 Thioune in 2025 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Daniel Moustapha Thioune[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1974-07-21)21 July 1974 (age 51) | ||
| Place of birth | Georgsmarienhütte, West Germany | ||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Werder Bremen (manager) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1980–1987 | Raspo Osnabrück | ||
| 1987–1988 | Osnabrücker SC | ||
| 1988–1989 | Raspo Osnabrück | ||
| 1989–1992 | Post SV Osnabrück | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1992–1994 | Post SV Osnabrück | ||
| 1994–1996 | Sportfreunde Oesede | ||
| 1996–2002 | VfL Osnabrück | 161 | (61) |
| 2002–2004 | VfB Lübeck | 47 | (8) |
| 2004–2010 | LR / Rot Weiss Ahlen | 112 | (13) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2017–2020 | VfL Osnabrück | ||
| 2020–2021 | Hamburger SV | ||
| 2022–2025 | Fortuna Düsseldorf | ||
| 2026– | Werder Bremen | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Daniel Moustapha Thioune[1] (born 21 July 1974) is a German professionalfootball manager and formerplayer who currently serves as head coach ofWerder Bremen.[2] Thioune spent most of his playing career atVfL Osnabrück, where he established himself as a prolific scorer from midfield. Upon retiring in 2010 after playing for multiple lower league sides, he began coaching different teams in the VfL Osnabrück academy before being appointed as the first team coach in 2017. He was hired asHamburger SV head coach in 2020,[3][4] and has also been the manager ofFortuna Düsseldorf.[5]
Thioune started playing for local club Raspo Osnabrück at the age of six, living across their home ground and training facilities. As a junior player, he would also play for Osnabrücker SC and Post SV Osnabrück.[1]
After two years of senior football playing for Post SV Osnabrück, Thioune moved to Sportfreunde Oesede in 1994, who were playing in the fifth-tierOberliga Niedersachsen at the time. Prior to the1996–97 season he was signed by third tierRegionalliga clubVfL Osnabrück, with whom he won promotion to the2. Bundesliga in2000. There, he made his professional debut in the2000–01 season and scored 10 goals in 22 appearances. After the club's relegation in 2001, Thioune initially stayed with the club, but moved to 2. Bundesliga sideVfB Lübeck in 2002, for whom he played 47 league games in two years and scored eight goals. In the2003–04 season, he reached the semi-finals of theDFB-Pokal with Lübeck under head coachDieter Hecking, in which the team was eliminated after leading twice in extra time against the eventualDouble winners fromWerder Bremen.
Ahead of the2004–05 season, Thioune moved to 2. Bundesliga sideLR Ahlen (Rot Weiss Ahlen from 2006). With the club he suffered relegation to the Regionalliga for the second time in his career, in 2006. As team captain, however, he won promotion to the 2. Bundesliga in the2007–08 season after being down for two years. After a serious injury, Thioune stepped down as captain in January 2010 and retired from professional football on 15 April 2010.
Thioune made 126-second-tier and 192 third-tier appearances during his career, in which he scored 24 goals in the 2. Bundesliga and 60 goals in the Regionalliga. After finishing his professional career, he would play alongside formerGerman internationalRonald Maul atEintracht Osnabrück for a while.[6]
Thioune started out in management in the2010–11 season, where he functioned asArie van Lent's assistant at3. Liga clubRot Weiss Ahlen, but was released from his duties after the club faced bankruptcy in June 2011. In the 2011–12 season, he moved to a position as scout forRot-Weiß Erfurt.[7]
From the 2013–14 season, Thioune coached theB1 Jugend (U17) ofVfL Osnabrück and led them to promotion to theB-Junioren Bundesliga (Under 17 Bundesliga) from the North/Northeast group in 2015. WhenJoe Enochs succeededMaik Walpurgis as head coach of the VfL Osnabrück senior team in 2015, Thioune took over Enochs' position as the head of the youth academy and became head coach of theA-Junioren (U19). Under his leadership, the U19 managed to get promoted from theA-Jugend-Regionalliga Nord to theA-Junioren Bundesliga (Under 19 Bundesliga) from the North/Northeast group in 2016. In March 2016, Thioune received hiscoaching license, after taking courses at theHennes-Weisweiler Academy together with the likes ofJulian Nagelsmann,Alexander Nouri andDomenico Tedesco.[8]
After a poor start to the2017–18 season,Joe Enochs was relieved of his duties as head coach of theVfL Osnabrück senior team competing in the3. Liga, in early October 2017. Thioune initially took over as ancaretaker manager,[9] but in early November 2017, he was appointed the permanent head coach.[10] Thioune managed to turn around the team and eventually reach the 17th place in the league standings with 6 points down to the relegations spots. In the2018–19 season, he led VfL Osnabrück to the 3. Liga championship and thus to promotion to the2. Bundesliga. In September 2019, his contract with the club was extended to June 2021.[11] In the2019–20 season, Thioune's side held 5th place in the league table after the first half of the season with 26 points; only four points behind a direct promotion spot. In the second half of the season, the team fromOsnabrück finished as the worst team of the league with a mere 14 points, which in the end resulted in a relegation battle. Another season in the 2. Bundesliga was only secured on the 33rd matchday,[12] and VfL finished the season as the best promotee with 40 points and a 13th place finish.
For the2020–21 season, Thioune took over the2. Bundesliga side ofHamburger SV, which had previously missed out on promotion to theBundesliga for two consecutive seasons in fourth place. He succeededDieter Hecking, whose contract had expired and under whom he had played atVfB Lübeck. Thioune triggered a release clause in his contract atVfL Osnabrück to sign a two-year contract inHamburg.[13]
Thioune was sacked on 3 May 2021, three matchdays before end of season.[14]
On 8 February 2022, Thioune was hired byFortuna Düsseldorf, replacingChristian Preußer. He signed a contract until 2023.[15] He was sacked in October 2025.[16]
In February 2026, he was named the new head coach ofWerder Bremen.[17]
Thioune was born in Germany to a Senegalese father and German mother, and holds dual citizenship. He is the first black professional football manager in Germany.[18] As a youngster he attended theGraf-Stauffenberg High School inOsnabrück.[19] Thioune studiedsports andpedagogy at theUniversity of Vechta and graduated in 2019 with abachelor's degree.[20][21] He is married and has a daughter and a son.[22]
| Team | From | To | Record | Ref | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % | ||||
| VfL Osnabrück | 5 October 2017 | 6 July 2020 | 105 | 39 | 33 | 33 | 152 | 135 | +17 | 037.14 | [23] |
| Hamburger SV | 6 July 2020 | 3 May 2021 | 33 | 15 | 10 | 8 | 66 | 45 | +21 | 045.45 | [24] |
| Fortuna Düsseldorf | 8 February 2022 | 5 October 2025 | 135 | 64 | 36 | 35 | 242 | 184 | +58 | 047.41 | [25] |
| Total | 273 | 118 | 79 | 76 | 460 | 364 | +96 | 043.22 | — | ||
VfL Osnabrück
Rot Weiss Ahlen
VfL Osnabrück
Individual
