He’s a cult. And nationwide probably one of the most famous figures around Eintracht Frankfurt. And that despite the fact that it stands for one of the darkest hours in Hessen. Dragoslav Stepanovic celebrates his 75th birthday.
Dragoslav “Stepi” Stepanović is convinced that he will still experience what he narrowly missed as a coach: that his concord win the title. “One day Frankfurt will be champions while I’m still on earth,” said the former player and coach of Hessen. Today, Wednesday, Stepi is celebrating his 75th birthday. And still looks so young. No matter where Stepanović appears, he spreads a good mood. Through his mischievous grin. And of course his motto in Hessian dialect: Lebbe goes further.
This saying was born in the darkest hour. A good 31 years ago, as Eintracht coach, Stepi lost the championship title on the last day of the game with a 2-1 defeat at Hansa Rostock. For a whopping 19 Bundesliga games, the Frankfurt team had been top of the table with stars like Anthony Yeboah, Uwe Bein and Andreas Möller before that. But after the bitter defeat in Rostock, Stepanović created a saying for eternity with the words “Lebbe goes again”.
A saying that not only football fans all over Germany still know today. “This saying has haunted me ever since, so I’ve been thinking about changing my name,” jokes the Serb-born. The slogan has become his own advertising slogan, which he had printed on corona masks, used profitably for a gin label or for a video message from the Evangelical Church in Hesse and Nassau at Easter to give people hope.
Stepi: from world-class defender to almost master trainer
Stepanovic was among the world’s best full-backs in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He was called up 34 times to the national team of Yugoslavia and in 1976 to the world team. OFK Belgrade and Roter Stern Belgrade were his first clubs before he came to Germany and played for Eintracht Frankfurt from 1976-78. Actually, Stepi didn’t want to stay long. Actually.
“I came to earn a car and drive home, two years have turned into 40. I come from a small village near Belgrade. I never thought I would get this far.” But even if Stepi always comes across as easygoing, the virtues (not only in football) were always important to him: “My zodiac sign is Virgo, which means: I was never late for training and always worked from the first to the last minute .”
Dragoslav Stepanovic in 1977 in the Eintracht jersey
After the end of his active career, he was only a pub owner in Frankfurt, then coach at FV Progres Frankfurt and FSV Frankfurt. With Rot-Weiss Frankfurt and his then player Jürgen Klopp, Stepi missed promotion to the second division in the 1989/90 season. Surprisingly, his ex-teammate Bernd Hölzenbein brought him to Eintracht Frankfurt in April 1991, where he became a cult figure with his long hair, mustache, checked jacket and cigarillo in his mouth. According to the motto “Stepi makes you happy.”
Return to unity brought no luck
After missing out on winning the title with Eintracht in 1992, his authority dwindled and the following season he announced his resignation live on TV (“That was it”) after the semifinals in the DFB Cup against Bayer Leverkusen. He switched to the Werkself this season – with a curious result: he coached them in the final and won the DFB Cup. In 1996, Eintracht brought him back to save them from relegation from the Bundesliga – in vain.
“I thought I had the juice and the strength to prevent it, but I was late,” said Stepanović. “Descent is shit until it’s no longer possible.” In total, he coached almost 20 clubs – including Athletic Bilbao or Shenyang Jinde in China or Zamalek Cairo in Egypt. Usually only with a short stay. But his great love remained the club from the Main. “Eintracht Frankfurt is a part of my life. Once Eintracht, always Eintracht.”
Stepi has great confidence in the current Eintracht
To this day, Stepi attends home games and is a brand ambassador for the club. “Wherever he appears, doors and hearts open because he maintains a closeness, an approach that knows no bounds,” said Eintracht board spokesman Axel Hellmann. Stepi brought a note of nonchalance to the club, a tongue-in-cheek elegance that shaped the club.
Stepi has even more confidence in his favorite club after the DFB Cup success in 2018 and the Europa League victory in 2022. “Now Frankfurt is a real club that can catch up with Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund.” But his heart’s desire is still different. “I would like to coach the Serbian national team,” he affirmed. “That’s the last thing I didn’t do. Lebbe keeps going – I always have hope.”
Stepi celebrates his 75th birthday with his wife Jelena in a small family circle. In terms of health, he feels fit. He got new knees six years ago, “it’s going wonderfully now. Medicine can help you to spend the last part of life slowly but beautifully.”
