 Funkel withFortuna Düsseldorf in 2016 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | (1953-12-10)10 December 1953 (age 71) | ||
| Place of birth | Neuss, West Germany | ||
| Height | 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1964–1972 | VfR Neuss | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1972–1973 | VfR Neuss | 28 | (15) |
| 1973–1980 | Bayer Uerdingen | 238 | (91) |
| 1980–1983 | 1. FC Kaiserslautern | 66 | (24) |
| 1983–1990 | Bayer Uerdingen | 189 | (40) |
| Total | 521 | (170) | |
| International career | |||
| 1981 | West Germany B | 4 | (1) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1989–1990 | VfR Neuss | ||
| 1991–1996 | Bayer Uerdingen | ||
| 1996–2000 | MSV Duisburg | ||
| 2000–2001 | Hansa Rostock | ||
| 2002–2003 | 1. FC Köln | ||
| 2004–2009 | Eintracht Frankfurt | ||
| 2009–2010 | Hertha BSC | ||
| 2010–2011 | VfL Bochum | ||
| 2011–2012 | Alemannia Aachen | ||
| 2013–2014 | 1860 Munich | ||
| 2016–2020 | Fortuna Düsseldorf | ||
| 2021 | 1. FC Köln | ||
| 2024 | 1. FC Kaiserslautern | ||
| 2025 | 1. FC Köln | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Friedhelm Funkel (born 10 December 1953) is a Germanfootball manager and former player. He was most recently the head coachBundesliga club of1. FC Köln.
Funkel was manager of MSV Duisburg between 13 May 1996 and 24 March 2000.[1] During his tenure, Funkel guided the club through one of its more stable periods in the Bundesliga era. In his first full season in charge, he achieved promotion to the Bundesliga by finishing second in the 1995–96 2. Bundesliga campaign.
One of the highlights of his spell at Duisburg came in the 1997–98 Bundesliga season, when the team finished in 9th place, their best league position in decades. That same season, Funkel led Duisburg to the final of the DFB-Pokal, where they were narrowly defeated 2–1 by Bayern Munich. His tactical discipline and focus on team cohesion were widely credited for the club's success during this period.
Funkel's tenure came to an end in March 2000, following a string of disappointing results. He finished with an overall record of 56 wins, 47 draws, and 59 losses.[1] Despite the mixed results toward the end, Funkel's time at Duisburg is often remembered as one of the more competitive and consistent phases in the club's modern history.
He was manager ofHansa Rostock from 19 September 2000 to 1 December 2001.[2] He finished with a record of 13 wins, 10 draws, and 22 losses.[2]
He was manager of1. FC Köln from 14 February 2002 to 30 October 2003.[3] He finished with a record of 29 wins, 15 draws, and 19 losses.[3]
Funkel coachedEintracht Frankfurt from 2004 to 2009.[4] He was subsequently released from his contract on 1 July 2009. He led the club into theBundesliga in his first season in charge. One year later, he and the team avoided relegation and surprisingly reached theDFB-Pokal final, which eventually sent them to theUEFA Cup.
Tied withErich Ribbeck, Funkel holds the record for the longest tenure at Eintracht, with five full seasons. He finished with a record of 70 wins, 50 draws, and 74 losses.[4]
On 3 October 2009,Hertha BSC introduced Funkel as their new head coach after having firedLucien Favre.[5] After Hertha was relegated, Funkel and the club mutually agreed to not extend his contract.[6] He finished with a record of seven wins, 10 draws, and 16 losses.[7]
On 22 May 2010, he was named new coach ofVfL Bochum.[8] His first match was a 3–0 loss toKickers Offenbach in the first round of the German Cup.[9] He got sacked on 14 September 2011.[10] His final match was a 2–1 loss toDynamo Dresden.[11] He finished with a record of 21 wins, eight draws, and 16 losses.[12]
On 20 September 2011, Funkel took over the job as manager ofAlemannia Aachen.[13] Funkel was dismissed of his job on 1 April 2012,[13] after a streak of five consecutive losses.[14] He finished with a record of three wins, eight draws, and nine losses in 20 matches.[13]
On 7 September 2013, he was named new coach of1860 Munich.[15] His first match in–charge was a 0–0 draw againstVfR Aalen on 13 September 2013.[16] On 2 April 2014, 1860 Munich announced that Funkel is going to leave the club after the season because of "different conceptual views on the orientation in sport."[17] However, 1860 München sacked Funkel on 6 April 2014[18] after losing toKarlsruher SC 3–0[19] athome earlier in the day.[20] He finished with a record of seven wins, eight draws, and nine losses in 24 matches.[21]
Funkel was appointed as the new head coach ofFortuna Düsseldorf on 14 March 2016.[22] He was sacked on 29 January 2020 after six losses in his last eight matches.[23]
Funkel was reappointed as the new head coach of1. FC Köln on 11 April 2021 for the remainder of the 2020–21 season.[24]
On 14 February 2024, he was signed by1. FC Kaiserslautern.[25] His first match took place on 18 February 2024 against1. FC Nürnberg which ended 1–1.[26] One game before the season ended, the club announced that his contract will end on 30 June 2024.[27]
In May 2025, he returned to Köln for a second time.[28] He eventually led the club to achieve the2024–25 2. Bundesliga title and secure promotion back to the Bundesliga. However, he decided to depart the club at the end of the season.[29]
Funkel has two children. He is the older brother ofWolfgang Funkel.
| Club | Season | League | DFB-Pokal | Europe | Total | Ref. | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| VfR Neuss | 1972–73 | Verbandsliga Niederrhein | 28 | 15 | — | — | 28 | 15 | |||
| Bayer Uerdingen | 1973–74 | Regionalliga West | 21 | 6 | 21 | 6 | |||||
| 1974–75 | 2. Bundesliga | 38 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 40 | 13 | [30] | |||
| 1975–76 | Bundesliga | 31 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 5 | [30] | |||
| 1976–77 | 2. Bundesliga | 38 | 17 | 6 | 1 | 44 | 18 | [30] | |||
| 1977–78 | 38 | 25 | 2 | 0 | 40 | 25 | [30] | ||||
| 1978–79 | 38 | 11 | 5 | 5 | 43 | 16 | [30] | ||||
| 1979–80 | Bundesliga | 34 | 14 | 3 | 2 | 37 | 14 | [30] | |||
| Totals | 238 | 91 | 18 | 8 | — | 256 | 99 | — | |||
| 1. FC Kaiserslautern | 1980–81 | Bundesliga | 31 | 13 | 7 | 3 | 4[a] | 2 | 42 | 18 | [30] |
| 1981–82 | 24 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 10[a] | 5 | 35 | 15 | [30] | ||
| 1982–83 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 13 | 1 | [30] | ||
| Totals | 66 | 24 | 9 | 3 | 15 | 7 | 90 | 34 | — | ||
| Bayer Uerdingen | 1983–84 | Bundesliga | 33 | 15 | 5 | 0 | — | 38 | 15 | [30] | |
| 1984–85 | 31 | 11 | 4 | 1 | 35 | 12 | [30] | ||||
| 1985–86 | 30 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 8[b] | 3 | 39 | 5 | [30] | ||
| 1986–87 | 29 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 5[a] | 1 | 37 | 9 | [30] | ||
| 1987–88 | 27 | 2 | 4 | 0 | — | 31 | 2 | [30] | |||
| 1988–89 | 30 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 32 | 2 | [30] | ||||
| 1989–90 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | [30] | ||||
| Totals | 189 | 40 | 19 | 1 | 13 | 4 | 221 | 45 | — | ||
| Career totals | 521 | 170 | 46 | 12 | 28 | 11 | 595 | 193 | — | ||
| Team | From | To | Record | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | Win % | Ref. | |||
| Bayer Uerdingen | 3 June 1991 | 13 May 1996 | 196 | 64 | 55 | 77 | 032.65 | |
| MSV Duisburg | 13 May 1996[1] | 19 March 2000[1] | 162 | 56 | 47 | 59 | 034.57 | [1] |
| Hansa Rostock | 19 September 2000[2] | 1 December 2001[2] | 45 | 13 | 10 | 22 | 028.89 | [2] |
| 1. FC Köln | 14 February 2002[3] | 30 October 2003[3] | 63 | 29 | 15 | 19 | 046.03 | [3] |
| Eintracht Frankfurt | 1 July 2004[4] | 30 June 2009[4] | 194 | 70 | 50 | 74 | 036.08 | [4] |
| Hertha BSC | 3 October 2009[5] | 30 June 2010[6] | 33 | 7 | 10 | 16 | 021.21 | [7] |
| VfL Bochum | 22 May 2010[8] | 14 September 2011[10] | 45 | 21 | 8 | 16 | 046.67 | [12] |
| Alemannia Aachen | 19 September 2011[13] | 1 April 2012[13] | 20 | 3 | 8 | 9 | 015.00 | [13] |
| 1860 Munich | 7 September 2013[15] | 6 April 2014[18] | 24 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 029.17 | [21] |
| Fortuna Düsseldorf | 14 March 2016[22] | 29 January 2020[23] | 138 | 55 | 28 | 55 | 039.86 | [22] |
| 1. FC Köln | 11 April 2021[24] | 30 June 2021 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 050.00 | [3] |
| 1. FC Kaiserslautern | 14 February 2024[25] | 30 June 2024 | 15 | 6 | 3 | 6 | 040.00 | [31] |
| 1. FC Köln | 5 May 2025 | 23 May 2025 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 | [3] |
| Total | 945 | 337 | 243 | 365 | 035.66 | — | ||
Bayer Uerdingen
1. FC Köln
