 Rangnick in 2022 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ralf Dietrich Rangnick | ||
| Date of birth | (1958-06-29)29 June 1958 (age 67) | ||
| Place of birth | Backnang, West Germany | ||
| Height | 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)[1] | ||
| Position | Defensive midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Austria (head coach) | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1976–1979 | VfB Stuttgart II | ||
| 1979–1980 | Southwick | ||
| 1980–1982 | VfR Heilbronn | 66 | (6) |
| 1982–1983 | Ulm 1846 | 32 | (0) |
| 1983–1985 | FC Viktoria Backnang | ||
| 1987–1988 | TSV Lippoldsweiler | ||
| Managerial career | |||
| 1983–1985 | FC Viktoria Backnang | ||
| 1985–1987 | VfB Stuttgart II | ||
| 1987–1988 | TSV Lippoldsweiler | ||
| 1988–1990 | SC Korb | ||
| 1990–1994 | VfB Stuttgart U19 | ||
| 1995–1997 | Reutlingen 05 | ||
| 1997–1999 | Ulm 1846 | ||
| 1999–2001 | VfB Stuttgart | ||
| 2001–2004 | Hannover 96 | ||
| 2004–2005 | Schalke 04 | ||
| 2006–2011 | TSG Hoffenheim | ||
| 2011 | Schalke 04 | ||
| 2015–2016 | RB Leipzig | ||
| 2018–2019 | RB Leipzig | ||
| 2021–2022 | Manchester United | ||
| 2022– | Austria | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Ralf Dietrich Rangnick (German:[ʁalfˈdiːtʁɪçˈʁaŋnɪk]; born 29 June 1958) is a German professionalfootball coach, executive, and former player who is currently the head coach of theAustria national team.
Rangnick began his coaching career in 1983, succeeding his career as a player, at age 25. In 1997, he was hired by former clubUlm 1846, with whom he won theRegionalliga Süd in his debut season. Rangnick was then appointed byBundesliga clubVfB Stuttgart, winning theUEFA Intertoto Cup in 2000, but was dismissed in 2001. He subsequently joinedHannover 96, winning the2. Bundesliga, but was dismissed in 2004. After a brief period withSchalke 04, Rangnick joinedTSG Hoffenheim in 2006, and achieved successive promotions to the Bundesliga. He departed the club in 2011 and returned to Schalke 04, where he won the2011 DFB-Pokal and reached the semi-finals of theUEFA Champions League. He later served as head coach atRB Leipzig across two periods between 2015 and 2019.
Rangnick joinedRed Bull asdirector of football in 2012, helping oversee their expansion into European football, emphasising the recruitment of unproven players and developingyouth systems with a worldwide scouting base and an attacking on-pitch philosophy across their clubs.[2][3] As a result, Red Bull clubs rose in market value from €120 million to €1.2 billion during his tenure.[4] Their clubs have also seen sustained domestic success[5] and generated sizable profits with playertransfers,[6][7] which led to Rangnick's promotion to head of sport and development in 2019.[8] He resigned from Red Bull in 2020 and joined Russian clubLokomotiv Moscow as manager of sports and development in 2021. Later that year, Rangnick was appointed as interim manager ofManchester United until the end of the2021–22 season, following which he took charge of theAustria national team.
Rangnick is credited with developing theGegenpressing tactic,[9] whereby the team, after losing possession, immediately attempts to win back possession, rather than falling back to regroup. His sides have been noted for their pressing and high attacking output, as well as for popularisingzonal marking.[10][11] He is credited for influencingThomas Tuchel,Julian Nagelsmann,Jürgen Klopp andOliver Glasner, among others.[12][13]
Ralf Dietrich Rangnick[14] was born and raised inBacknang. His parents, Dietrich and Erika Rangnick, met in 1945 inLichtenstein, Saxony, in theOre Mountains. His mother is fromBreslau (now Wrocław, Poland) and his father is fromKönigsberg (nowKaliningrad, Russia).[15]
Rangnick began his playing career atVfB Stuttgart, but was noted for his strategic talents and was added asplayer-coach.[16] His playing career was short-lived and was primarily concentrated in Germany, but included a stint at English clubSouthwick while studying at theUniversity of Sussex.[17]
Rangnick was one of the first coaches to publicise football tactics, notably during a ZDF SportsStudio TV broadcast in December 1998. As a result, Rangnick became known as the "professor"; a title initially used to jeer him, which then grew to be used to show respect.[18][19]
Rangnick began his coaching career in the 1980s, first asplayer-coach at his hometown club Viktoria Backnang, then continuing on to play and coach atVfB Stuttgart II and TSV Lippoldsweiler.[20]
In 1988, he became the head coach at SC Korb, remaining for two seasons before returning toVfB Stuttgart for four seasons to manage the Under 19 team. In 1991, he won the U-19 Bundesliga (German: A-Junioren Bundesliga), the highest honor in German U-19 football. Rangnick then returned to first team management in 1995 with two seasons as head coach atReutlingen 05.[21] He took the club to a fourth-place finish in his first season.[22] They began the following campaign strong, with the club in the midst of the promotion push by Christmas. However, Rangnick would not see the season to its finish as he was sought after by his former club Ulm in January 1997.[23] Reutlingen were in fifth position when Rangnick left the club.[24]
His first match in charge of Ulm finished in a 2–0 loss toGreuther Fürth.[25] Ulm were also positioned in the Regionalliga Süd, and although Rangnick could only manage a sixth-place position from the remainder of the 1996–97 season, they started the following season with a 3–1 win against Karlsruhe II.[26][27] They won the Regionalliga Süd Championship in 1998.[28] Rangnick adapted well to life in the2. Bundesliga, and Ulm mounted a strong promotion push that led them to the Bundesliga for the first time in their history in 2000.
During the winter break of his second season, 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 was 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 resigned from the post prematurely[23] and, on 3 May 1999, took control of Stuttgart[29] for the club's final five matches.[30] His final match was a 2–0 loss toUnterhaching.[31][32]
On 3 May 1999, Rangnick took control of VfB Stuttgart,[29] for the final five games[30] and saw the club finish1998–99 season in eleventh place.[33] He won two out of the club's five final matches.[30] His first match was a 2–0 loss toBayern Munich.[30] Rangnick was now first team coach at the club he had served as a player and coached at amateur and under 19 level previously. His first full season in the1999–2000 Bundesliga saw the club finish in a respectable eighth position.[34] The following season was much tougher, however the team succeeded in making the round of 16 in the2000–01 UEFA Cup after winning theUEFA Intertoto Cup, and the semi-finals of theDFB-Pokal. Nonetheless, Stuttgart'sBundesliga form left them hovering in the relegation zone by the halfway point. After their European exit in February 2001, Stuttgart dismissed Rangnick.[35] His final match was 2–1 loss toCelta Vigo in the UEFA Cup on 22 February 2001.[36] Stuttgart were in 17th place at the time of his sacking.[37] Rangnick finished with a record of 36 wins, 16 draws and 34 losses.[29]
The next season brought a new post, as Rangnick took over2. Bundesliga sideHannover 96 on 23 May 2001.[38] His first match was a 1–1 draw againstUnion Berlin on 30 July 2001.[39] His first season was a complete success as they romped home as champions and were promoted to the Bundesliga after a 13-year absence.[40] Their first season back at the top level saw them consolidate with an 11th-place finish,[41] but, as their form nosedived in the second half of the2003–04 season, Rangnick was dismissed following a 0–1 defeat atBorussia Mönchengladbach in March 2004.[42] Hannover were in 15th place at the time of his sacking.[43] Rangnick finished with a record of 44 wins, 22 draws and 32 losses.[44]
After missing out on the role as assistant manager for theGermany national team toJoachim Löw, Rangnick was hired bySchalke 04 on 28 September 2004,[45] afterJupp Heynckes left just weeks into the2004–05 season. Rangnick again tasted European action as the club had earned aUEFA Cup spot via theUEFA Intertoto Cup. His first match was in the UEFA Cup.[46] Schalke won 4–0 againstMetalurgs Liepājas.[46] He led them through the group phase, but they exited in the knockout rounds toShakhtar Donetsk.[46] However, theDFB-Pokal was to prove more successful, as Rangnick took the club tothe final, where they fell 2–1 to Bayern Munich.[46] Bayern would also pip Rangnick's side in the league, as Schalke ended as runners-up.[47]
The next season started well, with Rangnick defeating former club VfB Stuttgart 1–0 and securing the2005 DFL-Ligapokal.[48] Their second-place league finish of the previous year had also qualified them for the2005–06 UEFA Champions League, Rangnick's first entry into the prestigious competition. However, the team would fail to progress beyond the group stage, and sat ten points off the pace in theBundesliga,[49] as well as having crashed 0–6 in theDFB-Pokal toEintracht Frankfurt.[48] Shortly before the winter break, these results prompted the club to dismiss Rangnick on 12 December 2005.[50] He left with a record of 36 wins, 15 draws and 14 losses.[51]
Rangnick's next appointment as head coach was atTSG Hoffenheim of the Regionalliga Süd for the2006–07 season.[52] His first match was a 2–2 draw against1860 Munich II on 5 August 2006.[53] The team instantly won promotion and played the2007–08 season in the2. Bundesliga for their first time in their history.[54] The stay in the 2. Bundesliga was short, as a second-place finish for Hoffenheim in 2007–08 earned the club, and Rangnick, promotion to the Bundesliga for the2008–09 season.[55] They also reached the quarter-finals of theDFB-Pokal.[56] During the 2008–09 season, Hoffenheim reached the second round of theDFB-Pokal.[57] In the first half of the season, Hoffenheim won 35 out of 51 available points,[58] however in the second half, the club won only 20 out of 51 points to drop down to seventh place.[58][59]
During the2009–10 season, Hoffenheim reached the quarter-finals of theDFB-Pokal.[60] Hoffenheim finished in eleventh place in theBundesliga.[61] On 2 January 2011, Rangnick resigned as head coach of Hoffenheim, citing the sale of midfielderLuiz Gustavo to Bayern Munich, of which he had not been informed, as his reason for resigning from the club.[62][63] Rangnick's final match was a 2–0 win againstBorussia Mönchengladbach on 21 December 2010 in the DFB-Pokal.[64] Hoffenheim were in eighth place when Rangnick left the club.[65] Rangnick finished with a record of 79 wins, 43 draws and 44 losses.[66]
In March 2011, Rangnick was named as the replacement forFelix Magath as coach of Schalke 04.[67] His first match was a 2–0 forfeit win againstSt. Pauli on 1 April 2011.[68] The game was stopped in the 89th minute, after a beer mug was thrown at the assistant, overshadowing Rangnick's successful debut at Millerntor. At the time of the cancellation, Schalke was leading 2–0.[69] Just weeks after being named the new Schalke coach, Rangnick led his old club to their firstUEFA Champions League semi-finals by defeating holdersInter Milan 7–3 on aggregate.[70] However, Schalke were eliminated byManchester United in the semi-finals.[71]
Schalke began the2011–12 season by defeatingBorussia Dortmund in a shootout in the2011 DFL-Supercup.[72] On 22 September 2011, Rangnick stepped down as Schalke's coach due tochronic fatigue syndrome, stating he did not have "the necessary energy to be successful and to develop the team and the club".[73][74][75] He finished with a record of ten wins, three draws and ten losses.[51]
In February 2015, Rangnick announced he would be taking over as coach atRB Leipzig for the 2015–16 season. Achim Beierlorzer took over until the end of the season following the immediate resignation ofAlexander Zorniger. In addition, Rangnick resigned asdirector of football ofRed Bull Salzburg.[76] His first match was a 1–0 win againstFrankfurt on 25 July,[77] and Rangnick secured promotion to the Bundesliga with the win againstKarlsruher SC on 8 May 2016.[78] On 16 May, Leipzig announcedRalph Hasenhüttl would take over from Rangnick.[79] Rangnick finished with a record of 21 wins, seven draws and eight losses.[80]
On 9 July 2018, Rangnick took over, once again, as coach of RB Leipzig.[81][82] He won his first match on his return 4–0 against Swedish clubHäcken in thesecond qualifying round of theEuropa League.[83][84] Leipzig eventually won the tie 5–1 on aggregate.[85] They then eliminatedUniversitatea Craiova in thethird qualifying round.[86] The first domestic match (and victory) came againstViktoria Köln in theGerman Cup,[83] as Leipzig won the match 3–1.[87] Leipzig's firstBundesliga match took place on 26 August 2018.[83] Leipzig lost toBorussia Dortmund 4–1.[88] Leipzig qualified for theEuropa League group stage after knocking outZorya Luhansk with a 3–2 aggregate score in the play-off round.[89] In the group stage, they were drawn againstRed Bull Salzburg,Celtic andRosenborg,[90] finishing in third in the group stage.
Notwithstanding, the club ended the season third inBundesliga, qualified to theUEFA Champions League for the2019–20 season, and reached theDFB-Pokalfinal, losing toBayern Munich. Rangnick finished his second term as coach with a record of 29 wins, 13 draws and ten losses.[80]
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Following the dismissal ofOle Gunnar Solskjær after a poor run of results in the first few months of the2021–22 season, Rangnick was shortlisted as a potential short term manager byManchester United.[91] Although the board had initially decided to givecaretaker managerMichael Carrick a longer run of games while scouting replacements, Rangnick quickly emerged as the outstanding candidate during interviews, and was appointed as interim manager until the end of the season on 29 November 2021.[92][93] Following this period, it was stated he would continue in a consultancy role for a further two years.[94] He officially took charge a few days later on 2 December, following the approval of hiswork permit.[95][96] His first match saw the club victorious againstCrystal Palace 1–0 with a goal fromFred.[97]
Rangnick quite often talked about intensity, physicality, energy as all the technical qualities being necessary to be successful. Results under Rangnick were good until a Champions League game against Atlético Madrid in February, but the first signs were visible that the temporary nature of the spell and having no long-term plan caused uncertainty.[98] After overseeing United lose 4–0 to rivals Liverpool in April 2022, Rangnick suggested that Liverpool were "six years ahead" of United, and outlined the club's need to invest in the upcoming transfer window.[99][100] The German expressed his frustration with his spell at Manchester United as it came to a close at the end of theseason, stating: "In the end, I'm not happy with the results".[101] United finished the season in sixth place with 58 points, which was until the2024–25 season the worst points-total record in their Premier League history. The club and Rangnick decided that he would not continue with his planned consultancy role with the club, due to the demands of his new role at the Austria national team.[102]
On 29 April 2022, Rangnick was appointed manager of theAustria national team on a two-year deal, starting in June. Austria had just failed to qualify for the2022 FIFA World Cup, finishing fourth behind Denmark, Scotland, and Israel, and then losing theplay off against Wales.[103] One of his goals is to bring back the fans by entertaining football, and showing team spirit.[104] On 3 June, Rangnick's first game in charge finished in a 3–0 win overCroatia in theUEFA Nations League A.[105] However, that remained Austria's only victory ofthe season and,[106] following a 3–1 defeat to Croatia on 25 September, they got relegated toLeague B.[107] On 16 October 2023, the teamqualified forUEFA Euro 2024. As a result, his contract with Austria national team was automatically extended through to the2026 FIFA World Cup. In April 2024, Rangnick was approached byBayern Munich, but despite holding talks with the club he turned down their interest and reaffirmed his commitment to Austria.[108][109]
Rangnick's first game at Euro 2024 ended in a 1–0 loss toFrance. However, Austria won their next two group games with a 3–1 win againstPoland and a 3–2 win against theNetherlands to finishtop of the group.[110] Austria were subsequently eliminated in the round of 16, losing 2–1 toTurkey.[111]
In June 2012, Rangnick became thedirector of football for bothRed Bull Salzburg andRB Leipzig. Under Rangnick's leadership, by 2018, RB Leipzig saw promotion from regional league (tier IV) to theBundesliga (tier I), and reached theUEFA Champions League; their highest domestic finish was runners-up in the2016–17 season, while their highest European finish was reaching the semi-finals in the2019–20 season.[citation needed] Despite consistent on-field success, RB Leipzig only won one trophy, theSaxony Cup, with Rangnick. Meanwhile, Red Bull Salzburg wonAustrian Bundesliga andAustrian Cup multiple times, and reached the Champions League andUEFA Europa League.[112][113]
In 2019, Rangnick was promoted to head of sport and development forRed Bull, thus overseeing global football initiatives, including theNew York Red Bulls and their takeover ofRed Bull Bragantino.[114][115] Under Rangnick's tenure, the New York Red Bulls won the Supporters Shield in2013,2015 and2018, while Red Bull Bragantino gained promotion toSérie A in2020. He resigned from Red Bull in 2020,[116] with a reported move toMilan failing during negotiations.[117] While at Red Bull, their clubs rose in market value from €120 million to €1.2 billion during his tenure, with its largest club, RB Leipzig, peaking in value to €270 million in 2019.[4] Red Bull also generated sizable profits with playertransfers.[6][7]
On 6 July 2021, he signed a three-year contract as manager of sports and development forRussian Premier League clubLokomotiv Moscow.[118] He left the post on 29 November 2021 to become interim manager of Manchester United.[92]
"He was one of the very first to implement a back four in Germany and introduce the style of not man-marking and still being aggressive, and was one of the pioneers to introduce a4-4-2 and high pressing. Still he is one of the leaders of this development in German football so tactically for sure he is an elite coach."
Rangnick is regarded as the "godfather" of modern German football.[120] He is credited with developingGegenpressing,[121] whereby the team, after losing possession, immediately attempts to win back possession, rather than falling back to regroup together with evolving player's spatial coverage by increasing memory space and processing pace.[122][123][124] He developed this after playing a friendly againstDynamo Kyiv in 1984, being inspired by the pressing philosophy ofValeriy Lobanovskyi.[125][126][127] His sides have been noted for their pressing and high attacking output, as well as for popularisingzonal marking.[10][11]
Rangnick has cited his main coaching influences asErnst Happel,Valeriy Lobanovskyi,Arrigo Sacchi andZdeněk Zeman,[128] and is credited for influencingThomas Tuchel,Jürgen Klopp,Julian Nagelsmann,Ralph Hasenhüttl,Marco Rose,Roger Schmidt,Adi Hütter,Oliver Glasner andMatthias Jaissle.[12][13][129][130]
Rangnick has said that a parental seminar about "raising kids with love and consequence" influenced his relationship with the people he works with.[129]
In 2018, Rangnick established the Ralf Rangnick Foundation which aims to support children in their development and enable their personalities to flourish.[131][132]
| Team | From | To | Record | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | Win % | Ref. | |||
| VfB Stuttgart II | 1 July 1985[20] | 30 June 1987[20] | 70 | 28 | 16 | 26 | 040.00 | |
| Reutlingen 05 | 1 July 1995[21] | 31 December 1996[21] | 51 | 26 | 12 | 13 | 050.98 | [22][24] |
| Ulm 1846 | 1 January 1997[23] | 16 March 1999[23] | 75 | 36 | 18 | 21 | 048.00 | [25][27][31] |
| VfB Stuttgart | 3 May 1999[21] | 24 February 2001[35] | 86 | 36 | 16 | 34 | 041.86 | [29] |
| Hannover 96 | 23 May 2001[38] | 8 March 2004[42] | 98 | 44 | 22 | 32 | 044.90 | [44] |
| Schalke 04 | 28 September 2004[45] | 12 December 2005[50] | 65 | 36 | 15 | 14 | 055.38 | [51] |
| TSG Hoffenheim | 22 June 2006[52] | 2 January 2011[63] | 166 | 79 | 43 | 44 | 047.59 | [66] |
| Schalke 04 | 21 March 2011[67] | 22 September 2011[73] | 23 | 10 | 3 | 10 | 043.48 | [51] |
| RB Leipzig | 29 May 2015[76] | 16 May 2016[79] | 36 | 21 | 7 | 8 | 058.33 | [80] |
| RB Leipzig | 9 July 2018[81] | 30 June 2019 | 52 | 29 | 13 | 10 | 055.77 | [80] |
| Manchester United (interim) | 2 December 2021 | 22 May 2022 | 29 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 037.93 | [133] |
| Austria | 24 May 2022 | Present | 43 | 25 | 8 | 10 | 058.14 | |
| Total | 794 | 381 | 183 | 230 | 047.98 | |||
Ulm 1846[134]
VfB Stuttgart[134]
Hannover 96[134]
Schalke 04[134]
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| International | |
|---|---|
| People | |
