Matthias Sammer

Championship-winning manager Ottmar Hitzfeld said of his protégé Sammer: “Matthias thinks like a manager.” In other words: he always kept his eye on the bigger picture. Even as a player. It was never enough for him simply to go through the motions. He gave thought to tactical details, held his team-mates to account to give their all at all times, faced up to journalists’ questions even during difficult periods, and always maintained a critical mind. Sammer didn’t put up with anything. This initially earned him the nickname ‘Motzki’, which stemmed not only from his combative nature but also alluded to his origins.

Having grown up in Dresden and developed into an exceptional talent there, he made his debut in 1985 as a 17-year-old in the top flight of the GDR and made his international debut just over a year later. He made history by scoring two goals in the GDR national team’s final international match, a 2–0 away win against Belgium.

Following reunification, he seamlessly continued his career with the national team. After his first spell in the Bundesliga with VfB Stuttgart and a brief stint at Inter Milan, he developed into one of the most influential figures in German football of the 1990s whilst at Borussia Dortmund. Between 1992 and 1997, he won the German league title three times, the UEFA Champions League and the Intercontinental Cup, and claimed the European Championship title with the national team. In 1996, he became the last German player to date to be named European Footballer of the Year.

An irreparable knee injury resulting from a bacterial infection brought his playing career to a premature end. The fact that he had always thought like a manager soon stood him in good stead. In 2002, whilst at BVB, he became the youngest manager to win the Bundesliga title in the league’s history.