The name Toppmöller naturally brings back memories for fans of Eintracht Frankfurt. Above all, Klaus Toppmöller’s exclamation when Eintracht started the 1993/94 season with 20:2 points is unforgettable: “Bye, bye, Bayern!” exclaimed the then coach in his euphoria. Too hasty, as should be shown after the injury of forward Anthony Yeboah. And so the football coach from Rivenich was soon history again.
All this may have been a long time ago, but it is still up to date because son Dino Toppmöller is now following his father. It is the first time in the history of the Bundesliga that such a constellation has occurred. The 42-year-old received a contract until the summer of 2026, the Hessians announced on Monday. Three decades later, the junior should shape a somewhat more lasting phase at the traditional club, which recently revived its reputation as a moody diva with various disputes.
The commitment of Julian Nagelsmann’s former assistant coach had been apparent for weeks, and his working paper at FC Bayern has now been dissolved. Toppmöller had previously worked as an assistant at RB Leipzig under Nagelsmann, and sporting director Markus Krösche, who was already Toppmöller’s superior there and now showered his preferred candidate with praise, also knew him from this time: “It was only a matter of time before Dino Toppmöller works as a head coach in the Bundesliga. We are happy to have won him over with his expertise, his profound understanding of football and his high level of interpersonal skills.”
Krösche probably chose these warm words because his relationship with predecessor Oliver Glasner was very difficult. As is well known, even the entry into the cup final did not prevent the separation. Expectations of the successor to Glasner, who is extremely popular in the Main metropolis, are high, but experience as head coach is low. At the beginning of his coaching career, Toppmöller was solely responsible for winning the treble in Luxembourg from the championship, cup and league cup with F91 Dudelingen – and in 2018 was the first club from the small country to make it into the group stage of the Europa League. After an interlude with the Belgian first division club Royal Excelsior Virton, he became Nagelsmann’s assistant coach. The exchange, including on non-football issues, is said to have been close and trusting. At some point, however, it became apparent that Toppmöller did not see himself as an assistant in the long term.
Toppmöller speaks fluent English and French – a big advantage in the Eintracht squad
Now he is hired by a club with more than 130,000 members and the fifth highest personnel costs in the Bundesliga, which can be a risk. After all, he knows his new employer from his time as a young professional: Although he only played 16 second division games in 2002/2003, his two goals on matchday 33 in Oberhausen gave Eintracht the chance to fight for promotion on the last matchday play. He witnessed the wondrous 6:3 against Reutlingen in the old Waldstadion himself on the pitch when Frankfurt overtook Jürgen Klopp’s Mainz in a long-distance duel.
It goes without saying that Toppmöller emphasized this special connection: “Now returning as head coach to this club with its great emotionality and its unique fans in the heart of Europe means both an honor and a challenge for me.” He brings two of his own assistant coaches with him: on the one hand Nélson Morgado, the Portuguese comes from AS Monaco, on the other hand Erwin Bradasch, who was born in Darmstadt and was a confidante at his first stations. The fact that the new Eintracht coach speaks fluent English and above all French is worth a lot when dealing with the multicultural squad.
A lot depends on the question: Will Kolo Muani change?
What the squad will ultimately look like, which in the run-up to the new Bundesliga season in seventh place must first qualify for the Europa Conference League in order to continue international festivals, will be exciting. Of course, with the transfer of Sweden talent Hugo Larsson, the Egyptian international Omar Marmoush and the Ecuadorian defender Willian Pacho or the permanent ties for the loan players Philipp Max and Junior Dina Ebimbe, important pegs have been taken in personnel planning. But basically the further direction depends on whether top scorer Randal Kolo Muani is really sold for a sum of more than 100 million euros. Many say: The Frenchman has become as important in just one season as Yeboah was in his prime. This also closes the circle of father and son Toppmöller.
