Hasan Salihamidžić was a key figure in FC Bayern’s management for six years. The Bosnian almost didn’t get hired at all.
In the summer of 2017, FC Bayern wanted to reorganize its management. There were many names circulating in connection with the Munich team. The choice ultimately fell on Hasan Salihamidžić, who then led Bayern’s fortunes in the transfer market as sports director for three years and as sports director for three years from 2020.
An “insane standing” with Hoeneß and Rummenigge
Now Michael Reschke, who left the record champions for Stuttgart in August 2017, revealed in an interview on the TV channel Sky that Xabi Alonso was almost in Salihamidžić’s place: “He had an amazing standing with Rummenigge and Hoeneß. (…) At that time we had no sports director, no sports director. My title was technical director, I was very focused on transfers and contracts,” said Reschke. “At that time I had a discussion with Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and Uli Hoeneß, and they even seriously considered asking him relatively early on whether he could imagine working as sports director at Bayern Munich.”
Alonso was already very focused on becoming a coach back then. Reschke also noticed this at dinner with the Spaniard. “After the long and intensive time, he wanted to take a break for a year,” said the official.
Therefore, the deal didn’t go through and Alonso went his own way without Bayern. He first became a youth coach at Real Madrid before spending three years in charge of Real Sociedad’s second team. In October 2022 he then joined Bayer Leverkusen and led the “Werkself” out of the relegation zone and into Europe. In the current season, Leverkusen is even in first place in the Bundesliga table.