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...
and former football player. Along with Helmut Schön
Helmut Schön
Helmut Schön was a German football player and manager. He is best remembered for his exceptional career as manager of West Germany....
, Ottmar Hitzfeld
Ottmar Hitzfeld
Ottmar Hitzfeld is a German former football player and manager, nicknamed der General ....
, Udo Lattek
Udo Lattek
Udo Lattek is a former German football player and coach, and is now a television sportscaster....
and Hennes Weisweiler
Hennes Weisweiler
Hans "Hennes" Weisweiler was a German football player and coach....
, he is considered one of the most successful German managers.
Rehhagel is the only person who, as player and as manager combined, has participated in over 1000 Bundesliga
Fußball-Bundesliga
The Fußball-Bundesliga is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of Germany's football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 18 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the 2. Bundesliga...
matches. In the Bundesliga, he holds the records for the most victories (387), most draws (205), most losses (228), and his teams have scored the most goals (1473) and conceded more (1142) than any other.
Internationally, Rehhagel coached the Greece national team
Greece national football team
The Greece national football team represents Greece in association football and is controlled by the Hellenic Football Federation, the governing body for football in Greece. Greece's home ground is Karaiskakis Stadium in Piraeus and their head coach is Fernando Santos...
from 2001 to 2010 in what has been the nation's most successful footballing era – during that period, the Greek team won the 2004 European Championship and qualified to the 2010 World Cup
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
, their second ever World Cup finals participation.
Playing career
Rehhagel began his playing career with local club TuS Helene AltenessenTuS Helene Altenessen
TuS Helene Altenessen is a German football club from the district of Altenessen in the city of Essen, North Rhine-Westphalia.-History:The team was established in 1928 as Werks-TuS Helene Altenessen and in 1934 merged with TuS Sälzer-Amalie Essen to form Turn- und Sportverein Helene Altenessen . In...
in 1952 before moving to Rot-Weiss Essen
Rot-Weiss Essen
Rot-Weiss Essen is a German association football club based in Essen, North Rhine-Westphalia.- Early years :The club was formed as SV Vogelheim on 1 February 1907 out of the merger of two smaller clubs: SC Preussen and Deutsche Eiche. In 1910, Vogelheim came to an arrangement with Turnerbund...
(1960–63), after the start of the Bundesliga
Fußball-Bundesliga
The Fußball-Bundesliga is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of Germany's football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 18 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the 2. Bundesliga...
for Hertha BSC (1963–65), and until 1972 for Kaiserslautern
1. FC Kaiserslautern
1. Fußball-Club Kaiserslautern, also known as 1. FCK, FCK or simply Kaiserslautern, is a German association football club based in Kaiserslautern, Rhineland-Palatinate. On 2 June 1900, Germania 1896 and FG Kaiserslautern merged to create FC 1900...
. He played 201 games in the Bundesliga. As a player, Rehhagel was known as a tough-as-nails defender.
Early years
He first became a coach in 1974 with Kickers OffenbachKickers Offenbach
Kickers Offenbach is a German association football club in Offenbach am Main, Hesse. The club was founded on 27 May 1901 in the Rheinischer Hof restaurant by footballers who had left established local clubs including Melitia, Teutonia, Viktoria, Germania and Neptun...
, but failed to make an immediate impact. Most famously, with Borussia Dortmund
Borussia Dortmund
Ballspielverein Borussia Dortmund, commonly BVB, are a German sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. Dortmund are one of the most successful clubs in German football history. Borussia Dortmund play in the Bundesliga, the top league of German football...
, he suffered a historical, record-setting 12–0 loss after which the tabloids called him Otto Torhagel ("Tor" means goal in German, and "Hagel" means a hailstorm).
Werder Bremen
After several short assignments including Arminia BielefeldArminia Bielefeld
DSC Arminia Bielefeld is a German sports club from Bielefeld, North Rhine-Westphalia. Arminia offers the sports of football, field hockey, figure skating and cue sports. The club has 11,394 members and the club colours are black, white and blue...
and Fortuna Düsseldorf
Fortuna Düsseldorf
' is a German association football club based in Düsseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia, currently playing in the second tier of German league football, the 2. Fußball-Bundesliga...
he worked for Werder Bremen
SV Werder Bremen
SV Werder Bremen is a German sports club best known for its association football team playing in Bremen, in the northwest German federal state of the same name. The club was founded on 4 February 1899 as Fußballverein Werder by a group of sixteen vocational high school students who had won a prize...
from 1981 to 1995. During these fourteen years, Rehhagel transformed Werder from a small minnow into a powerhouse, dazzling spectators with powerful up-tempo play and a smothering defence. During this spell, Werder Bremen established themselves as one of the main teams in the Bundesliga, overtaking hated rivals Hamburg
Hamburger SV
Hamburger Sport-Verein, usually referred to as HSV in Germany and Hamburg in international parlance, is a German multi-sport club based in Hamburg, its largest branch being its football department...
as the top club in the north and sparking an intense feud with Bayern Munich
FC Bayern Munich
FC Bayern Munich , is a German sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. It is best known for its professional football team, which is the most successful football club in Germany, having won 22 national titles and 15 cups....
. In the mid-eighties, Rehhagel often fell just short of success and had a string of second places and Cup Final losses. In that time, his nickname was Otto II or Vizeadmiral ("Vice Admiral"). After this unfortunate period, Rehhagel led them to two German championships, in 1988 and 1993 and two German Cup victories, as well as one win in the Cup Winners' Cup. In this period, Rehhagel produced a host of international stars, such as Rudi Völler
Rudi Völler
Rudolf 'Rudi' Völler is a German former international football striker, and a former manager of the German national team...
, Karlheinz Riedle
Karlheinz Riedle
Karl-Heinz "Air" Riedle is a former German professional footballer, who won the FIFA World Cup with West Germany in 1990 and the UEFA Champions League in 1997 with Borussia Dortmund. Riedle ended his international career with 42 caps and 16 goals.Riedle's youth clubs are TSV Ellhofen and SV Weiler...
, Dieter Eilts
Dieter Eilts
Dieter Eilts was an acclaimed German footballer and was last the trainer of Hansa Rostock. His nickname was the Alemão of East Frisia, for his similarity with to Brazilian midfielder Alemão...
, Marco Bode
Marco Bode
Marco Bode is a former German footballer.-Career:He played his first football with home club VfR Osterode, before moving to the amateur team of Werder Bremen...
, Mario Basler
Mario Basler
Mario Basler is a German former football winger and current manager.- Career :...
, Hany Ramzy
Hany Ramzy
Hany Guda Ramzy is an Egyptian international football defender. He is the current Head Coach of the Egypt U23 national football team.-Early life:...
, Andreas Herzog
Andreas Herzog
Andreas Herzog, also Andy Herzog, is a former Austrian football player.-Club career:Born in Vienna, Herzog started his career at local giants Rapid Vienna, but was sent out on loan to city rivals First Vienna FC during 1987–88. That move proved to be successful and he was soon recalled to Rapid to...
and Rune Bratseth
Rune Bratseth
Rune Bratseth is a former Norwegian footballer who played as a sweeper.Nicknamed Elk due to his long stature, he is best known for his spell with SV Werder Bremen, also having appeared in the 1994 FIFA World Cup with Norway, its first since 1938, at the age of 33.-Club career:Born in Trondheim,...
. His Werder Bremen team of 1988 was until recently the squad which conceded the fewest goals ever in the Bundesliga (22), this record was surpassed by Bayern Munich in the 2007–08 season with 21 goals. His stint with Werder Bremen (14 years Bundesliga) is the second longest consecutive occupation as a manager ever in the Bundesliga. It was only recently surpassed by Volker Finke
Volker Finke
Volker Finke is a German football manager and former player. He managed SC Freiburg from July 1991 to May 2007. This made him the longest-serving manager in the history of professional football in Germany...
of Freiburg
SC Freiburg
Sport-Club Freiburg, commonly known as SC Freiburg, is a German association football club, based in the city of Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden-Württemberg. SC Freiburg has played in the Bundesliga, the top tier of German football, since their promotion in 2009...
(15 years – 10 Bundesliga, 5 second Division).
Bayern Munich
After fourteen golden years, Rehhagel left Bremen to coach Bayern Munich in the 1995–96 season. After a disappointing, but financially lucrative year (only sixth place in the Bundesliga, but semi-finals in the Champions League), Bayern spent a lot of money, buying Jürgen KlinsmannJürgen Klinsmann
Jürgen Klinsmann is a German football manager and former player who is currently the coach of the United States Men's National Team. As a player, Klinsmann played for several prominent clubs in Europe and was part of the West German team that won the 1990 FIFA World Cup and the German one that...
, Andreas Herzog
Andreas Herzog
Andreas Herzog, also Andy Herzog, is a former Austrian football player.-Club career:Born in Vienna, Herzog started his career at local giants Rapid Vienna, but was sent out on loan to city rivals First Vienna FC during 1987–88. That move proved to be successful and he was soon recalled to Rapid to...
, Rehhagel and others, and it was widely expected that Munich would steamroll the opposition. However, from Day 1, Rehhagel clashed with the team and the team environment. His single-minded and occasionally eccentric ways did not mesh at all with Bayern, who quickly felt that Rehhagel was too rural at heart and had no clue about how to interact in the fancy environment of Munich. Moreover, Rehhagel's old-fashioned tactics and patronizing of the players caused major antipathy in the Bayern team, especially from Klinsmann, who never missed an opportunity to take shots at Rehhagel. The team disintegrated in the second half of the season. Rehhagel was famously ousted three weeks before they were to play in the final of the 1996 UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
, after a disappointing end to their league campaign. His job was taken over by Franz Beckenbauer
Franz Beckenbauer
Franz Anton Beckenbauer is a German football coach, manager, and former player, nicknamed Der Kaiser because of his elegant style, his leadership, his first name "Franz" , and his dominance on the football pitch...
, who led the team to victory in the cup.
1. FC Kaiserslautern
After this, Otto Rehhagel coached Kaiserslautern between 1996 and 2000, which had just been relegated after a catastrophic season. He injected new energy into the team which led to FCK's comfortable promotion back to the Bundesliga. Prior to the season, FCK was seen as a dark horse for a place in the UEFA Cup, but Rehhagel's team simply steamrollered the opposition. With sparkling offence and sheer never-ending energy (half a dozen games were won in injury time), Kaiserslautern won a sensational German championship in 1998, by now the first win by a promoted team. Rehhagel coached FCK to some less spectacular, but very decent results, but heavy internal conflicts and a massive smear campaign against him caused him to leave.Greek national squad
In 2001 Rehhagel became the coach of the Greek national teamGreece national football team
The Greece national football team represents Greece in association football and is controlled by the Hellenic Football Federation, the governing body for football in Greece. Greece's home ground is Karaiskakis Stadium in Piraeus and their head coach is Fernando Santos...
. The team qualified directly for Euro 2004
2004 UEFA European Football Championship
The 2004 UEFA European Football Championship, better known as Euro 2004, was the 12th European Football Championship, a quadrennial football tournament for European national teams. It was hosted in Portugal, for the first time, between 12 June and 4 July 2004, following its selection by UEFA, in...
, ahead of Spain
Spain national football team
The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...
and Ukraine
Ukraine national football team
The Ukraine national football team is the national football team of Ukraine and is controlled by the Football Federation of Ukraine. After Ukrainian Independence and breakaway from the Soviet Union, they played their first match against Hungary on 29 April 1992...
. Ranked 100–1 outsiders, they sensationally defeated Portugal
Portugal national football team
The Portugal national football team represents Portugal in association football and is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation, the governing body for football in Portugal. Portugal's home ground is Estádio Nacional in Oeiras, and their head coach is Paulo Bento...
(the hosts), France
France national football team
The France national football team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation , the governing body of football in France, and competes as a member of UEFA, which encompasses the countries of Europe...
(the holders) and the Czech Republic
Czech Republic national football team
The Czech Republic national football team represents the Czech Republic in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of the Czech Republic, the governing body for football in the Czech Republic. Their current head coach is Michal Bílek...
(favourites for many) on the way to the final where they defeated Portugal again to lift the cup. Rehhagel, who was seen as the man most responsible for the team's success, became the first foreign coach ever to win a European Championship
UEFA European Football Championship
The UEFA European Football Championship is the main football competition of the men's national football teams governed by UEFA . Held every four years since 1960, in the even-numbered year between World Cup tournaments, it was originally called the UEFA European Nations Cup, changing to the current...
. Despite not having a star-studded line-up, the Greek team won the championship, conceding no goals in the knock-out stage.
Rehhagel adopted a defensive approach in playing his Greek side, using energetic midfielders to wear down the opponents and the policy of defending in numbers to numb the opposition's attacks. When charged with boring play, he said, "No one should forget that a coach adapts the tactics to the characteristics of the available players." Interestingly, his time at Werder Bremen is remembered for the flashy and spectacular attacking football the team favoured.
After Rudi Völler
Rudi Völler
Rudolf 'Rudi' Völler is a German former international football striker, and a former manager of the German national team...
resigned as Germany
Germany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
coach in the wake of that country's first-round exit in Euro 2004, Rehhagel was considered by many to be a strong candidate for his homeland's job. He had the support of the public, despite being considered a maverick by the footballing establishment. After three other candidates removed themselves from consideration, Rehhagel received an offer to take over as Germany coach, which he officially turned down on 10 July.
In their qualifying group for the 2006 FIFA World Cup
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
, the Greek side failed to make the grade, finishing fourth in a tough group which saw Ukraine advance as group winner and Turkey go on to the play-off. The team returned to success though by qualifying for Euro 2008, ending the qualifying stage with the highest points total of any team and ensuring they would be able to defend their title. On 30 March 2008 Otto extended his contract with Greece until 2010.
For the qualifying group and having finished second in group Two behind Switzerland, coach Rehhagel and the national team met Ukraine in a two-legged play-off and won 1–0 in Donetsk after a 0–0 draw in Piraeus, with Dimitrios Salpigidis getting the winner. The success against Ukraine has allowed the Greek squad to compete in the 2010 FIFA World Cup
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
to be held in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
and has solidified the position of Otto Rehhagel as one of the most important people in the history of Greek sport.
Greece lost to South Korea, Argentina, defeated Nigeria 2-1 and exited the FIFA World Cup after the first round, scoring the first Greek goal ever in World cups against Nigeria
Nigeria national football team
The Nigeria national football team, nicknamed the Super Eagles or Green Eagles, is the national team of Nigeria and is controlled by the Nigeria Football Federation . The team has ranked as high as 5th in the FIFA World Rankings, in April 1994...
. Rehhagel announced his wish to leave his coaching position after the World Cup. On 23 June 2010, he officially announced his resignation from the Greek National Team.
Accolades
- UEFA Euro 2004
- UEFA Cup Winners' CupUEFA Cup Winners' CupThe UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a football club competition contested annually by the most recent winners of all European domestic cup competitions. The cup is one of the many inter-European club competitions that have been organised by UEFA. The first competition was held in the 1960–61 season—but...
(1): 1992 - Fußball-BundesligaFußball-BundesligaThe Fußball-Bundesliga is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of Germany's football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 18 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the 2. Bundesliga...
(3): 1988, 1993, 1998 - DFB-PokalDFB-PokalThe DFB-Pokal or DFB Cup is a German knockout football cup competition held annually. 64 teams participate in the competition, including all clubs from the Bundesliga and the 2nd Bundesliga. It is considered the second most important national title in German football after the Bundesliga...
(3): 1980, 1991, 1994
- BundesverdienstkreuzBundesverdienstkreuzThe Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany is the only general state decoration of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has existed since 7 September 1951, and between 3,000 and 5,200 awards are given every year across all classes...
of the Federal Republic of Germany (2005) - Laureus World Sports AwardsLaureus World Sports AwardsThe Laureus World Sports Awards are awarded annually to sportspeople who have been outstanding during the previous year. The Laureus World Sports Awards were established in 1999 by Founding Patrons Daimler and Richemont and is supported by its Global Partners Mercedes-Benz, IWC Schaffhausen and...
with the Greek football team (2005) - "Greek of the Year" (2004), first-ever foreigner to win this award
Coaching style
Rehhagel has popularized the phrase kontrollierte Offensive (controlled offence). He prefers a grass-roots approach to football, stressing the importance of at least two (often also three) big, strong headers in central defence. His defensive schemes often use a dominant libero, such as Miroslav KadlecMiroslav Kadlec
Miroslav Kadlec is a former Czech football defender.During his career, Kadlec played for four Czech clubs, and also had an 8-year stint with Bundesliga's 1...
, Rune Bratseth
Rune Bratseth
Rune Bratseth is a former Norwegian footballer who played as a sweeper.Nicknamed Elk due to his long stature, he is best known for his spell with SV Werder Bremen, also having appeared in the 1994 FIFA World Cup with Norway, its first since 1938, at the age of 33.-Club career:Born in Trondheim,...
or Traianos Dellas
Traianos Dellas
Traianos Dellas is a Greek international footballer currently playing as a centre back for AEK Athens in the Greek Super League...
. In defence Rehhagel usually prefers robustness and height over footballing abilities (the most notorious example being Ulrich Borowka
Ulrich Borowka
Ulrich 'Uli' Borowka is a retired German footballer, in the defender position.A versatile blue-collar worker with a powerful shot, albeit with very limited skills, he spent the better part of his career at Werder Bremen .-Club career:Borowka made his Bundesliga debuts at the age of 19 for Borussia...
). In the period of all-round, fluid defence, many have criticized this as dated and anachronistic, but Rehhagel loves to reply that his success makes him right.
Rehhagel's teams also regularly develop a lot of pressure on the wings, e.g. Mario Basler
Mario Basler
Mario Basler is a German former football winger and current manager.- Career :...
/Marco Bode
Marco Bode
Marco Bode is a former German footballer.-Career:He played his first football with home club VfR Osterode, before moving to the amateur team of Werder Bremen...
(Bremen) or Andreas Buck
Andreas Buck
Andreas Buck is a retired German football player.-Honours:* Bundesliga champion: 1991–92, 1997–98* DFB-Pokal winner: 1996–97-External links:* at transfermarkt.de...
/Marco Reich
Marco Reich
Marco Reich is a German footballer currently playing for SK Austria Klagenfurt.-Club career:He made his professional debut in October 1996 with Kaiserslautern in the Second Bundesliga and subsequently played five seasons for the club, four of them in the Bundesliga after they were promoted there...
(FCK), who were dominant wingers when Rehhagel coached them. His teams also regularly employ at least one dominant header as the central striker (Karlheinz Riedle
Karlheinz Riedle
Karl-Heinz "Air" Riedle is a former German professional footballer, who won the FIFA World Cup with West Germany in 1990 and the UEFA Champions League in 1997 with Borussia Dortmund. Riedle ended his international career with 42 caps and 16 goals.Riedle's youth clubs are TSV Ellhofen and SV Weiler...
, Rudi Völler
Rudi Völler
Rudolf 'Rudi' Völler is a German former international football striker, and a former manager of the German national team...
, Frank Neubarth
Frank Neubarth
Frank Neubarth is a German football manager and former player who spent his whole career with SV Werder Bremen and has since managed FC Schalke 04, Holstein Kiel and FC Carl Zeiss Jena....
, Olaf Marschall
Olaf Marschall
Olaf Marschall is a retired German footballer and a football sports manager.-Club career:Marschall's career started in the GDR at BSG Chemie Torgau and was soon transferred to 1. FC Lok Leipzig. There, he rose to stardom, becoming one of the most prolific scorers in the East German league and...
, Angelos Charisteas
Angelos Charisteas
Angelos Charisteas was born on 9 February 1980 in Strymoniko, Serres, but originates from Mani. He is a Greek football player who currently plays as a striker for Panetolikos F.C....
). The wing play and the header-strong striker obviously complement each other.
The backbone of his teams are usually older, more experienced players, talents rarely find themselves taking responsibility. Under him, even the young Michael Ballack
Michael Ballack
Michael Ballack is a German professional footballer, who is currently playing for Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen. He is among the top goal scorers in the history of his international team. Ballack has worn the number 13 shirt for every team he has played for except for Kaiserslautern...
often sat on the bench as a substitute. However, Rehhagel is also known for being an excellent talent scout, having discovered Völler, Riedle, Marco Bode
Marco Bode
Marco Bode is a former German footballer.-Career:He played his first football with home club VfR Osterode, before moving to the amateur team of Werder Bremen...
, Dieter Eilts
Dieter Eilts
Dieter Eilts was an acclaimed German footballer and was last the trainer of Hansa Rostock. His nickname was the Alemão of East Frisia, for his similarity with to Brazilian midfielder Alemão...
, Marco Reich, Miroslav Klose
Miroslav Klose
Miroslav Josef Klose is a German footballer who plays as a striker for Lazio in the Serie A. Since bursting onto the international stage at the 2002 World Cup, he has become well known for his knack of scoring headers, front-flip goal celebrations, and decisive short passing.Klose holds German...
, Angelos Charisteas
Angelos Charisteas
Angelos Charisteas was born on 9 February 1980 in Strymoniko, Serres, but originates from Mani. He is a Greek football player who currently plays as a striker for Panetolikos F.C....
, Sotiris Kyrgiakos
Sotirios Kyrgiakos
Sotirios Kyrgiakos is a Greek international footballer who plays for Wolfsburg as a centre back. He is known for his powerful heading.-Panathinaikos:...
, Theofanis Gekas
Theofanis Gekas
Theofanis Gekas is a Greek football striker who currently plays for the German club Eintracht Frankfurt. He has been the top goalscorer of the Greek League and the Bundesliga in previous seasons...
and many others.
Rehhagel is also known for being a good motivator. His teams regularly have a lot of team spirit, most famously the Greek national squad, which he turned from a dead-end squad nobody wanted to play for into a must-be-there-at-all-costs team. He is also famous for reigniting the careers of older, seemingly dead-end players, such as Manfred Burgsmüller
Manfred Burgsmüller
Manfred "Manni" Burgsmüller is a retired German footballer who played mainly as a striker – he could occasionally operate as a midfielder....
, Mirko Votava, Olaf Marschall
Olaf Marschall
Olaf Marschall is a retired German footballer and a football sports manager.-Club career:Marschall's career started in the GDR at BSG Chemie Torgau and was soon transferred to 1. FC Lok Leipzig. There, he rose to stardom, becoming one of the most prolific scorers in the East German league and...
or Theodoros Zagorakis
Theodoros Zagorakis
-Kavala:Zagorakis was a defensive midfielder who usually operated on the right hand side of midfield. He started his career with Kavala, the club that also produced Zisis Vryzas, with whom he became close friends...
.
Rehhagel is also a deft and ruthless club politician. He is notorious for restructuring clubs so that he wields absolute power, making friends with powerful people and using them to eliminate the opposition. He prefers the system of a benign dictatorship. His way of handling a club – in a competent and innovative, but also highly patronizing and condescending way – has been immortalized as ottocracy, a pun on his name alluding to the style of management/government; autocracy
Autocracy
An autocracy is a form of government in which one person is the supreme power within the state. It is derived from the Greek : and , and may be translated as "one who rules by himself". It is distinct from oligarchy and democracy...
.
Finally, Rehhagel is considered somewhat of a maverick in Germany. In decades of interviews, he has established a reputation for being elitist, eccentric and unwilling to admit mistakes, similar to e.g. José Mourinho
José Mourinho
José Mário dos Santos Félix Mourinho is a Portuguese football manager and the current manager of Real Madrid. He is commonly known as "The Special One".Mourinho is regarded by some players, coaches and critics as the best ever coach in football....
. However, seeing his impressive record, he is apparently able to back up his words.
Famous players associated with Rehhagel include Klaus Allofs
Klaus Allofs
Klaus Allofs is a retired German footballer, who played as a striker.A prolific goalscorer for club and country , his younger brother, Thomas, was also a professional footballer – and a striker.-Club career:Allofs began playing...
, Mario Basler
Mario Basler
Mario Basler is a German former football winger and current manager.- Career :...
, Marco Bode
Marco Bode
Marco Bode is a former German footballer.-Career:He played his first football with home club VfR Osterode, before moving to the amateur team of Werder Bremen...
, Rune Bratseth
Rune Bratseth
Rune Bratseth is a former Norwegian footballer who played as a sweeper.Nicknamed Elk due to his long stature, he is best known for his spell with SV Werder Bremen, also having appeared in the 1994 FIFA World Cup with Norway, its first since 1938, at the age of 33.-Club career:Born in Trondheim,...
, Manfred Burgsmüller
Manfred Burgsmüller
Manfred "Manni" Burgsmüller is a retired German footballer who played mainly as a striker – he could occasionally operate as a midfielder....
, Angelos Charisteas
Angelos Charisteas
Angelos Charisteas was born on 9 February 1980 in Strymoniko, Serres, but originates from Mani. He is a Greek football player who currently plays as a striker for Panetolikos F.C....
, Traianos Dellas
Traianos Dellas
Traianos Dellas is a Greek international footballer currently playing as a centre back for AEK Athens in the Greek Super League...
, Dieter Eilts
Dieter Eilts
Dieter Eilts was an acclaimed German footballer and was last the trainer of Hansa Rostock. His nickname was the Alemão of East Frisia, for his similarity with to Brazilian midfielder Alemão...
, Andreas Herzog
Andreas Herzog
Andreas Herzog, also Andy Herzog, is a former Austrian football player.-Club career:Born in Vienna, Herzog started his career at local giants Rapid Vienna, but was sent out on loan to city rivals First Vienna FC during 1987–88. That move proved to be successful and he was soon recalled to Rapid to...
, Marian Hristov
Marian Hristov
Marian Hristov is a Bulgarian footballer, who is currently playing for PFC Balkan Botevgrad of the Bulgarian B PFG.-Career:Hristov's first club was PFC Balkan Botevgrad...
, Miroslav Klose
Miroslav Klose
Miroslav Josef Klose is a German footballer who plays as a striker for Lazio in the Serie A. Since bursting onto the international stage at the 2002 World Cup, he has become well known for his knack of scoring headers, front-flip goal celebrations, and decisive short passing.Klose holds German...
, Olaf Marschall
Olaf Marschall
Olaf Marschall is a retired German footballer and a football sports manager.-Club career:Marschall's career started in the GDR at BSG Chemie Torgau and was soon transferred to 1. FC Lok Leipzig. There, he rose to stardom, becoming one of the most prolific scorers in the East German league and...
, Hany Ramzy
Hany Ramzy
Hany Guda Ramzy is an Egyptian international football defender. He is the current Head Coach of the Egypt U23 national football team.-Early life:...
, Karl-Heinz Riedle, Wynton Rufer
Wynton Rufer
Wynton Alan Whai Rufer, CNZM, , is a retired New Zealand footballer, who played as a striker. He spent most of his professional career in Germany with Werder Bremen, winning a total of six titles. He also appeared for the New Zealand national team in its first FIFA World Cup participation, in 1982...
, Thomas Schaaf
Thomas Schaaf
Thomas Schaaf is a former German football defender and current manager of Werder Bremen. A true one-club man, he spent his entire playing career, and so far coaching career, with Werder Bremen...
, Ciriaco Sforza
Ciriaco Sforza
Ciriaco Sforza is a Swiss former professional football player and is the coach of Grasshopper-Club Zürich.-Biography:He most notably played for 1. FC Kaiserslautern and FC Bayern Munich in Germany...
, Rudi Völler
Rudi Völler
Rudolf 'Rudi' Völler is a German former international football striker, and a former manager of the German national team...
, Theodoros Zagorakis
Theodoros Zagorakis
-Kavala:Zagorakis was a defensive midfielder who usually operated on the right hand side of midfield. He started his career with Kavala, the club that also produced Zisis Vryzas, with whom he became close friends...
, Andreas Brehme
Andreas Brehme
Andreas "Andy" Brehme is a German football coach and former football defender. He is best known for scoring the winning goal for Germany in the 1990 FIFA World Cup Final against Argentina on a 85th minute penalty kick....
and Michael Ballack
Michael Ballack
Michael Ballack is a German professional footballer, who is currently playing for Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen. He is among the top goal scorers in the history of his international team. Ballack has worn the number 13 shirt for every team he has played for except for Kaiserslautern...
.
Personal life
He is married to Beate Rehhagel. Beate is also remarkable in her own light, because she acts as a sort of player scout for her husband. They have one child, Jens Rehhagel, who has played football at semi-professional level.Rehhagel likes to call himself Kind der Bundesliga ("Child of the Bundesliga"), having played in the very first Bundesliga game, and spent his club career there, with nine teams. In Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, he is occasionally called King Otto (βασιλιάς Όθων), probably in allusion to King Otto of Greece
Otto of Greece
Otto, Prince of Bavaria, then Othon, King of Greece was made the first modern King of Greece in 1832 under the Convention of London, whereby Greece became a new independent kingdom under the protection of the Great Powers .The second son of the philhellene King Ludwig I of Bavaria, Otto ascended...
from Bavaria, however he already had this nickname during his coaching career in Germany. As a wordplay referring to Herakles, son of Zeus
Zeus
In the ancient Greek religion, Zeus was the "Father of Gods and men" who ruled the Olympians of Mount Olympus as a father ruled the family. He was the god of sky and thunder in Greek mythology. His Roman counterpart is Jupiter and his Etruscan counterpart is Tinia.Zeus was the child of Cronus...
, he has been nicknamed "Rehakles" as well.