Former Hertha Berlin coach Bruno Labbadia sets Bundesliga record
Bruno Labbadia was fired as head coach of Hertha Berlin this week. It is the 54-year-old's 10th Bundesliga club as both player and coach — a record. DW looks back at his nomadic career so far.
First steps in the Bundesliga
After three good years with second-division Darmstadt, 21-year-old striker Labbadia was snapped up by top-flight Hamburg in 1987. He scored his first goal on his Bundesliga debut and went on to net 10 more throughout the season. But his second year with HSV was less successful as Labbadia only makes 10 appearances and fails to score. He left in January 1989 to join Kaiserslautern.
Trophy collector
At Kaiserslautern, Labbadia went straight into the starting lineup and was an immediate success, scoring 20 goals in 67 Bundesliga appearances and forming a devastating strike partnership with Stefan Kuntz — currently Germany's under-21 head coach. With Labbadia's help, the "Red Devils" won the German Cup in 1990 and the Bundesliga in 1991. No wonder Uli Hoeness and Bayern Munich came knocking…
In at the deep end
In Munich, Labbadia was no longer the star man. His teammates included Lothar Matthäus and Stefan Effenberg. His coach was Jupp Heynckes. Nevertheless, Labbadia was consistently on both the team sheet and the score sheet, until new coach Giovanni Trapattoni decided place trust in expensive new arrivals. After winning the Bundesliga again in 1994, Labbadia moved to Cologne.
Lots of goals, less success
On the banks of the Rhine, Labbadia linked up with Toni Polster, with whom he formed a productive strike force, and Olaf Janssen, who will later become one of his most trusted assistant coaches. But despite his goals, Cologne finish 10th and were knocked out of the German Cup in the semifinals. After a goalless first half to the 1995-96 season, Labbadia got a January move to Werder Bremen.
Ups and downs
Labbadia's two-year stint on the River Weser was one of ups and downs. The striker had good spells where he couldn't stop scoring, but also month-long goal droughts. Werder Bremen struggled to replicate the success of the Otto Rehhagel era and consistently missed out on European football. With several coaching changes, Labbadia also struggled to find consistency.
Regroup and go again
He dropped down a division to join Arminia Bielefeld. With 28 goals, Labbadia was the top scorer in the Bundesliga 2 and a major factor in Bielefeld’s promotion. Back in the top flight, he played in all 34 games and scored 11 goals, but his personal good form isn’t enough to save Arminia from the drop. Labbadia would go on to have two more years with Karlsruhe, but his Bundesliga career was over.
Baptism of fire
After his first coaching jobs with Darmstadt and Fürth, Labbadia returned to the Bundesliga in 2008 in charge of Bayer Leverkusen — with mixed results. The <i>Werkself</i> finished a disappointing ninth in the league, but they reached the German Cup final, losing to Werder Bremen. But Labbadia’s time was already up. He faced criticism throughout the season and was replaced by Jupp Heynckes.
Another difficult year
Labbadia took over at Hamburg for the first time, but suffered the same fate. Again, his team started well but collapsed in the second half of the season. And again, there was a good cup run, this time to the semifinal of the Europa League where HSV lost to Fulham. Three games before the end of the season, Labbadia was again without a job.
Success, finally!
In December 2010, Labbadia took charge of Stuttgart, with the Swabian giants struggling in 17th. But Labbadia led them away from danger and into 12th before finishing sixth the following year and qualifying for the Europa League. They even reached the 2013 German Cup final but lost to Bayern. However, despite relative success, Labbadia was fired after a poor start to the 2013-14 season.
Playoff drama
After a difficult first spell in 2009-10, Labbadia returned as Hamburg’s savior in April 2015. The Bundesliga "dinosaur" is on the brink of extinction in a relegation playoff against Karlsruhe, but they are rescued by a last-minute free kick in dramatic fashion. The following season, Labbadia led HSV to the safety of mid-table, but was released after a poor start in September 2016.
The Bundesliga fireman
In February 2018, Labbadia took over from Martin Schmidt at Wolfsburg with the team facing a relegation battle. But Labbadia, who was quickly earning the reputation of a Bundesliga "fireman," put out this fire too, transforming the Wolves from relegation candidates to Europa League participants in just 15 months. But after internal disagreements, he didn't extend his contract.
Big City Bruno?
In Hertha Berlin, Bruno Labbadia is joining his 10th Bundesliga club, a league record. Expectations in the capital are high after the disastrous Jürgen Klinsmann experiment. "Bruno is someone who has shown that he can stabilize and develop teams, and lead them up the table," says Hertha chief Michael Preetz. Once football returns, both Hertha and Labbadia have a lot to prove.
Bye bye Bruno
Three months shy of a year, Bruno Labbadia was fired from Hertha Berlin. In his 28 games in charge, Hertha managed only eight wins and after over a hundred million was invested into the team in the summer the club decided a new direction was necessary. At 54, Labbadia's coaching career is likely far from over but if and when he gets the chance to coach an 11th Bundesliga team remains unclear.