.png) Schmidt in 2023 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | (1967-03-13)13 March 1967 (age 58)[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Kierspe, West Germany | ||
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)[1] | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –1985 | Kiersper SC | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1986–1987 | RW Lüdenscheid | ||
| 1988–1990 | TuS Plettenberg | ||
| 1990–1995 | TuS Paderborn-Neuhaus | ||
| 1995–2002 | SC Verl | 208 | (54) |
| 2002–2003 | SC Paderborn 07 | 25 | (2) |
| 2003–2004 | SV Lippstadt 08 | 26 | (4) |
| 2004–2005 | Delbrücker SC | ||
| Total | 259 | (60) | |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2004–2007 | Delbrücker SC | ||
| 2007–2010 | SC Preußen Münster | ||
| 2011–2012 | SC Paderborn 07 | ||
| 2012–2014 | Red Bull Salzburg | ||
| 2014–2017 | Bayer Leverkusen | ||
| 2017–2019 | Beijing Guoan | ||
| 2020–2022 | PSV | ||
| 2022–2024 | Benfica | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Roger Schmidt (German pronunciation:[ˈʁoːɡɐˈʃmɪt];[2] born 13 March 1967) is a German professionalfootball manager and former player. He currently works asJ. League Global Football Advisor.
He played as amidfielder in Germany's amateur regional leagues, where he began his managerial career before joiningSC Paderborn 07 of the2. Bundesliga in 2011 andBayer Leverkusen in theBundesliga in 2014. He won theleague andcupdouble withRed Bull Salzburg in 2014, as well as cups withBeijing Sinobo Guoan in2018 andPSV in2022. With Benfica, he becamethe first German to win the Primeira Liga.[3]
Born inKierspe,North Rhine-Westphalia, Schmidt played as amidfielder for clubs in the region's leagues. He combined his career with studyingMechanical Engineering atPaderborn University, and then working forBenteler International.[4]
In 2004, Schmidt was madeplayer-manager ofDelbrücker SC in thefifth-tierVerbandsliga. Two years later, with the team now one division up into theOberliga, he retired from playing but stayed on for one further year solely as manager.[4]
Having to balance the commitments of his marriage and young children, as well as his engineering profession, Schmidt only wanted to manage for one season but stayed for three. He decided to leave football for good, but was drawn back by interest from fellow Oberliga teamSC Preußen Münster, for whom he quit his engineering job.[4] He was appointed manager in May 2007, effective 1 July,[5] and was sacked on 21 March 2010.[6] Schmidt's contract stated that the club would find him an engineering job in the city ofMünster should he be dismissed, but by that stage he was ready to commit solely to football management.[4]
Schmidt became manager of2. Bundesliga clubSC Paderborn 07 on 1 July 2011.[7] On his professional debut 16 days later, the team won 2–1 atHansa Rostock.[8] On 30 July, the team won 10–0 in the first round of theDFB-Pokal away toRot Weiss Ahlen,[9] though the second round was a 4–0 loss atSpVgg Greuther Fürth.[10] Hissole league season at theBenteler-Arena ended in 5th place.[11]
On 24 June 2012, Schmidt was announced as the new manager ofAustrian Football Bundesliga reigning championsRed Bull Salzburg, afterRicardo Moniz. His assistant manager becameOliver Glasner.[12] The team were eliminated from theUEFA Champions League second qualifying round by Luxembourg'sF91 Dudelange in July, on theaway goals rule after a 4–4 aggregate draw.[13] Domestically, they came runners-up five points behindFK Austria Wien, and lost 2–1 in theAustrian Cup semi-finals to shock overall winnersthird-tierFC Pasching.[14]
In 2013–14, Schmidt led Salzburg to thedouble, with an 18-point league advantage overSK Rapid Wien sealing theleague title with eight games remaining.[15] The team won 4–2 in thecup final overSKN St. Pölten.[16]
Bayer Leverkusen hired Schmidt on 25 April 2014, replacing the sackedSami Hyypiä. His two-year contract was effective from the start of the2014–15 season.[15]
On Schmidt's debut, the team won 6–0 away toSV Alemannia Waldalgesheim in thefirst round of the cup with five goals fromStefan Kießling on 15 August;[17] eight days later he won 2–0 at neighboursBorussia Dortmund on hisBundesliga bow.[18] He finished hisfirst season in fourth, lost the cup semi-final on penalties toBayern Munich, and was eliminated from the last 16 of the Champions League on the same method againstAtlético Madrid.[19][20]
After his first season, Schmidt signed a new contract until 2019.[21] On 21 February 2016, he was sent off by refereeFelix Zwayer in a game against Dortmund after disputing a free kick that led to the opponents scoring the only goal of the match. He initially refused to leave, causing Zwayer to suspend the game and lead the players off the field, culminating in an eight-minute delay before the match resumed without Schmidt on the field.[22] The2015–16 season ended in third with Champions League qualification.[23]
On 5 March 2017, Schmidt was sacked bysporting directorRudi Völler following a 6–2 loss at Dortmund which left Leverkusen in 9th place.[24]
In June 2017, Schmidt joinedChinese Super League sideBeijing Sinobo Guoan on a two-and-a-half-year contract.[25] He won theChinese FA Cup in2018.[26]
On 31 July 2019, he was sacked. Hundreds of fans came to the airport for an emotional farewell when he left.[27][28][29]
Schmidt became the new head coach ofPSV on 11 March 2020, on a contract until 2022.[30] His team came second, 16 points behindAjax in hisfirst season, but beat Ajax in the2021 Johan Cruyff Shield 4–0 on 7 August.[31] PSV won the2022 KNVB Cup Final, beating Ajax again, 2–1 on 17 April.[32]
Schmidt left PSV at the end of his contract.[33]
On 18 May 2022, Schmidt signed a two-year deal withPrimeira Liga clubBenfica. He became the second German to be appointed as manager of the club, afterJupp Heynckes.[34] Benfica began the2022–23 season by winning their first 13 matches across Liga and Champions League (qualifying and group stages), marking the club's best start to a season in 39 years.[35] On 21 October, Schmidt won his firstO Clássico, ending Benfica's nine-match winless run against rivalsPorto.[36] Benfica's form made the team unbeatable for 29 matches, before a 3–0 away defeat toBraga on 30 December.[37] In Europe, Benfica's Champions League campaign amassed several records: they surpassed the Portuguese record for consecutive matches without losing in the competition,[38] they became the first Portuguese team to reach the quarter-finals twice in a row, and they achieved their biggest home and away wins (excluding qualifying stages), 5–1 againstClub Brugge and 1–6 againstMaccabi Haifa, respectively.[39]
On 31 August 2024, Schmidt was sacked by Benfica following a 1–1 draw away toMoreirense, ending his 2-year stay as manager of the Portuguese club.[40][41]
| Team | From | To | Record | Ref. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | Win % | ||||
| Delbrücker SC | 1 July 2004 | 30 June 2007 | 130 | 69 | 25 | 36 | 053.08 | [42] |
| SC Preußen Münster | 1 July 2007 | 21 March 2010 | 108 | 59 | 28 | 21 | 054.63 | [43] |
| SC Paderborn 07 | 1 July 2011 | 24 June 2012 | 36 | 18 | 10 | 8 | 050.00 | [44] |
| Red Bull Salzburg | 24 June 2012 | 31 May 2014 | 99 | 68 | 18 | 13 | 068.69 | [44] |
| Bayer Leverkusen | 1 June 2014 | 5 March 2017 | 130 | 67 | 27 | 36 | 051.54 | [45] |
| Beijing Guoan | 3 July 2017 | 31 July 2019 | 83 | 46 | 15 | 22 | 055.42 | [44] |
| PSV | 28 April 2020 | 30 June 2022 | 104 | 69 | 18 | 17 | 066.35 | [44] |
| Benfica | 1 July 2022 | 31 August 2024 | 115 | 80 | 20 | 15 | 069.57 | [46] |
| Total | 804 | 476 | 159 | 169 | 059.20 | |||
Red Bull Salzburg
Beijing Guoan
PSV
Benfica
Individual
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
