Jeff Strasser is by far the best-known footballer in Luxembourg, next Friday (10.10.2025, 8:45 p.m.) Germany’s opponent in the World Cup qualification. The long -time Bundesliga professional has fulfilled a dream with the post of national coach.
At Borussia Mönchengladbach you like to celebrate the successful past, currently a little more in view of the dreary location in the Bundesliga table: It was only in early August that many Borussen legends met for the big celebration of the club’s 125th anniversary. Among the big names that walked over the specially rolled “golden carpet” was also Jeff Strasser: the most famous footballer Luxembourg had played 113 missions for Borussia, including some games as captain of the Fohlen-Elf.
Strasser in Gladbach became the crowd favorite in Gladbach primarily because of his enthusiasm and often uncompromising defense work: 50 yellow cards and two references to Strasser picked up in his Bundesliga career. During a legend game three years ago in the Borussia Park, he was ennobled by the local editorial team of the BILD newspaper as “Master of the Blood Group”.
Strasser National coach in Luxembourg – a lifelong dream
Already in his active time at Borussia, Strasser described it as his life dream of becoming a national coach in Luxembourg. He has now achieved this: After several coaching stations at home and a short intermezzo at 1. FC Kaiserslautern, where he resigned in early 2018 after four months and a collapse on the bench for health reasons, the 51-year-old was appointed as a national coach for the “Red Löwen” in summer.
A lot of criticism in Luxembourg around Gerson Rodrigues Fall
It is also the end of an era in Luxembourg football: his predecessor Luc Holtz was a national coach for more than 15 years, Strasser himself had played in the national jersey below. Holtz, now at the Waldhof Mannheim, had asked for the dissolution of his contract in the summer in the middle of a very restless time for Luxembourg’s football association.
The nomination of Gerson Rodrigues for the upcoming World Cup qualification games had caused a lot of criticism, including from parliamentary members and protests in the stadium: the striker, record scorer in the national team, had been sentenced to a prison sentence of 18 months due to multiple bodily harm. It was about allegations of domestic violence, Rodrigues’ former partner had even addressed the national coach Holtz, who was still in office after the striker was nomination.
After taking office, his successor Strasser was also faced with the still smoldering case of Rodrigues, before Luxembourg’s Association FLF announced in August that the top striker would no longer be appointed for the national team.
Luxembourg Bottom of the table In the World Cup qualification
Strasser can now take the World Cup qualification unencumbered of discussions about a convicted violent offender in the team. In the past qualification round, at the EM 2024, the Luxembourgers, number 96 in the world rankings, were just as close to participating in a big tournament than ever before, were only stopped in the playoffs of Georgia.
The start of the qualification for the World Cup finals 2026, on the other hand, was less promising, at the start of QualiGrupp A it set two defeats: against Northern Ireland, Strassers lost eleven 1: 3, against Slovakia very unfortunate 0: 1.
Luxembourg is in the last place in the group of four, behind the third-placed DFB team, the upcoming opponent on Friday in Sinsheim.
Strasser in front of a duel with DFB team: “the most difficult opponent”
In addition to the most prominent name, Leandro Barreiro from Benfica, Strasser has five players who are under contract with German clubs. Among them are two Bundesliga professionals with Aiman Dardari (FC Augsburg) and Danel Sinani (FC St. Pauli). However, Sinani has to expose them to a yellow lock when playing against Germany.
Luxembourg’s national coach Jeff Strasser (right), Augsburg’s Aiman Dardari
Strasser called Germany “The heaviest opponent in the group”however, added that he had analyzed the DFB team exactly, as well as the weaknesses: In the event of counterattacks, the German team is susceptible, said Strasser. This has already been exploited by Slovakia, said Luxembourg’s coach with a view of the false start of the DFB team in Bratislava (0: 2).
In his active career, Strasser played only once against Germany in 98 missions for his country: In preparation for the 2006 World Cup, the Luxembourgers went 0: 7 at the time that could not be luxembource.