Two decades ago with the opponent on the bench
Incidentally, for Magath it is again a game with his own past, since he has already worked for eight other Bundesliga clubs. But no station was as important as VfB Stuttgart, where he made his breakthrough as a football coach. Magath took over the team from Ralf Rangnick in the winter of 2001 when they were in acute danger of relegation.
The relegation succeeded on the penultimate matchday against title contenders Schalke 04 with a goal in front of Krassimir Balakov in the last minute – the Neckarstadion went wild.
After that, the coach formed a team around the “wild youngsters” with Timo Hildebrand, Andreas Hinkel, Aleksandr Hleb and Kevin Kuranyi, after he had also taken on managerial duties after Rolf Rüssmann had been released.
Feix Magath speaks of the best times in his career
“Yes, VfB Stuttgart was my station, which for me personally was the best phase of my career – at three and a half years it was the longest time a coach was there.”said Magath on Friday (April 22, 2022) in the press conference and seemed visibly moved by his standards: “No coach lasted that long at VfB. It was a great time overall for me. I look back fondly on it. For me it was the station where I got the curve. Until then I had only taken on relegation candidates.”
In fact, the native of Aschaffenburg made it possible for VfB to qualify for the Champions League in 2003 as a sensational runner-up behind FC Bayern – and thus indirectly prepared his move to Munich a year later. During his time in Stuttgart, he helped internationals Philipp Lahm and Mario Gomez make their professional debuts; he was a teacher who combined paternal care for young players with strict requirements.
Fredi Bobic thinks about the carefree times
“He took over a club in a hopeless situation. What he did there was sensational. A lot of people have forgotten that.”said Hertha managing director Fredi Bobic, who, like Magath, has a special bond with VfB Stuttgart, where he was part of the magic triangle with Balakov and Giovane Elber in the 1990s.