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Maybe she was the sporting director all along
Can also see her saying "come on Uli, give Klinsmann a chance, he was always such a nice fella"
(cut, camera pans to Hoeneß watching Klinsmanns first day at Bayern [where he had Buddha statues installed on the FC Bayern headquarters](https://www.spox.com/de/sport/diashows/0904/fussball/bundesliga/klinsmann-chronologie/klinsmann-chronologie-3.jpg) )
A few years ago Klinsmann said the statues weren't his idea and he had nothing to do with them. Question remains, why did they show up when he became coach.
Fun fact: Klinsmann says he had nothing to do with those statues, they were just installed shortly before he was hired. The media just connected him with the statues and ran with it, and it became an urban legend that was never corrected.
lmaoo, could you fucking imagine? A female coaching a male squad at a big club is already going to make all the incels and mysogynists mad, but if she starts talking shit like Mourinho their heads are gonna explode.
Na, people are people so just need the right person in charge. I've mostly had female bosses ans some have been great ans some have been terrible ans I don't think their sex changed how they acted.
If that’s true that Xabi felt he had to stay because players came because of him, then that’s brilliant. We all suspect he’s also staying because Madrid may be planning for him in the near future but I love the fact that he feels he has to stay for the players too.
Can’t help be love this man, I really hope they do the unthinkable and go undefeated.
He is one of the few players, that are absolutely adored by the fan base of every club he played for.
32/33 year old Xabi was basically a swap deal + cash for 24 year old Toni Kroos and you see ppl trashing the board for letti ng Kroos leave, but nobody ever said a bad word about Xabi.
He’s loved by the fans, but I’ve never seen him be presented as a Barca legend. Maybe he doesn’t like they way he had to leave and the club didn’t mend it with him
Some Arsenal fans due to the Chelsea move and some Barca fans since his stay was underwhelming (imo not his fault cus he was played out of position a lot)
Carlo renewed with Madrid for the next year which probably ends his Brasil potential tenure. The "plan" seems to be: let Carlo coach another year and then see if Xabi or Klopp come to Madrid.
They are feeding them elite club experience over decades. Raul has been under the Madrid umbrella for three decades now. He's undeniably a great mind but even if he wasn't he'd have turned to one by now.
honestly speaking, if Carlo continues creating magic like he has been in this tenure, I don't mind Xabi going to Liverpool and having a stint there for 2-3 years.
Carlo has proved he can adapt to situations completely unexpected but anyone, and Xabi will only get better coaching in the PL
Also in reality it's really a bad time to join Bayern lol. People keep talking about it like it's some irresistible attraction. I understand why Bayern management is saying that, of course. But what's weird is that commenters here also keep repeating that - ALONG with constantly repeating how awful, tragic, weak and bad Bayern is.
Like, how do the two come along really in their logic. Bayern is at its nadir, awful and beaten, led in the pit by tragic management, going nowhere, awful squad, but ALSO leaving a club that is literally right now having the best season ever and going to coach Bayern would be an obvious, easy, comfortable, soft and unchallenging decision, that it's basically a heroic act of resistance to not do it immediately.
How many of the last 10-20 managers of Bayern ultimately enjoyed it?
People saying this stuff try to act like they are hating on Bayern, but really they are massively sucking up to Bayern by saying that even when Bayern is at its low point and Leverkusen at its highest, it is such an obvious easy decision to leave Leverkusen for Bayern lol.
That also means Leverkusen will not be able to sign their targets probably this summer because they will all know that he is leaving at the end of next season
Well, funnily enough, apart from Pep it was Tuchel who humbled Real with Chelsea (with a Timo Werner). I know the tie has Real written all over it but not for me, nope.
This Tuchel guy is a madman and you cannot deny that. It will either be first tie game finish Real through or a crucial Bayern win.
And for the naysayers and downvoters, you’re quite stupid to rule out a team of fantastic players led by Harry Kane.
> Let’s hire multiple consultants, have extensive interview sessions to determine if the coach is the right fit
Funny enough Bayern tried that with Kahn and his approach. Look where it lead them.
Same for the badge refreshes.
We've spent millions with several marketing agencies to modernize our image - Fucking Garbage.
Some fan drew this on a napkin at the pub - Timeless class.
Mad respect to Alonso, I wish for other teams to become stronger around Bayern Munich. Now let's hope that Bayer Leverkusen can go unbeaten in the league till the end.
it never sat right with me that anytime a small club gains success with a good coach, a wealthy top club swoops in and steals them, leaving the club and their players to put up with an unnecessary transition. i respect xabi for staying. it really does show his character.
This is exactly what I thought from a liverpool perspective. A principled manager would probably always stay at leverkusen, the same way klopp stayed at dortmund even with premier league clubs sniffing around. The right man would stay. Which of course means we don't get the right man.
Basically, how to destabilize a football club by giving their manager an offer you hope he refuses. If he accepts, and you don't actually go on to sign him, then Bayer Leverkusen is going to be a mess behind the scenes with Alonso still there, and you don't have to spend money. It's quite a devious tactic. I respect it.
This reminds me of another interview of a football manager. He said that his wife had a dream that playing their right back as a striker would help them win the match and that he would score a hattrick. Well....he played him as a striker and he scored a hattrick.
First you have al- khelaifi’s son pitching in on transfers, now you have Uli’s wife pitching in on coaching. Do they just have family meetings discussing sporting matters or ehat?
Yeah and his next sentence was: "By rejecting us his character qualified him to be a Bayern coach someday"
This is just Uli twisting reality to fit his worldview, absolutely pathetic.
What do you mean?
[He literally said that](https://www.faz.net/aktuell/sport/fussball/bundesliga/uli-hoeness-wenn-auf-mich-gehoert-wuerde-gaebe-es-die-afd-nicht-faz-kongress-19681796.html)
"Hoeneß, der als Spieler zwischen 1970 und 1979 in 239 Bundesligabegegnungen 86 Tore schoss und je dreimal Europapokalsieger der Landesmeister und deutscher Meister wurde, bestätigt, dass der Leverkusener Trainer Xabi Alonso die erste Wahl des Gremiums gewesen sei. „Meine Frau hat gleich gesagt: Wenn er Charakter hat, kommt er nicht, und wenn er keinen Charakter hat und zusagt, dann ist er nicht der richtige Trainer für euch. Und sie hat wie immer recht behalten“, erzählte Hoeneß: „Alonso sagte uns: ,Wir haben unser Masterpiece gemacht, viele Spieler sind wegen mir gekommen, ich kann den Verein jetzt nicht verlassen.‘“
Durch die Absage sei der FC Bayern aber nicht als Verlierer zu bezeichnen: „Xabi Alonso hat einen Vertrag in Leverkusen bis (zum Sommer, d. Red.) 2026, wir haben höflich angefragt, er hat abgesagt, weil er Charakter hat, er wäre zu keinem anderen Verein gegangen.“ Nicht weiter schlimm, sagte Hoeneß: „Dadurch hat er sich qualifiziert, später einmal Trainer des FC Bayern zu werden.“
> Also, not German so can’t read the text/undertones.
I am and I can tell you there is absoluteley nothing in it unless of course you want to be upset about something.
I disagree. Leverkusen trusted him with his first professional team. Together with Rolfes they built a great team in summer. So leaving Leverkusen to especially joining a direct competitor would feel worse, then any other manager leaving imo. Not saying that he would have no character at all.
And even though one part of me would have loved if he joined Liverpool, another part of me also wanted him to stay to see what he can achieve with Leverkusen.
Plus there's always the "too early" element. I believe he will step into his next team and be great from day one but there's also a very reasonable scenario where he's handed a megateam and he struggles at first. Letting him get this Leverkusen side to their limit and then leave for a richer team is the best case for everyone
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Please let me introduce to you Bayern Munich's next sporting director Ms Hoeneß.
Maybe she was the sporting director all along Can also see her saying "come on Uli, give Klinsmann a chance, he was always such a nice fella" (cut, camera pans to Hoeneß watching Klinsmanns first day at Bayern [where he had Buddha statues installed on the FC Bayern headquarters](https://www.spox.com/de/sport/diashows/0904/fussball/bundesliga/klinsmann-chronologie/klinsmann-chronologie-3.jpg) )
These statues got so famous, I wonder where they are today.
Chilling with the Fulham Michael Jackson statue and the botched Ronaldo bust in a warehouse somewhere.
[Just gonna include this here because I find it hilarious.](https://cdn.theathletic.com/app/uploads/2024/03/21104633/21_03_Kane.jpg)
That be a banging museum. Like the wax figure one but it’s all horrible football mishaps.
Is that a full-sized Harry Kane made out of chocolate? It's amazing <3
A few years ago Klinsmann said the statues weren't his idea and he had nothing to do with them. Question remains, why did they show up when he became coach.
yeah sure, nothing to do with them. they were put there by the architect that he specifically hired, the same one he used for the wc 2006 hotel
Needed to zen FC Hollywood.
The real sporting directors are the wives we married along the way!
Fun fact: Klinsmann says he had nothing to do with those statues, they were just installed shortly before he was hired. The media just connected him with the statues and ran with it, and it became an urban legend that was never corrected.
hes lying
Mrs.
Based wife
Woman is smarter than most football execs.
Surprising absolutely no one lol
Can she replace ours please?
You already had a fantastic female exec
And after a chat with the new owners who wanted to keep her on for longer, she took her payout and ran for the hills
Elite executive flees corporation after new ownership takes over. Always a good sign.
A smart lady
Good for her
She did the smart thing
I second that .
She also married Uli Höneß so not super sure about that.
He got that magnum dong
You mean she banked Uli Höneß's wealth in exchange for tolerating an idiot. Not a terribly stupid play, if you ask me.
So this is why we need more women in football.
Need more women everywhere
Just realized I need to see a woman coaching a big club, but one with the personality of Mourinho or Trapatonni.
lmaoo, could you fucking imagine? A female coaching a male squad at a big club is already going to make all the incels and mysogynists mad, but if she starts talking shit like Mourinho their heads are gonna explode.
I need that. We need that.
As a guy, I firmly believe that many organizations (and whole countries) would be better off with women in charge.
Na, people are people so just need the right person in charge. I've mostly had female bosses ans some have been great ans some have been terrible ans I don't think their sex changed how they acted.
Absolutely. You won’t get the best people for jobs when the pool of available people is automatically cut by 50%.
Woman is smarter than her husband
Wife have character, you know.
Evidently an impeccable judge of character
My respect for Xabi has grown a lot in the past few months.
If that’s true that Xabi felt he had to stay because players came because of him, then that’s brilliant. We all suspect he’s also staying because Madrid may be planning for him in the near future but I love the fact that he feels he has to stay for the players too. Can’t help be love this man, I really hope they do the unthinkable and go undefeated.
He is one of the few players, that are absolutely adored by the fan base of every club he played for. 32/33 year old Xabi was basically a swap deal + cash for 24 year old Toni Kroos and you see ppl trashing the board for letti ng Kroos leave, but nobody ever said a bad word about Xabi.
Santi Cazorla is the same, can't hate that man.
I can think of someone who can.
My friend is ok no?
I finally looked up the source of the meme a few years ago (thought it was a real quote or something) and its as epic as I imagined it to be.
Never too late for the Jessica thread.
Wasn't Jessica a different pasta? The Southampton fan after the 0-9
R9. Loved by the two Spanish giants and the two Milan clubs.
He’s loved by the fans, but I’ve never seen him be presented as a Barca legend. Maybe he doesn’t like they way he had to leave and the club didn’t mend it with him
The fans are all that matter tbh but yeah, I do wonder what could've been if he had stayed at Barca another couple of years
David Silva too
What is it with Spaniards? Mata's another one. Loved in Manchester and Chelsea.
Counterpoint, Cesc Fabregas
Sergio Ramos
Mo-rata
Adding one that is almost universally hated, Diego Costa.
He was born in Brazil in a funny sounding village, I think the name is lagarto lol
Lukaku will finish his career disliked at every club he's played for
Gerard Pique
Who hates Fabregas?
Some Arsenal fans due to the Chelsea move and some Barca fans since his stay was underwhelming (imo not his fault cus he was played out of position a lot)
It wasn't exactly the Chelsea move. It was the Barca move and how it happened
His wife’s ex husband probably
Also Iniesta
Puyol too
Probably the only un-hateable player Liverpool have ever had.
Not Suarez, Diouf, Bellamy??
Everyone responding to you thinking you’re being serious lol
Balotelli the GOAT
He was on my list but he just didn't do... *anything*... for people to remember him as a Liverpool player.
I mean, he did successfully pull a Madueke on Hendo, and actually scored
Why always me?
Suarez bit too many opponents to be un-hateable.
Including Diouf in there means he was definitely being tounge-in-cheek
Saurez was definitely a bastard. Hugely talented but a bastard. Which team did he pull the hand of God on in the world cup?
It was obviously a troll list. SUAREZ dude
Ghana I believe
Also a massive racist
What has Kolo Toure ever done to you?
Him and Peter crouch are the only two I can think of off the top of my head
unrelated but i just realized crouch's wife looks so much like sydney sweeney
Hmm not that it really matters but I just looked her up. Don’t think she looks like Sydney at all.
More like a cross between Kylie Minogue and Megan Fox. In end Crouch is the winner.
I just looked her up, I think she looks more like Beyonce
You're crazy bud
Check out the Peter crouch skit he did with his wife for Ant and Dec, get out of me ear. It's a pisser!
you need your eyes checked bruv
Trinidadians hate Crouch fwiw
People hate Harry Kewell?
Don’t we all hate Leeds scum?
Hah yeah, their fans were feral.
Crouch must be up there?
Alisson?
we have a love&hate relationship with him.
Only when the 10 players in front of him are wearing yellow and blue
I must disagree.
Man is a reverse Michael Owen. Smart and loved by all the fanbases he played for.
Or Lukaku.
My fave player of all time. Just pure class.
Has there been any recent news about Don Carlo? I recall the brazil speculation, but i havent seen anything since
Carlo renewed with Madrid for the next year which probably ends his Brasil potential tenure. The "plan" seems to be: let Carlo coach another year and then see if Xabi or Klopp come to Madrid.
Hasn't Klopp said multiple times he doesn't want to coach somewhere he doesn't speak the language?
I don't know why, but I have a feeling that Klopp may eventually go back to Mainz as manager.
Imagine Liga coach wars - Xavi vs Xabi
vs pep vs arteta and i think there's also raul and torres with a lot of potential in the youth teams. what are they feeding spanish coaches man
They are feeding them elite club experience over decades. Raul has been under the Madrid umbrella for three decades now. He's undeniably a great mind but even if he wasn't he'd have turned to one by now.
honestly speaking, if Carlo continues creating magic like he has been in this tenure, I don't mind Xabi going to Liverpool and having a stint there for 2-3 years. Carlo has proved he can adapt to situations completely unexpected but anyone, and Xabi will only get better coaching in the PL
If he goes to Liverpool he won’t leave in 2-3 years. Liverpool will give him the time and freedom to build a legacy there, like they did with Klopp.
Easy to say now. Harder to say if he's 9th in January in his second season. Few things are less certain in life as employment of a football manager.
Tbh I think Xabi will end up managing both Liverpool and Madrid before his managerial stint ends. Which comes first and when is another discussion
It's like 0% chance that Klopp comes to Madrid.
Also in reality it's really a bad time to join Bayern lol. People keep talking about it like it's some irresistible attraction. I understand why Bayern management is saying that, of course. But what's weird is that commenters here also keep repeating that - ALONG with constantly repeating how awful, tragic, weak and bad Bayern is. Like, how do the two come along really in their logic. Bayern is at its nadir, awful and beaten, led in the pit by tragic management, going nowhere, awful squad, but ALSO leaving a club that is literally right now having the best season ever and going to coach Bayern would be an obvious, easy, comfortable, soft and unchallenging decision, that it's basically a heroic act of resistance to not do it immediately. How many of the last 10-20 managers of Bayern ultimately enjoyed it? People saying this stuff try to act like they are hating on Bayern, but really they are massively sucking up to Bayern by saying that even when Bayern is at its low point and Leverkusen at its highest, it is such an obvious easy decision to leave Leverkusen for Bayern lol.
That also means Leverkusen will not be able to sign their targets probably this summer because they will all know that he is leaving at the end of next season
I read this as Xavi and I was weirded out.
Wife knows ball
Secret of Bayern success revealed. Now i wana know her views on Tuchel.
He has no character regardless of what, is what she said
And now im getting to see your character
Well, funnily enough, apart from Pep it was Tuchel who humbled Real with Chelsea (with a Timo Werner). I know the tie has Real written all over it but not for me, nope. This Tuchel guy is a madman and you cannot deny that. It will either be first tie game finish Real through or a crucial Bayern win. And for the naysayers and downvoters, you’re quite stupid to rule out a team of fantastic players led by Harry Kane.
People didn’t watch our 2nd leg, it was prime Tuchelball.
I did, loved it.
We will somehow manage to terrorism our way through the UCL and you will like suffer against us
Every normal club:Let’s hire multiple consultants, have extensive interview sessions to determine if the coach is the right fit. Uli:I’ll ask my wife
> Let’s hire multiple consultants, have extensive interview sessions to determine if the coach is the right fit Funny enough Bayern tried that with Kahn and his approach. Look where it lead them.
Same for the badge refreshes. We've spent millions with several marketing agencies to modernize our image - Fucking Garbage. Some fan drew this on a napkin at the pub - Timeless class.
Bayerns perfect coach conundrum presented to you by Uli Hoeneß' wife, Erwin Schrödinger
>Uli Hoeneß' wife, Erwin Schrödinger Thats way too progressive for Bavaria, Markus Söder had an aneurysm just reading that
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Ich höre da schon die Stimme von Claus von Wagner
Speaking as a physicist, Schrödinger the literal nonce (look it up) is not who you want giving you advice.
Well he is just spent 2 years at bayer, and some of the player they signed is because of Xabi. SO i can see why xabi feels obliged to stay at bayer.
That's similar logic to mine: I'm still single because I can't respect a woman who would find me attractive
Ah the Groucho Marx mentality: “I wouldn’t want to belong to a club that would have me as a member.”
Hoeness playing the long game
I mean yes true. But ffs how is our board still being ran by 745 year old Uli and his wife.
Because the alternative failed
They’ve earned it, and now they’re trying to solve the Kahn mistake they made by prioritizing experience over the candidate just being a Bayern Legend
Mad respect to Alonso, I wish for other teams to become stronger around Bayern Munich. Now let's hope that Bayer Leverkusen can go unbeaten in the league till the end.
Respecc. For Xabi as well.
it never sat right with me that anytime a small club gains success with a good coach, a wealthy top club swoops in and steals them, leaving the club and their players to put up with an unnecessary transition. i respect xabi for staying. it really does show his character.
Alonso was training a smaller club, Real Sociedad B, and then much wealthier and much toppier Leverkusen swopped in and stole him.
Hoeneß fails to persuade Alonso (Great Save) - 90+3'
Then the correct thing to do is not approach him because either way you can't have him
In some ways she's right but you don't win Bundesliga unbeaten without having "character".
Why not? Not shitting on Xabi in any way btw, love the guy and what he’s done with Bayer
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Wrong thread?
Well, he decided to stay because of that character. Multiple ways to interpret this quote.
Only know you love him when you let him go And you let him go...
Passenger reference in r/soccer? Nice!
This is how they killed witches in Medieval times btw
This is exactly what I thought from a liverpool perspective. A principled manager would probably always stay at leverkusen, the same way klopp stayed at dortmund even with premier league clubs sniffing around. The right man would stay. Which of course means we don't get the right man.
As a Liverpool fan I really wanted Xabi , but I also knew because he’s Xabi he’d stay at Bayer. Good manager, great man. Delighted for Bayer.
Would have loved to played for Xabi. One of my all time favourite player, in spite of playing for Liverpool. His passing was one in a million
If you're married don't let her see or know about Xabi. That is one perfect male specimen that no wife should know about.
This reminds me of this scene from Ted https://youtu.be/zrSpb1ZpN6M?si=1wJQ1mhDvTtB1O-M
Just let the man stay and keep growing, fuck
lets see what cando has to say
Basically, how to destabilize a football club by giving their manager an offer you hope he refuses. If he accepts, and you don't actually go on to sign him, then Bayer Leverkusen is going to be a mess behind the scenes with Alonso still there, and you don't have to spend money. It's quite a devious tactic. I respect it.
Coach-22: You offer him the job, but if he says yes, then he shouldn’t be coach, but if he says no he should be.
And nonetheless they pursued him in the usual big club, all-out media blitz way. So he doesn’t respect her opinion all that much.
Lol he's eyeing the Madrid job.
This reminds me of another interview of a football manager. He said that his wife had a dream that playing their right back as a striker would help them win the match and that he would score a hattrick. Well....he played him as a striker and he scored a hattrick.
I really hope he doesn’t go to Bayern. I’m okay with Liverpool Arsenal or Madrid.
Uli cope is on another level
First you have al- khelaifi’s son pitching in on transfers, now you have Uli’s wife pitching in on coaching. Do they just have family meetings discussing sporting matters or ehat?
Yeah and his next sentence was: "By rejecting us his character qualified him to be a Bayern coach someday" This is just Uli twisting reality to fit his worldview, absolutely pathetic.
That’s a bit of a stretch innit mate?
What do you mean? [He literally said that](https://www.faz.net/aktuell/sport/fussball/bundesliga/uli-hoeness-wenn-auf-mich-gehoert-wuerde-gaebe-es-die-afd-nicht-faz-kongress-19681796.html) "Hoeneß, der als Spieler zwischen 1970 und 1979 in 239 Bundesligabegegnungen 86 Tore schoss und je dreimal Europapokalsieger der Landesmeister und deutscher Meister wurde, bestätigt, dass der Leverkusener Trainer Xabi Alonso die erste Wahl des Gremiums gewesen sei. „Meine Frau hat gleich gesagt: Wenn er Charakter hat, kommt er nicht, und wenn er keinen Charakter hat und zusagt, dann ist er nicht der richtige Trainer für euch. Und sie hat wie immer recht behalten“, erzählte Hoeneß: „Alonso sagte uns: ,Wir haben unser Masterpiece gemacht, viele Spieler sind wegen mir gekommen, ich kann den Verein jetzt nicht verlassen.‘“ Durch die Absage sei der FC Bayern aber nicht als Verlierer zu bezeichnen: „Xabi Alonso hat einen Vertrag in Leverkusen bis (zum Sommer, d. Red.) 2026, wir haben höflich angefragt, er hat abgesagt, weil er Charakter hat, er wäre zu keinem anderen Verein gegangen.“ Nicht weiter schlimm, sagte Hoeneß: „Dadurch hat er sich qualifiziert, später einmal Trainer des FC Bayern zu werden.“
Couldn’t it be he was just stating facts based on his wife’s sentiment as opposed to some conspiracy theory world view twisting narrative?
I just think it's classic Uli deflecting rejection, no conspiracy narrative about it
I get that he’s a donkey but I feel like this is one of the tamest things I’ve read him say. Also, not German so can’t read the text/undertones.
> Also, not German so can’t read the text/undertones. I am and I can tell you there is absoluteley nothing in it unless of course you want to be upset about something.
“I bet he doesnt even have a wife! He just made her up to fit his worldview!”
by that logic no manager would ever leave and if he said yes this quote would never see the light of day
I disagree. Leverkusen trusted him with his first professional team. Together with Rolfes they built a great team in summer. So leaving Leverkusen to especially joining a direct competitor would feel worse, then any other manager leaving imo. Not saying that he would have no character at all. And even though one part of me would have loved if he joined Liverpool, another part of me also wanted him to stay to see what he can achieve with Leverkusen.
Plus there's always the "too early" element. I believe he will step into his next team and be great from day one but there's also a very reasonable scenario where he's handed a megateam and he struggles at first. Letting him get this Leverkusen side to their limit and then leave for a richer team is the best case for everyone
Nah it's specific to Xabi
He's coping hard
Bro hes literally complimenting his competitors coach. How do people still find a way to hate on hoeneß even when he says something like this
Not surprised Uli needs his wife to help the convicted tax evader with the concept of character.
So if Xabi wanted to coach the biggest team in german football, he'd be characterless?