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Hitzfeld again led the team to the German championship in 1996, and his protégé Sammer was the European Footballer of the year. But the best was yet to follow. In 1997, Borussia looked unconvincing in the league. But in the Champions League, they reached the finals against Juventus, who had defeated them in the UEFA Cup final in 1992. Juventus were the strongest team in Europe that year. Borussia, though, had beaten Manchester United who had looked genuine contenders for the title that season. Juventus boasted of a lineup with names like Zidane, Deschamps, Vieri and Di Livio. That match was the finest as a coach for Hitzfeld. He deployed Borussia in their usual 3-5-2 and left Paul Lambert with the job of marking Zidane. It turned out to be a masterstroke as Zidane failed to have a substantial impact on the match. Riedle scored two goals in five minutes, but Juventus responded and scored one, and they looked good for another. The decision to bring on a young Rickens paid off and he scored in 16 seconds to put the result beyond doubt. And for his achievement, Hitzfeld received the ‘World Coach of the year’ award.
Next season he was hired by Bayern Munich. As usual, his appointment showed instant effect and Bayern won the league by a record margin. He could have done the treble in his first season, but lost the DFB Pokal on penalties. The UEFA Champions League final was famously lost 1-2 to Manchester United. The next season, the glories continued as Bayern did the domestic double, but were knocked out by eventual winners Real Madrid. At Bayern, Hitzfeld continued his tactical tweaks, and played them in a 5-4-1 formation. This style was less exciting than the one he had adopted with Dortmund. Bayern grinded out results more often than not and played dour and unattractive football. But it was very effective. He did not have a galaxy of stars, but he built a strong unit which supported each other and won the hard way. In the 2000-2001 season, Bayern Munich knocked out Real Madrid and Manchester United en route to the final. The 2001 UCL final was Valencia vs Bayern Munich, the match ended 1-1 and Bayern won on penalties, which was another testament to the mental fortitude instilled by Ottmar Hitzfeld. Hitzfeld again won the ‘World Coach of the year’ and became only the second man after Ernest Happel to win two European Cups.
The next season too, the success continued and Bayern Munich did another domestic double. But soon the opponents caught up and Bayern stopped getting success with their organized form of the game and after a trophy-less season, Hitzfeld was sacked. He declined the post of the German national coach and took a break from the game. When he returned, he returned on a temporary basis for Bayern Munich and was in charge for a season and a half during which he won the DFB Pokal and the German championship.
He then took charge of the Swiss national team, and, with a mediocre team, managed to qualify for the World Cup finals. In the upset of the tournament, his team defeated eventual champions Spain 1-0; although they could not qualify for the next round, it seems that he can improve them even more.
Hitzfeld has won 25 trophies in a 26-year active coaching career. He has adjusted according to his players and his opponents. He has ushered in tactical changes. He has built teams with money and has built them without money too. He has shown that he can grind out results. He is reputedly one of the best man-managers in the game and gets the best out of his men. But he is a name that no one remembers. He is a just a statistic who comes up when we talk about Mourinho and his European titles. This was my attempt to remind people of a truly forgotten legend, both on the field and off it.
