Ralf Rangnick

Ralf Rangnick

Rangnick with RB Salzburg in 2012
Personal information
Date of birth (1958-06-29) 29 June 1958
Place of birth Backnang, West Germany
Height 1.81 m (5 ft 11 1⁄2 in)
Playing position Defensive midfielder
Club information
Current team
 RB Leipzig (sporting director)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1976–1979 VfB Stuttgart II
1979–1980 Southwick FC
1980–1982 VfR Heilbronn 66 (6)
1982–1983 Ulm 1846 32 (0)
1983–1985 Viktoria Backnang
1987–1988 TSV Lippoldsweiler
Teams managed
1983–1985 Viktoria Backnang (player/manager)
1985–1987 VfB Stuttgart II
1987–1988 TSV Lippoldsweiler (player/manager)
1988–1990 SC Korb
1990–1994 VfB Stuttgart (youth)
1995–1996 SSV Reutlingen
1997–1999 Ulm 1846
1999–2001 VfB Stuttgart
2001–2004 Hannover 96
2004–2005 Schalke 04
2006–2011 1899 Hoffenheim
2011 Schalke 04
2012–2015 Red Bull Salzburg (sporting director)
2012– RB Leipzig (sporting director)
2015–2016 RB Leipzig

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.


Ralf Rangnick (born 29 June 1958) is a German football manager and former amateur player who is currently the Director of Sports of Bundesliga club RB Leipzig. In the 2015/2016 season he filled in as manager at RB Leipzig who had just been promoted to the 2. Bundesliga and guided the team to promotion to the Bundesliga. He has previously coached Bundesliga clubs VfB Stuttgart, Hannover 96, FC Schalke 04 and TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, taking the latter from the Regionalliga Süd to the top division in two seasons. Rangnick was influenced by Helmut Gross, Ernst Happel, Valeri Lobanovski, Arrigo Sacchi and Zdenek Zeman, and influenced a generation of football coaches in Germany, like Julian Nagelsmann.[1][2][3]

Playing career

Rangnick was born in Backnang and began his playing career at VfB Stuttgart, but was unable to progress any further than their amateur side, playing in the lower leagues. This was to prove his level, as he played at a string of small lowly clubs, including a stint at English non-league side Southwick while studying Astrophysics on a guest year, at the University of Sussex in Brighton.[4] Whilst at University, Rangnick was shortlisted to join the FDR's space programme.

Coaching career

Early career

His first taste of coaching came in his playing days at Ulm 1846 in the early 1980s, when he was entrusted to coach the youth side. He stepped up to becoming player/coach at his hometown club Viktoria Backnang. Playing against Valeri Lobanovski's Dinamo Kiev in 1984 was a revelation for Rangnick who thought they must hav had a player more on the pitch.[5] He continued playing and coaching TSV Lippoldsweiler. After hanging up his boots, he became the coach of SC Korb in 1988, remaining there two seasons before returning to his original club VfB Stuttgart to now manage the amateur side he had once played in.

Rangnick stayed at VfB Stuttgart, as both amateur and youth coach, through the early 1990s, before moving to Regionalliga South side SSV Reutlingen in 1995. He took the club to a fourth-place finish in his first season, and they began the following campaign brightly too, with the club in the midst of the promotion push by Christmas. Rangnick would not complete the season with the team though, as he moved to his former club SSV Ulm 1846 in January 1997.

SSV Ulm 1846 were also positioned in the Regionalliga South, and although Rangnick could only manage a sixth-place position from the remainder of the 1996–97 season, the next year they won the league. Rangnick adapted well to life at his highest level yet in the 2. Bundesliga, and SSV Ulm 1846 mounted a strong promotion push. He started to be known in Germany as "professor" for the early adoption of the whole team shifting towards the ball when defending. 1998 Rangnick explained this "pressing" on TV.[6]

However, during the winter break, he signed a deal to move to top flight VfB Stuttgart for the next season. This was supposed to remain secret until the end of the season, but in February it leaked out into public knowledge. This caused an outcry, especially as the team began to lose ground in the table, and by the end of March, Rangnick quit the post prematurely and took control of VfB Stuttgart for the final five games.

Bundesliga entry

Rangnick was now first-team coach at the club he had served as a player and coached at amateur and youth level previously. His first full season at Bundesliga level in 1999–00 saw the team finish a respectable eighth, but the following season was much tougher. Despite making the semi finals of the DFB-Pokal and the round of 16 in the UEFA Cup (via the Intertoto Cup), their league form was mediocre and they were sat in the relegation zone by the halfway point. After their European exit in February 2001, VfB Stuttgart fired Rangnick.[7]

The next season brought a new post, as Rangnick took over 2. Bundesliga side Hannover 96 on 23 May 2001.[8] His first season was a complete success as they romped home as champions and were promoted back to the Bundesliga after a 13-year absence. Their first season back at the top level saw them consolidate with an 11th-place finish, but, as their form nosedived in the second half of the 2003–04 season, Rangnick was fired after a 0–1 defeat at Borussia Mönchengladbach in March 2004.[9]

Schalke 04

After missing out on the assistant role in the German national side to Joachim Löw, Rangnick was hired by Schalke 04 on 28 September 2004,[10] after Jupp Heynckes left just weeks into the 2004–05 season. Rangnick again tasted European action as the club had earned a UEFA Cup spot via the Intertoto Cup. He led them through the group phase, but they exited in the knockout rounds to Shakhtar Donetsk. The DFB-Pokal was to prove more successful, though, as Rangnick took the club to the final, where they fell 2–1 to Bayern Munich. Bayern would also pip Rangnick's side in the league as Schalke ended as runners-up.

The next season started well, with Rangnick gaining revenge over former club VfB Stuttgart by beating them 1–0 to lift the Ligapokal. Their second place league finish of the previous year had also qualified them for the 2005–06 UEFA Champions League, Rangnick's first entry into the prestigious competition. However, the team would fail to progress beyond the group stage, and sat 10 points off the pace in the Bundesliga, as well as having crashed 0–6 in the DFB-Pokal to Eintracht Frankfurt. Shortly before the winter break, these factors led the club to dismiss Rangnick. Rangnick was dismissed on 12 December 2005.[11]

TSG 1899 Hoffenheim

Rangnick had to drop down the divisions for his next club, as he moved to 1899 Hoffenheim of the Regionalliga South for the 2006–07 season.[12] Again, he proved himself adept at this level, as the team instantly won promotion and played the 2007–08 season in the 2. Bundesliga for their first time in their history. The stay in the 2. Bundesliga was short: a second-place finish for Hoffenheim in 2007–08 earned the club, and Rangnick, promotion to the Bundesliga for the 2008–09 season.

On 2 January 2011, Rangnick resigned as head coach of Hoffenheim, citing the sale of Luiz Gustavo to Bayern Munich, of which he had not been informed, as his reason for resigning from the club.[13][14]

Return to Schalke

In March 2011, Rangnick was named as the replacement for Felix Magath as manager of Schalke 04.[15] Just weeks after being named the new Schalke manager, Rangnick led his old club to their first UEFA Champions League semi-final by defeating holders Internazionale with a 7–3 win on aggregate.

On 22 September 2011, Rangnick stepped down as Schalke's manager due to exhaustion syndrome, stating that he currently does not have "the necessary energy to be successful and to develop the team and the club".[16][17]

RB Leipzig

In June 2012, Rangnick became the sporting director for both Red Bull Salzburg and RB Leipzig.

When RB Leipzig were unsuccessful in their search for a new manager at the end of the 2014/2015 Ragnick stepped in as coach on 29 May 2015.[18] He resigned as sporting director of Red Bull Salzburg to fully concentrate on his work as sporting director and manager with RB Leipzig. Against Karlsruhe the reached promotion.[19][20]

On 16 May 2016, RB Leipzig announced that then manager of Bundesliga club FC Ingolstadt 04 Ralph Hasenhüttl would take over from Ragnick.

In July 2016, he successfully took part in a test drive for Red Bull's Formula 1 team in a crossover from their activities with RB Leipzig. His best lap time at the Nurburgring was only 14 seconds slower than the team's Daniel Ricciardo.

Managerial statistics

As of 10 April 2016
Team From To Record
G W D L Win % Ref.
Stuttgart II 1 July 1985[21] 30 June 1987[21] 70 28 16 26 40.00
Reutlingen 1 July 1995[22] 31 December 1996[22] 51 26 12 13 50.98
Ulm 1 January 1997[23] 16 March 1999[23] 75 36 18 21 48.00
Stuttgart 3 May 1999[22] 24 February 2001[7] 86 36 16 34 41.86 [24]
Hannover 23 May 2001[8] 8 March 2004[9] 98 44 22 32 44.90 [25]
Schalke 28 September 2004[10] 12 December 2005[11] 65 36 15 14 55.38 [26]
1899 Hoffenheim 22 June 2006[12] 2 January 2011[14] 166 79 43 44 47.59 [27]
Schalke 21 March 2011[15] 22 September 2011[16] 23 10 3 10 43.48 [26]
Leipzig 29 May 2015[18] 30 June 2016 30 19 5 6 63.33
Total 664 314 150 200 47.29 —

Managerial honours

Ulm 1846
Stuttgart
Hannover
Schalke

References

  1. ↑
  2. ↑ Which manager has proved the most influential of all time?
  3. ↑ Das traurige Geheimnis von Hoffenheims Bubitrainer
  4. ↑ Walker, Michael (15 April 2011). "United are the favourites, but then so were Inter Milan...". Daily Mail. London.
  5. ↑ Rangnick disproves the doubters as Hoffenheim scale new heights
  6. ↑ Ralf Rangnick Sportstudio 1998 Viererkette, ZDF Sportstudio, tactics board, 1998-12-19.
  7. 1 2 "Magath wird neuer Trainer beim VfB Stuttgart". kicker (in German). 24 February 2001. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
  8. 1 2 "Ralf Rangnick übernimmt die 96er". kicker (in German). 23 May 2001. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
  9. 1 2 "Ewald Lienen übernimmt bei 96". kicker (in German). 8 March 2004. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
  10. 1 2 "Ralf Rangnick übernimmt S04". kicker (in German). 28 September 2004. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
  11. 1 2 "Ralf Rangnick muss gehen". kicker (in German). 12 December 2005. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
  12. 1 2 "Rangnick trainiert Hoffenheim". kicker (in German). 22 June 2006. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
  13. ↑ "Hoffenheim's coach Ralf Rangnick resigns after defender's sale to Bayern". London: The Guardian. 2 January 2011. Retrieved 2 January 2011.
  14. 1 2 "Pezzaiuoli tritt Rangnick-Nachfolge an". kicker (in German). 2 January 2011. Retrieved 2 January 2011.
  15. 1 2 "Rangnick: Team fehlt "die Überzeugung"". kicker (in German). 21 March 2011. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
  16. 1 2 "Erschöpfungssyndrom: Ralf Rangnick tritt zurück". kicker (in German). 22 September 2011. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
  17. ↑ "Rangnick steps aside at Schalke". UEFA. 22 September 2011. Retrieved 22 September 2011.
  18. 1 2 Kroemer, Ulrich (29 May 2015). "Neuer Leipzig-Trainer Rangnick: Dann mach ich's eben selbst" (in German). Leipzig: Der Spiegel. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
  19. ↑ Forsberg legt den Grundstein für den Aufstieg, kicker.de, 2016-05-08
  20. ↑ KABINENANSPRACHE RALF RANGNICK 08-05-2016, dressing room speach before promotion, "just do it".
  21. 1 2 "VfB Stuttgart II .:. Coaches from A-Z". World Football. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
  22. 1 2 3 "Ralf Rangnick" (in German). kicker. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
  23. 1 2 "SSV Ulm 1846 .:. Coaches from A-Z". worldfootball. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
  24. ↑ "VfB Stuttgart" (in German). kicker. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
  25. ↑ "Hannover 96" (in German). kicker. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
  26. 1 2 "FC Schalke 04" (in German). kicker. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
  27. ↑ "1899 Hoffenheim" (in German). kicker. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
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