Jupp Heynckes stands out as one of the rare coaches to have secured victory in the Champions League with two distinct clubs. However, an alternate trajectory in the German’s story emerges due to a letter that never reached its intended recipient…
Heynckes’s initial triumph in the esteemed club tournament came in 1998 when he led Real Madrid. The “Galacticos” unexpectedly turned to Heynckes due to his commendable performance at Tenerife, and he reciprocated the trust placed in him.
“When I arrived in Madrid, the talk revolved solely around the Seventh,” reminisces the esteemed coach. “Every statement from the president included this term. Real had waited 32 years for this triumph. I’ll never forget my first training session. 80,000 people filled the Santiago Bernabeu in pouring rain. Each player was introduced individually, followed by the coaching staff and president. As the ceremony concluded, Alfredo Di Stefano and Francisco Gento appeared, and the stadium seemed on the brink of collapse from the vibrations.”
In his inaugural address to the fans, Heynckes proclaimed that securing the Champions League title should be the team’s primary objective, a stance he now regards from a historical perspective as “pure populism.”
At the time, the squad boasted players like Clarence Seedorf, Christian Panucci, Christian Karembeu, Roberto Carlos, while the formidable Balkan duo of Predrag Mijatović and Davor Šuker led the attack.
“Despite my players’ strong characters, my challenge lay more with the leadership,” Heynckes admits. “There was a political power struggle at the top, and I felt lacking in full support from the management.”
Months prior to clinching the Champions League, Heynckes was resolute in his decision to depart after the season’s conclusion.
“Yet, my manager and I decided against a voluntary exit. I had a two-year contract, and I wasn’t so disheartened as to make concessions to Real Madrid,” reflects Heynckes. “Even now, I maintain that individuals in the upper echelons of the club considered themselves demi-gods.”
The team’s fourth-place finish in the league ultimately determined Heynckes’s future, irrespective of securing the long-awaited Seventh in the Champions League.
In the final in Amsterdam, the Madridistas triumphed over Juventus with a 1-0 victory, courtesy of Mijatović’s goal.
“At the time, I meticulously studied Juventus down to the smallest detail. In the late ’90s, PowerPoint presentations weren’t prevalent, so I mapped out player positions on paper using a coin, both in attack and defense. Sometimes I regret not preserving those sheets. Had I not torn them into shreds, they’d surely be in a museum today.”
Every aspect was analyzed, every detail meticulously executed, with the pivotal move in the match being the neutralization of Zinedine Zidane.
Heynckes assigned Karembeu to mark Zizou, effectively nullifying the magician and thwarting Real’s opponents.
In 2012, Heynckes once again reached the Champions League final, this time at the helm of Bayern Munich at the “Allianz Arena.” However, despite dominating against Chelsea, the Bavarians suffered a heartbreaking loss on penalties after a 1-1 draw in regular time and extra time.
“A year later, there was no forgiveness, and the revitalized Bayern triumphed over Borussia Dortmund, led by Jürgen Klopp, with a 2-1 victory at ‘Wembley’,” recounts Heynckes.
Thus, Heynckes became just the fourth coach to secure two Champions League trophies with different teams, following Ernst Happel, Ottmar Hitzfeld, and Jose Mourinho.
“After the defeat against Chelsea, I gave all the players a 23-day break, including those involved in European competitions. There was no rush for anyone, and I was confident that we would succeed that year. We had evolved into a formidable team, with the players firmly grounded. Conflicts had been buried in the past, and it worked out for us in the best possible manner,” Heynckes enthuses.
These achievements followed the toughest disappointment of Heynckes’s coaching career, not the loss in the 2012 Munich final, but in 1985 when he managed his beloved Borussia Mönchengladbach.
“The Foals” routed Real Madrid 5-1 in the UEFA Cup, yet a 0-4 defeat in the return leg due to the away goal rule led to their elimination.
“After that match, I contemplated retiring from coaching,” Heynckes admits. “I was so disheartened that I wrote a letter to my assistant, intending to retire at the season’s end.”
However, the letter never reached its destination, as Heynckes engaged in a torturous internal struggle and ultimately reversed his decision. The piece of paper that could have altered football history remains tucked away in the legend’s desk drawer.
