Top 8 sporting directors in the world right now

In today's football, sporting directors are as important as coaches
In today's football, sporting directors are as important as coaches

#5 Ralf Rangnick (RB Leipzig)

Ralf Rangnick: The mastermind behind the whole project at RB Leipzig
Ralf Rangnick: The mastermind behind the whole project at RB Leipzig

The ex-coach of Stuttgart, Hannover, Schalke 04 and Hoffenheim, Ralf Rangnick is the man who is responsible for RB Leipzig's remarkable rise in the past years. In the summer of 2012, he became the sporting director of both, RB Leipzig and RB Salzburg. However, a few months later he stepped down from that position at RB Salzburg to focus on his job at RB Leipzig.

RB Leipzig is the youngest club in the Bundesliga as they are only 9 years old. In those 9 years, they went a road from the last tier of German football to the elite of German's very best clubs. In addition to that, they now regularly play European competitions.

Also, they have the youngest squad in the Bundesliga because Rangnick is a brilliant talent spotter. Rangnick's strategy is to buy players under 24 years and then turn them into real superstars and earn on them. The best example is Naby Keita who left the club this summer for a record fee of £53million.

Another excellent business for Rangnick is the signing of Julian Nagelsmann who will become the coach of the club as from the summer. Nagelsmann is known for his tendency to work with young players. The "Nagelsmann-Rangnick" combination could work perfectly and with them, in charge, the future looks even brighter.

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