The very slight, hardly noticeable embarrassment went away after a few minutes. Then the new Eintracht coach Dino Toppmöller scored in his first major public media appearance with concise, precise, platitude-free and sometimes even humorous answers. Some football experts have accused the 42-year-old coach, who is taking on his first Bundesliga engagement in a responsible position in Frankfurt, of a lack of experience. Why the obligation for harmony represents a risk. The public eye does not cause any problems for Toppmöller, as he revealed at his official presentation.
Sayings like his father Klaus will never make son Dino. With the bon mot “Bye-bye, Bayern” and the sentence: “If I played like Berti Vogts, who was a calf biter, I would burn my football boots”, Toppmöller senior made himself immortal in 1993 when he defeated Eintracht a few weeks after taking office to the top of the Bundesliga.
Toppmöller knows Krösche
The son is much too serious and emotionally balanced for such statements. But he is not afraid to name things clearly – without losing respect for others. He didn’t like the fact that Eintracht sporting director Timmo Hardung called him a “world-class coach”: “I wrote to him straight away: ‘Thank you for the high bar.'” But Toppmöller underscored the sentence with a lot of friendliness and then added: “Of course I will give everything so that I can at least partially meet the high standards.”
Toppmöller has known his superiors, sports director Markus Krösche and sports director Hardung, for more than three years. Ever since they started together at RB Leipzig. Krösche as sports director, Hardung as team manager, Toppmöller as assistant to coach Julian Nagelsmann. They all ascended. When Krösche called him for the second time, this time for Eintracht, Toppmöller didn’t have much to think about: “Given the appeal of this club, my connection to Frankfurt and my relationship with my two superiors, I appreciate them immensely, both as a sport and as a person.”
Still active as a player and coach in 2001: Dino Toppmöller (front) and his father Klaus: Photo: picture-alliance / dpa
Toppmöller played for Eintracht in the second division. When he was active for Kickers Offenbach in 2007, his firstborn was born in Frankfurt. Eintracht has been following Dino since his father Klaus took him to the Frankfurt stadium as a coach for some of his games. Not only professionally, when he had to assess them as a competitor in Bundesliga games, but also as a fan when Eintracht was on the road in Europe. “I was really excited about that.”
Sharing the excitement, showing great emotions, you don’t really trust Toppmöller when you hear him speak clearly and calmly. But he can also do things differently: “Not when the discussion is in a calm atmosphere. But on the day of the game, then I can let myself go. That’s part of it, especially at an emotional club like Eintracht.”
