Husband, father, grandfather, World Champion, DFB sporting director – Hansi Flick has achieved a lot in his life. On Tuesday, he’ll reach another milestone. Flick will turn 50. In an interview with DFB.de editor Steffen Lüdeke, Hansi Flick reflects upon his life and his future.
DFB.de: Mr Flick, there are a lot of important tournaments coming up for DFB teams in 2015. Is it true to say that the tournament which has priority for you will take place from the 18th to the 20th September in Berlin?
Hansi Flick: From the 18th to the 20th September? In Berlin? I can’t think off the top of my head what’s going on then.
DFB.de: The DFB over 50-Cup.
Flick: Very funny.
DFB.de: Numbers don’t lie; you’re going to be 50. Will you then be an old man?
Flick: I am at any rate a grandfather but that happened a while back. But old? That’s not only measured by how many years you’ve been alive.
DFB.de: How do you measure age?
Flick: I’ve never really thought about it. I think that age simply isn’t that relevant. It is important that you feel well and that only has a little to do with how old you are. Age has never been an issue for me. There’s only one alternative to growing old and I want to live for as long as possible.
DFB.de: It’s inevitable to think about age when you turn 30 or 40. That was never the case for you?
Flick: No. Sometimes I had to look twice when we were inviting players who were born in this millennium to join the U-Nationalmannschaften. Then you know that you’re no longer a youngster when your passport year of birth reads 1965. But that doesn’t bother me. I feel well and don’t focus on my age. For me, it’s important that my family are well, I’m healthy, I still enjoy my job and that it challenges me. Luckily that’s all currently true.
DFB.de: Old or young – 50 years, half a century, this is a turning point in any case. When you take stock, is the ageless Hansi Flick a happier man?
Flick: Yes, completely. My private life couldn’t be better and everything is going well with my job; I don’t really have any reason to complain about anything.
DFB.de: Let’s take a look at the successes alongside the disappointments. Looking back over the past 50 years, which events would you undo and which games would you like play again?
Flick: There are obviously some games that I’d like to play again. I go in to every game wanting to win. There are lots of games, some really big ones, which I didn’t win. On the one hand, I would obviously have preferred these to have gone differently. On the other hand, defeats help to build your character and you learn from them. In this respect, defeats are a prerequisite for success.
DFB.de: Are there decisions that in retrospect you’d like to revise?
Flick: The most important and best decision in my life was to marry my wife. I would definitely make that decision again. There are no big decisions in my sporting career that I regret. All these decisions have shaped my life and I accept how everything has gone so far. As I already said, I’m a happy man.
DFB.de: How big a part does the World Cup title play in your happiness?
Flick: You set yourself goals in life. We all, the players, manager, team, the entire staff of the national team and all the DFB, set ourselves the target of successfully contesting the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. It’s incredible to have achieved this goal. If we hadn’t have won the final in Rio, I don’t think that I would be any less pleased with my life. The biggest change for me after winning the title is that it’s let me see and approach things in a more relaxed manner. This isn’t in the sense, however, that I invest less energy in new challenges, quite the opposite. The title helps me to tackle new projects with greater conviction as it confirmed that we’re on the right path.
DFB.de: Brazil was an overwhelming experience for everyone. You’ve once said that the happiest moment for you was when you were able to hold your granddaughter in your arms on returning to Germany. Was this bigger than when you could hold the World Cup trophy?
Flick: Your behaviour changes in such moments. When you’re with the national team, you live in a completely different world. It depends a lot on the situation; the team means an awful lot to lots of people. However, family is the most precious and important thing in life. That’s what I’ve always suggested. I remember exactly how this was as a player. When I was playing for FC Köln, I once received a red card on the last matchday. I was hugely disappointed; we suffered a crushing defeat and I was very frustrated when I returned home. My little girl could sense my disappointment as she came over to me and comforted me without saying a word. Situations like that put everything into perspective. Football is the most important of the less important things in life while family is the most important of all.
DFB.de: Following the World Cup, you could have chosen to take things more easily, especially considering the importance you place on family. As DFB sporting director, you’re out and about more compared to when you were manager. The stress and pressure you’re under hasn’t decreased. What drives you to keep going? Where does your ambition come from?
Flick: I was still under 50 after the World Cup and life was not yet over (laughs). Seriously though, I need challenges to fulfill my life. I want to make a difference, make a change, develop as a person. For me, it would be terrible to not fulfill my potential or not be used. I also couldn’t imagine my life without football. It has always been a part of my life and I consider this a privilege. The fact that I now work as DFB sporting director and enjoy what I do at this level und have the opportunity to implement my ideas is an absolute blessing.
DFB.de: Your way of working has changed. Do you also think differently about things? Does sporting director Hansi Flick have a different opinion on something compared to manager Hansi Flick?
Flick: Absolutely. I see football as a whole now. It’s no longer about getting the best out of a team but instead, helping to improve football and facilities across all levels in Germany. For example: we’re currently working in a project group with lots of experts to refine DFB ideas. I’m also learning a lot through this process. We’re getting lots of new ideas and perspectives on matters. It’s very refreshing to be able to organise and moderate this process.
DFB.de: What exactly do you mean by that? In what way can you change an underlying philosophy like that?
Flick: We’re not planning to start a revolution. It’s more about helping the players to fulfill all the requirements of a modern footballer. The players need to make the right decisions at an instant. They need to be able to counter the opposition’s pressing and they must have the technical ability to put the best possible solution into practice. That means we have to start educating them on these aspects very early on. The DFB Under-17s are currently working with a technically astute coach, Marcel Lucassen. However, they’re actually too old already. We need to school our players ate Under-11 or Under-10 level. Our aim is to spread this kind of approach at the basis. We’re currently trying to find out what kind of training is ideally suited for different age groups. We are also trying to customize training according to their playing position. It’s a really interesting process.
DFB.de: What is on your to-do list as DFB Sporting Director for 2015, apart from the Over-50s Cup?
Flick: The DFB academy is the biggest challenge that we’re facing. The architects are currently planning the building and we are trying to come up with what's supposed to happen in them. We are defining a new era for the DFB. The male youth teams are also playing a number of tournaments this year. They’re participating in at least two international ones, a World Cup and a European Championship. I’m assuming that we’ll qualify for three more though.
DFB.de: Are you planning to travel to the tournaments?
Flick: Of course!
DFB.de: And your wife’s fine with that?
Flick: Yes. Sometimes I feel like she’s happy to have me out of the house for a while. (laughs)
DFB.de: How important is it to young players that their performances are rewarded with titles?
Flick: Many of the current World Champions are prime examples of this. It’s obvious that there’s a connection between winning the 2014 World Cup and the 2009 Under-21 European Championship. I can also think of more recent examples though. I went to see an Under-21 international fixture and had a chat with Alex Zorniger (recently fired RB Leipzig head coach, editor’s note) about this. He said it was amazing how much self-confidence Joshua Kimmich got out of winning the Under-19 European Championship. The same happened with Davie Selke. Winning a title isn’t going to improve their technical abilities, but their confidence in those abilities. Our main goal is to develop the youth players into good footballers. The DFB and the clubs’ youth academies invest a lot in this. However, that focus on development shouldn’t diminish the benefits of winning titles. In an ideal world we’ll be able to provide them with both.
DFB.de: You played for the Germany youth team on two occasions. That was in 1983 at the Under-18s Euro Cup in England. How well do you remember that time?
Flick: We weren’t very successful and were quite unlucky. We were eliminated in the group stages despite winning two of our three games. I still remember that we also went to see a game in the English league. That really impressed all of us. It turned out to be really dramatic in the end. I don’t remember which game it was and where it was played, but it was the final matchday and the game was the decisive one in the relegation battle. The score was at 0-0 for a long time and then someone scored and all hell broke loose. People started vandalising the stadium and mounted police stormed the pitch. We were led to a secure area. It was quite an experience.
DFB.de: Quite a few members of that squad are now successful coaches, such as Dieter Hecking, Michael Skibbe and yourself. Only a handful went on to successful playing careers though. Was it more difficult to come through the youth ranks and establish yourself at senior level?
Flick: I’m not sure if it was more difficult. However, the selection process was different. The scouting system wasn’t as thorough. The players that were called up by the DFB weren’t necessarily the best in their year. Things are different nowadays. I’d say that we are now aware of about 98 per cent of the young talents. There wasn’t as much of a selection and sometimes players were called up simply because their physique was already better developed and they had an advantage. The actual skills weren’t as important.
DFB.de: You didn't win a senior cap, although you enjoyed a successful 8-year spell with the likes of Bayern München and 1. FC Köln. How close were you to getting an international call-up? And how disappointed were you, when it never happened?
Flick: At senior level, Hannes Löhr nominated for the Olympic squad, but I got injured and had to sit out the tournament. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t care about the first team. However, I was never in a situation to hope it was going to happen. My many injuries made it difficult for me to find my stride and play at my best. That’s why I wasn’t a serious candidate for the national team during my career.
DFB.de: Several injuries forced you to retire from football at 28. How did you cope with that disappointment?
Flick: It took me a while; it was a terrible time for me. I wasn’t able to see a Bundesliga game in the stadium for about two years. I was fine watching football at amateur level, but it took a really long time until I was able to enjoy professional football again. It hurt too much. My family really helped me, and so did my ambition. I found out that being a coach really suited me and in way you could say that’s what saved me.
DFB.de: Do you remember what kind of future you saw for yourself as a coach when you started out?
Flick: It all developed over time. I just tried it out at first and coached the SV Sandhausen Under-17s. Then, I realised I was really enjoying it and that I was able to help the players with my observations and speeches.
DFB.de: Was that the point when you realised that you could and wanted to make a living as a coach?
Flick: Becoming a coach wasn’t a spontaneous decision. I wasn’t prepared to already retire at 28. My plan was to play football as long as I could. The question of what do with life after football haunted me much earlier than expected. I had to get a coaching licence first. It’s not like you could just suddenly decide to become a coach. I decided to register as self-employed and play some football at the same time. I became a player-coach for a while. I then got my coaching licence and that gave me the self-confidence to believe that I can make it in the business. However, I wasn’t able to foresee what my career would be like back then.
DFB.de: It didn’t go too badly. You are a World Cup-winning coach today and tomorrow it's your 50th birthday. How are you going to celebrate?
Flick: It’ll be cosy, just with my family. I’m planning a bigger party this summer. I’d like to host a garden party, but let’s wait and see.
DFB.de: Do people find it difficult to buy you gifts?
Flick: Yes. I actually don’t want any. I’m always happy when people come to visit and enjoy the day. That’s worth more than any gift.
created by mmc/kr and ap
Husband, father, grandfather, World Champion, DFB sporting director – Hansi Flick has achieved a lot in his life. On Tuesday, he’ll reach another milestone. Flick will turn 50. In an interview with DFB.de editor Steffen Lüdeke, Hansi Flick reflects upon his life and his future.
DFB.de: Mr Flick, there are a lot of important tournaments coming up for DFB teams in 2015. Is it true to say that the tournament which has priority for you will take place from the 18th to the 20th September in Berlin?
Hansi Flick: From the 18th to the 20th September? In Berlin? I can’t think off the top of my head what’s going on then.
DFB.de: The DFB over 50-Cup.
Flick: Very funny.
DFB.de: Numbers don’t lie; you’re going to be 50. Will you then be an old man?
Flick: I am at any rate a grandfather but that happened a while back. But old? That’s not only measured by how many years you’ve been alive.
DFB.de: How do you measure age?
Flick: I’ve never really thought about it. I think that age simply isn’t that relevant. It is important that you feel well and that only has a little to do with how old you are. Age has never been an issue for me. There’s only one alternative to growing old and I want to live for as long as possible.
DFB.de: It’s inevitable to think about age when you turn 30 or 40. That was never the case for you?
Flick: No. Sometimes I had to look twice when we were inviting players who were born in this millennium to join the U-Nationalmannschaften. Then you know that you’re no longer a youngster when your passport year of birth reads 1965. But that doesn’t bother me. I feel well and don’t focus on my age. For me, it’s important that my family are well, I’m healthy, I still enjoy my job and that it challenges me. Luckily that’s all currently true.
DFB.de: Old or young – 50 years, half a century, this is a turning point in any case. When you take stock, is the ageless Hansi Flick a happier man?
Flick: Yes, completely. My private life couldn’t be better and everything is going well with my job; I don’t really have any reason to complain about anything.
DFB.de: Let’s take a look at the successes alongside the disappointments. Looking back over the past 50 years, which events would you undo and which games would you like play again?
Flick: There are obviously some games that I’d like to play again. I go in to every game wanting to win. There are lots of games, some really big ones, which I didn’t win. On the one hand, I would obviously have preferred these to have gone differently. On the other hand, defeats help to build your character and you learn from them. In this respect, defeats are a prerequisite for success.
DFB.de: Are there decisions that in retrospect you’d like to revise?
Flick: The most important and best decision in my life was to marry my wife. I would definitely make that decision again. There are no big decisions in my sporting career that I regret. All these decisions have shaped my life and I accept how everything has gone so far. As I already said, I’m a happy man.
DFB.de: How big a part does the World Cup title play in your happiness?
Flick: You set yourself goals in life. We all, the players, manager, team, the entire staff of the national team and all the DFB, set ourselves the target of successfully contesting the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. It’s incredible to have achieved this goal. If we hadn’t have won the final in Rio, I don’t think that I would be any less pleased with my life. The biggest change for me after winning the title is that it’s let me see and approach things in a more relaxed manner. This isn’t in the sense, however, that I invest less energy in new challenges, quite the opposite. The title helps me to tackle new projects with greater conviction as it confirmed that we’re on the right path.
DFB.de: Brazil was an overwhelming experience for everyone. You’ve once said that the happiest moment for you was when you were able to hold your granddaughter in your arms on returning to Germany. Was this bigger than when you could hold the World Cup trophy?
Flick: Your behaviour changes in such moments. When you’re with the national team, you live in a completely different world. It depends a lot on the situation; the team means an awful lot to lots of people. However, family is the most precious and important thing in life. That’s what I’ve always suggested. I remember exactly how this was as a player. When I was playing for FC Köln, I once received a red card on the last matchday. I was hugely disappointed; we suffered a crushing defeat and I was very frustrated when I returned home. My little girl could sense my disappointment as she came over to me and comforted me without saying a word. Situations like that put everything into perspective. Football is the most important of the less important things in life while family is the most important of all.
DFB.de: Following the World Cup, you could have chosen to take things more easily, especially considering the importance you place on family. As DFB sporting director, you’re out and about more compared to when you were manager. The stress and pressure you’re under hasn’t decreased. What drives you to keep going? Where does your ambition come from?
Flick: I was still under 50 after the World Cup and life was not yet over (laughs). Seriously though, I need challenges to fulfill my life. I want to make a difference, make a change, develop as a person. For me, it would be terrible to not fulfill my potential or not be used. I also couldn’t imagine my life without football. It has always been a part of my life and I consider this a privilege. The fact that I now work as DFB sporting director and enjoy what I do at this level und have the opportunity to implement my ideas is an absolute blessing.
DFB.de: Your way of working has changed. Do you also think differently about things? Does sporting director Hansi Flick have a different opinion on something compared to manager Hansi Flick?
Flick: Absolutely. I see football as a whole now. It’s no longer about getting the best out of a team but instead, helping to improve football and facilities across all levels in Germany. For example: we’re currently working in a project group with lots of experts to refine DFB ideas. I’m also learning a lot through this process. We’re getting lots of new ideas and perspectives on matters. It’s very refreshing to be able to organise and moderate this process.
DFB.de: What exactly do you mean by that? In what way can you change an underlying philosophy like that?
Flick: We’re not planning to start a revolution. It’s more about helping the players to fulfill all the requirements of a modern footballer. The players need to make the right decisions at an instant. They need to be able to counter the opposition’s pressing and they must have the technical ability to put the best possible solution into practice. That means we have to start educating them on these aspects very early on. The DFB Under-17s are currently working with a technically astute coach, Marcel Lucassen. However, they’re actually too old already. We need to school our players ate Under-11 or Under-10 level. Our aim is to spread this kind of approach at the basis. We’re currently trying to find out what kind of training is ideally suited for different age groups. We are also trying to customize training according to their playing position. It’s a really interesting process.
DFB.de: What is on your to-do list as DFB Sporting Director for 2015, apart from the Over-50s Cup?
Flick: The DFB academy is the biggest challenge that we’re facing. The architects are currently planning the building and we are trying to come up with what's supposed to happen in them. We are defining a new era for the DFB. The male youth teams are also playing a number of tournaments this year. They’re participating in at least two international ones, a World Cup and a European Championship. I’m assuming that we’ll qualify for three more though.
DFB.de: Are you planning to travel to the tournaments?
Flick: Of course!
DFB.de: And your wife’s fine with that?
Flick: Yes. Sometimes I feel like she’s happy to have me out of the house for a while. (laughs)
DFB.de: How important is it to young players that their performances are rewarded with titles?
Flick: Many of the current World Champions are prime examples of this. It’s obvious that there’s a connection between winning the 2014 World Cup and the 2009 Under-21 European Championship. I can also think of more recent examples though. I went to see an Under-21 international fixture and had a chat with Alex Zorniger (recently fired RB Leipzig head coach, editor’s note) about this. He said it was amazing how much self-confidence Joshua Kimmich got out of winning the Under-19 European Championship. The same happened with Davie Selke. Winning a title isn’t going to improve their technical abilities, but their confidence in those abilities. Our main goal is to develop the youth players into good footballers. The DFB and the clubs’ youth academies invest a lot in this. However, that focus on development shouldn’t diminish the benefits of winning titles. In an ideal world we’ll be able to provide them with both.
DFB.de: You played for the Germany youth team on two occasions. That was in 1983 at the Under-18s Euro Cup in England. How well do you remember that time?
Flick: We weren’t very successful and were quite unlucky. We were eliminated in the group stages despite winning two of our three games. I still remember that we also went to see a game in the English league. That really impressed all of us. It turned out to be really dramatic in the end. I don’t remember which game it was and where it was played, but it was the final matchday and the game was the decisive one in the relegation battle. The score was at 0-0 for a long time and then someone scored and all hell broke loose. People started vandalising the stadium and mounted police stormed the pitch. We were led to a secure area. It was quite an experience.
DFB.de: Quite a few members of that squad are now successful coaches, such as Dieter Hecking, Michael Skibbe and yourself. Only a handful went on to successful playing careers though. Was it more difficult to come through the youth ranks and establish yourself at senior level?
Flick: I’m not sure if it was more difficult. However, the selection process was different. The scouting system wasn’t as thorough. The players that were called up by the DFB weren’t necessarily the best in their year. Things are different nowadays. I’d say that we are now aware of about 98 per cent of the young talents. There wasn’t as much of a selection and sometimes players were called up simply because their physique was already better developed and they had an advantage. The actual skills weren’t as important.
DFB.de: You didn't win a senior cap, although you enjoyed a successful 8-year spell with the likes of Bayern München and 1. FC Köln. How close were you to getting an international call-up? And how disappointed were you, when it never happened?
Flick: At senior level, Hannes Löhr nominated for the Olympic squad, but I got injured and had to sit out the tournament. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t care about the first team. However, I was never in a situation to hope it was going to happen. My many injuries made it difficult for me to find my stride and play at my best. That’s why I wasn’t a serious candidate for the national team during my career.
DFB.de: Several injuries forced you to retire from football at 28. How did you cope with that disappointment?
Flick: It took me a while; it was a terrible time for me. I wasn’t able to see a Bundesliga game in the stadium for about two years. I was fine watching football at amateur level, but it took a really long time until I was able to enjoy professional football again. It hurt too much. My family really helped me, and so did my ambition. I found out that being a coach really suited me and in way you could say that’s what saved me.
DFB.de: Do you remember what kind of future you saw for yourself as a coach when you started out?
Flick: It all developed over time. I just tried it out at first and coached the SV Sandhausen Under-17s. Then, I realised I was really enjoying it and that I was able to help the players with my observations and speeches.
DFB.de: Was that the point when you realised that you could and wanted to make a living as a coach?
Flick: Becoming a coach wasn’t a spontaneous decision. I wasn’t prepared to already retire at 28. My plan was to play football as long as I could. The question of what do with life after football haunted me much earlier than expected. I had to get a coaching licence first. It’s not like you could just suddenly decide to become a coach. I decided to register as self-employed and play some football at the same time. I became a player-coach for a while. I then got my coaching licence and that gave me the self-confidence to believe that I can make it in the business. However, I wasn’t able to foresee what my career would be like back then.
DFB.de: It didn’t go too badly. You are a World Cup-winning coach today and tomorrow it's your 50th birthday. How are you going to celebrate?
Flick: It’ll be cosy, just with my family. I’m planning a bigger party this summer. I’d like to host a garden party, but let’s wait and see.
DFB.de: Do people find it difficult to buy you gifts?
Flick: Yes. I actually don’t want any. I’m always happy when people come to visit and enjoy the day. That’s worth more than any gift.
