 Breitenreiter asSchalke 04 manager in 2015 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | (1973-10-02)2 October 1973 (age 52) | ||
| Place of birth | Langenhagen,West Germany | ||
| Height | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Attacking midfielder,striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1977–1984 | Borussia Hannover | ||
| 1984–1986 | Hannoverscher SC | ||
| 1986–1991 | Hannover 96 | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1991–1994 | Hannover 96 | 72 | (10) |
| 1994–1997 | Hamburger SV | 71 | (12) |
| 1998–1999 | VfL Wolfsburg | 24 | (1) |
| 1999–2002 | SpVgg Unterhaching | 78 | (18) |
| 2002 | SC Langenhagen | 14 | (3) |
| 2002–2003 | Hessen Kassel | 13 | (8) |
| 2003–2007 | Holstein Kiel | 116 | (15) |
| 2007–2009 | BV Cloppenburg | 60 | (9) |
| 2009–2010 | TSV Havelse | 21 | (6) |
| Total | 469 | (82) | |
| International career | |||
| Germany U16 | 12 | (8) | |
| Germany U18 | 14 | (4) | |
| Germany U20 | 5 | (3) | |
| 1995–1996 | Germany U21 | 6 | (2) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2011–2013 | TSV Havelse | ||
| 2013–2015 | SC Paderborn | ||
| 2015–2016 | Schalke 04 | ||
| 2017–2019 | Hannover 96 | ||
| 2021–2022 | Zürich | ||
| 2022–2023 | TSG Hoffenheim | ||
| 2024 | Huddersfield Town | ||
| 2024–2025 | Hannover 96 | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
André Breitenreiter (born 2 October 1973) is a German professionalmanager and formerplayer. He last managedHannover 96.[1] Breitenreiter's entire playing career was in his native Germany, appearing in both theBundesliga and2. Bundesliga for nine different sides.
As a manager, Breiitenreiter ledSC Paderborn to promotion to the Bundesliga for the first time in history, as well as leadingSchalke 04,Hannover 96 andTSG Hoffenheim in the top flight. He won theSwiss Super League forFC Zürich in2021–22 and briefly ledEFL Championship clubHuddersfield Town in 2024.
Breitenreiter played forHannoverscher SC, Borussia Hannover,Hannover 96,Hamburger SV,VfL Wolfsburg,SpVgg Unterhaching, SC Langenhagen,Hessen Kassel,Holstein Kiel,BV Cloppenburg andTSV Havelse.[2] He played 144Bundesliga matches scoring 28 goals and 1012. Bundesliga matches with 14 goals.[3]
Breitenreiter started his coaching career in 2009 and worked as scout forKaiserslautern. On 3 January 2011, he was appointed as head coach ofTSV Havelse, club playing inRegionalliga Nord.[4] In 2012, he wonLower Saxony Cup with TSV Havelse. On 15 May 2013, it was announced that Breitenreiter would take overSC Paderborn starting in the 2013–14 season.[5] On 11 May 2014, his club gained promotion toBundesliga for the first time ever in club's history. On 20 September 2014, after four undefeated games (two wins, two draws) in the German top tier, Paderborn was top of the league, ahead of European powerhousesBayern Munich,Borussia Dortmund andBayer Leverkusen.[6]
Breitenreiter became the 14th head coach forSchalke 04 in the last decade on 12 June 2015, signing a two-year deal with €500,000 being paid to Paderborn for his services.[7] His debut on 8 August was a 5–0 win away toMSV Duisburg in the first round of theDFB-Pokal,[8] followed a week later by a 3–0 win atSV Werder Bremen in his first league game.[9] His first campaign as a manager in European football ended in the last 32 of theUEFA Europa League with a 3–0 loss toShakhtar Donetsk.[10] He left the club after a single season, having come fifth and qualified for the Europa League again, but falling short of club aims of reaching theUEFA Champions League.[11]
Breitenreiter was appointed as the new head coach forHannover 96 on 20 March 2017, replacingDaniel Stendel during a time of internal changes at the fourth-placed club.[12] On 1 April, he debuted in a 2–0 home win over1. FC Union Berlin, ending a nine-game unbeaten run for the league leaders.[13] He finished his nine-game run to the end of the season unbeaten, winning promotion as runners-up toVfB Stuttgart.[14] He was sacked on 27 January 2019 after eight consecutive losses put the team second from bottom; his last result was a 5–1 loss at Dortmund, and he was replaced byThomas Doll.[15]
Breitenreiter took the first foreign job of his lifetime in the summer of 2021, taking over anFC Zürich side that had avoided relegation from theSwiss Super League on the penultimate matchday of the previous season. His team won the 2021–22 season by 14 points overFC Basel, playing a quick counter-attacking game; only two teams averaged less possession in the entire league.[16]
In May 2022, Breitenreiter signed forTSG Hoffenheim, succeedingSebastian Hoeneß on a two-year deal.[17] He was sacked the following 6 February 2023, with the club three points above the relegation zone.[18]
On 15 February 2024, Breitenreiter was appointed head coach of EnglishChampionship clubHuddersfield Town on a two-and-a-half-year contract. The team were in 20th, five points above the relegation zone.[19] Nine days later, his team came from behind to win 2–1 atWatford on his debut.[20]
On 10 May 2024, Breitenreiter left Huddersfield Town by mutual consent following the club's relegation toEFL League One; he had won two of his 13 games. Before his final game, he toldBBC Radio Leeds that he would not have joined the club if he had been aware of "things and problems", alleging that they had spent pre-season playing golf and going to the pub.[21]
On 29 December 2024, Breitenreiter returned to Hannover 96, succeedingStefan Leitl. He received a contract until the end of the season.[22] On 23 April 2025, four matchdays before the end of the season, Breitenreiter and Hannover agreed to part ways early.[23]
| Team | From | To | Record | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M | W | D | L | Win % | Ref. | |||
| Havelse | 3 January 2011[4] | 30 June 2013[5] | 86 | 41 | 20 | 25 | 047.67 | [24][25] |
| SC Paderborn | 1 July 2013[5] | 12 June 2015[7] | 71 | 26 | 18 | 27 | 036.62 | [26] |
| Schalke 04 | 12 June 2015[7] | 14 May 2016[11] | 44 | 20 | 10 | 14 | 045.45 | [27] |
| Hannover 96 | 20 March 2017[12] | 27 January 2019[15] | 66 | 20 | 17 | 29 | 030.30 | [28] |
| FC Zürich | 9 June 2021 | 30 June 2022 | 39 | 25 | 8 | 6 | 064.10 | [29] |
| TSG Hoffenheim | 1 July 2022 | 6 February 2023 | 22 | 7 | 4 | 11 | 031.82 | [29] |
| Huddersfield Town | 15 February 2024 | 10 May 2024 | 13 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 015.38 | |
| Hannover 96 | 29 December 2024[1] | 23 April 2025[23] | 13 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 023.08 | |
| Total | 354 | 144 | 89 | 121 | 040.68 | — | ||
Hannover 96
TSV Havelse
SC Paderborn
Zürich
