Ottmar Hitzfeld Quotes

Germany, Association Football Player
January 12, 1949

Ottmar Hitzfeld (German pronunciation: [ˈʔɔtmaːɐ̯ ˈhɪt͡sfɛlt]; born 12 January 1949 in Lörrach, Baden) is a German former football player (striker) and retired manager, nicknamed der General (“the general”), and “Gottmar Hitzfeld” (a pun on Gott, which is the German word for “god”). He has accumulated a total of 18 major titles, mostly in his tenures with Grasshopper Club Zürich, Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich. A trained mathematician and sports teacher, Hitzfeld is one of the most successful coaches of German and international football. He has been elected “World Coach of the Year” twice; he is one of only five managers to win the European Cup/UEFA Champions League with two different clubs, along with Ernst Happel, José Mourinho, Jupp Heynckes and Carlo Ancelotti.

Also known as Association Football Manager

We always go into a game to win.

Ottmar Hitzfeld
- Game
- Always
- Win
I have never broken a contract in my career.

Ottmar Hitzfeld
- Career
- Never
- Broken

The job as a coach is difficult.

Ottmar Hitzfeld
- Job
- Difficult
- Coach
It's very likely that I will finish my career as Swiss national coach.

Ottmar Hitzfeld
- Career
- Finish
- Coach
We have to look after the health of the players. Quality suffers with too many games.

Ottmar Hitzfeld
- Health
- Quality
- Look
That you get booed belongs to professional sports.

Ottmar Hitzfeld
- You
- Sports
- Professional
Every change in a team can turn into an opportunity for players to show themselves.

Ottmar Hitzfeld
- Opportunity
- Team
- Change
There is always pressure in football.

Ottmar Hitzfeld
- Football
- Always
- Pressure

As long as there is a mathematical chance, we have to keep on going.

Ottmar Hitzfeld
- Long
- Chance
- Going
There is always the fear of failure, and if you struggle, you become nervous, and that's when the underdogs have an opportunity to create a surprise.

Ottmar Hitzfeld
I did not think I would be able to do myself justice if I had to speak to the players in English. I would not be able to get my emotions and feelings across.

Ottmar Hitzfeld
- Myself
- Justice
- English
I am still hungry; I still hate defeats. There is no substitute for victories.

Ottmar Hitzfeld
- Hungry
- Victories
- Defeats
I am proud of my career.

Ottmar Hitzfeld
- Career
- Proud
My philosophy is always to fulfill contracts.

Ottmar Hitzfeld

It cannot be a coincidence that a European team couldn't win a World Cup held in South America.

Ottmar Hitzfeld
- World
- America
- Team
The favourites and the stronger teams have a lot of pressure during the group phase because everybody just takes it for granted that they will reach the round of 16.

Ottmar Hitzfeld
- Pressure
- Stronger
- Group
It's always important for a coach to decide on the short term and long term - one factor doesn't block out the other.

Ottmar Hitzfeld
- Important
- Long
- Short
When you get older, 10 matches a year are enough.

Ottmar Hitzfeld
- You
- Enough
- Year
Thomas Tuchel is a coach who can work in the long-term.

Ottmar Hitzfeld
- Work
- Long
- Coach
Guardiola focuses only on the tactics.

Ottmar Hitzfeld
- Only
- Tactics

I can live without football. There are more important things in life.

Ottmar Hitzfeld
- Life
- Important
- Live
To represent a country, qualify for the World Cup, and get a team to perform at the right moment in time would be great honour for me.

Ottmar Hitzfeld
- Time
- World
- Great
As long as you are successful and winning matches, the language is no problem at all. But when the results are insufficient, the difficulties begin. At this time, a coach needs to go into more detail with his instructions, and that's where the problems can lie.

Ottmar Hitzfeld
- Time
- Long
- Winning
Xherdan Shaqiri is a player who can make the difference because he can decide games on his own.

Ottmar Hitzfeld
- Player
- Games
- Difference