Wikipedia

Bruno Labbadia

Bruno Labbadia (pronounced [labbaˈdiːa]; born 8 February 1966) is a German football manager and former professional player who played as a striker. During his playing career, he achieved notable success, winning the DFB-Pokal in the 1989–90 season with 1. FC Kaiserslautern and the Bundesliga title in 1993–94 with FC Bayern Munich. Labbadia also earned two caps for the German national team, representing his country at the international level.

Bruno Labbadia
Labbadia in 2016
Personal information
Date of birth (1966-02-08) 8 February 1966 (age 58)
Place of birth Darmstadt, West Germany
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s) Striker
Youth career
1972–1976 FSV Schneppenhausen
1977–1983 SV Weiterstadt
1983–1984 Darmstadt 98
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1984–1987 Darmstadt 98 105 (44)
1987–1988 Hamburger SV 41 (11)
1988–1991 1. FC Kaiserslautern 67 (20)
1991–1994 Bayern Munich 82 (28)
1994–1995 1. FC Köln 41 (15)
1995–1998 Werder Bremen 63 (18)
1998–2001 Arminia Bielefeld 98 (50)
2001–2003 Karlsruher SC 60 (18)
Total 557 (204)
International career
1987 West Germany U-21 6 (3)
1992–1995 Germany 2 (0)
Managerial career
2003–2006 Darmstadt 98
2007–2008 Greuther Fürth
2008–2009 Bayer Leverkusen
2009–2010 Hamburger SV
2010–2013 VfB Stuttgart
2015–2016 Hamburger SV
2018–2019 VfL Wolfsburg
2020–2021 Hertha BSC
2022–2023 VfB Stuttgart
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

As a manager, Labbadia has coached several Bundesliga clubs, most recently VfB Stuttgart. He was considered for the role of head coach of the Nigeria national football team, but ultimately declined the position. Labbadia is well-regarded for his ability to stabilize teams facing relegation challenges, making him a prominent figure in German football management.[1]

Early life

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Labbadia was born in Darmstadt, West Germany, to Italian parents.[2] His family roots trace back to Lenola, a town in the Lazio region of Italy.[3] Labbadia's parents moved to Germany as Gastarbeiter (guest workers) and settled in Schneppenhausen, near Darmstadt in the state of Hesse. He grew up in a football-loving household alongside his eight siblings. Initially, the family lived on a rented farm before relocating to Weiterstadt when Labbadia was ten years old.[4]

Playing career

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Labbadia made his debut for hometown 2. Bundesliga side Darmstadt 98 in 1984–85, scoring 9 goals in 33 games. Labbadia recorded 103 goals in 328 Bundesliga games across his career, including 50 goals for Arminia Bielefeld and 44 goals for his hometown club Darmstadt 98, as well as scoring 101 goals in 229 Bundesliga 2 games. He netted a total of 229 goals across all competitions in his career.[5] having played for some of Germany's top Bundesliga clubs. He had two caps for the Germany national football team.[6] His most successful season was probably the 1998–99 season, where he scored 29 goals for Arminia Bielefeld. Other notable seasons include 1986–87, where he scored 21 goals for Darmstadt 98, as well as 15 goal campaigns in 1987–88 and 1994–95 with top flight clubs Hamburger SV and 1. FC Köln.

In the 1989–90 season he scored twice in the final as his club FC Kaiserslautern beat Werder Bremen 3–2 in the final of the DFB-Pokal.

He also had 14 goals in his 1992–93 campaign with Bayern Munich and had 10 goals the next season where he was limited to only 23 appearances. His final season was in 2002–03 with 2. Bundesliga side Karlsruher SC where he netted 13 goals in 28 appearances.

Managerial career

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Early career

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Labbadia was hired as the manager of Darmstadt 98 on 8 May 2003.[7] His first match was a 2–1 win against TSG Wörsdorf.[8] In his first season, Darmstadt won promotion to the Regionalliga.[9] Darmstadt started the 2004–05 season with a 2–1 loss to Mainz 05 II.[10] Darmstadt finished the 2004–05 season in fifth place.[11] Darmstadt started the 2005–06 season with a 2–1 win against VfR Aalen.[12] Darmstadt finished the season in fifth place.[13] Labbadia left on 30 June 2006.[14] His final match was a 6–0 against SpVgg Bayreuth.[12]

Labbadia was hired as Greuther Fürth's manager on 19 March 2007.[15] Labbadia officially took over on 1 July 2007 when pre-season officially started.[16] His first match was a 3–1 win against Darmstadt in the German Cup.[17] Greuther Fürth finished the season in sixth place.[18] He left the club on 26 May 2008 when he officially joined Bayer Leverkusen.[19] Labbadia finished with a record of 15 wins, 10 draws, and 11 losses.[20]

Bayer Leverkusen

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Labbadia with Leverkusen in 2009

Labbadia was hired by Bayer Leverkusen on 26 May 2008.[19] His first match was a 3–2 win against Rot-Weiß Oberhausen in the German Cup.[21] Bayer leverkusen finished the season in ninth place.[22] After the season, Labaddia left Bayer Leverkusen and joined Hamburger SV. His final match was a 0–1 loss to Werder Bremen in the 2009 German Cup Final.[21] Labbadia finished with a record of 19 wins, seven draws, and 14 losses.[23]

Hamburger SV

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Labaddia took over as Hamburg manager on 5 June 2009.[24] His first match was a 4–0 win against Randers FC in the third qualifying round of the Europa League.[25] Labbadia was dismissed on 26 April 2010, just three days before the Europa League semi-final second-leg tie against Fulham.[26][27][28] His final match was a 5–1 loss to 1899 Hoffenheim.[25] Hamburg were in seventh place in the 2009–10 Bundesliga table when they dismissed Labbadia.[29] Labbadia finished with a record of 22 wins, 16 draws, and 13 losses.[30]

VfB Stuttgart

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Labbadia managing VfB Stuttgart

On 12 December 2010 Labbadia became the new manager of VfB Stuttgart.[31] His first match was a 5–1 win against Odense in the Europa League.[32] In his first season with the club, he managed to save the club that was staring relegation in the face after the disastrous reigns of his two predecessors, Christian Gross and Jens Keller, ended in the last quarter of 2010. VfB Stuttgart finished in 12th place in the 2010–11 Bundesliga,[33] and would then qualify for the 2012–13 UEFA Europa League by virtue of its sixth position in the 2011–12 Bundesliga.[34][35]

Stuttgart started the 2012–13 season with a 5–0 win against SV Falkensee-Finkenkrug.[36] On 30 January 2013, Labbadia signed a contract extension with Stuttgart, keeping him at the club until the summer of 2015.[37] VfB Stuttgart lost the 2012–13 DFB-Pokal final to FC Bayern Munich, but qualified for the 2013–14 UEFA Europa League by virtue of the fact that Bayern Munich had also won the 2012–13 Bundesliga title.[38]

In the morning of 26 August 2013, Labbadia was relieved of his duties with immediate effect. His club had lost the opening three Bundesliga matches and was in second last position in the Bundesliga table of the 2013–14 season.[39] Prior to his sacking, Stuttgart had lost the first leg of the playoff round of the Europa League.[40] During the press conference held in the afternoon on the same day, club president Bernd Wahler said, "Bruno Labbadia has done good work at VfB over the past three years but we want to provide fresh impetus with this change."[41][42] Labbadia finished with a record of 50 wins, 24 draws, and 45 losses.[43]

Return to Hamburg

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Labaddia returned to Hamburger SV for a second spell on 15 April 2015.[44] Labbadia won his first match on 25 April 2015 against FC Augsburg.[45][46] This was Hamburg's first win since February 2015.[45] Hamburg finished the 2014–15 season in the relegation playoff spot.[47] In the first leg of the relegation playoff, on 28 May 2015, Hamburg and Karlsruher SC finished in a 1–1 draw.[48] In the second leg, on 1 June 2015, Hamburg won 2–1 in extra time.[49] Labbadia managed to keep Hamburg in the Bundesliga with a 10th-placed finish in the 2015–16 Bundesliga.[50] However, Hamburg were knocked out of the German Cup in the first round during the 2015–16 season.[51] Labbadia and his two assistants were sacked on 25 September 2016 after Hamburg had dropped into 16th position following their 0–1 Bundesliga defeat to Bayern Munich on the previous day, which was their fourth Bundesliga defeat in a row, having started the 2016–17 Bundesliga campaign with a draw at home to FC Ingolstadt.[52]

VfL Wolfsburg

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On 20 February 2018, Labbadia was hired by VfL Wolfsburg, replacing Martin Schmidt, who had stepped down the day before.[53] His first match was a 1–1 draw against 1. FSV Mainz 05 on 23 February 2018.[54] Wolfsburg finished the 2017–18 season in 16th place, which qualified Wolfsburg for the relegation playoff against Holstein Kiel.[55] Labbadia left Wolfsburg after the 2018–19 season, which the team finished in sixth place, qualifying for the 2019–20 UEFA Europa League.

Hertha BSC

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Labbadia was appointed as the new manager of Hertha BSC on 9 April 2020.[56] He coached the last nine matches in the 2019–20 season, finishing with a record of four wins, one draw, and four losses.[57] Hertha BSC finished in 10th place.[58] He was sacked on 24 January 2021.[59]

Return to Stuttgart

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Labbadia returned to Stuttgart in December 2022.[60] In April 2023, he was sacked after the team dropped to the last place.[61]

Personal Life

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Labbadia holds dual German and Italian citizenship, reflecting his Italian heritage. Outside of football, he is known for his involvement in charitable activities and his commitment to mentoring young players.[62] Labbadia is fluent in both German and Italian and maintains close ties to his family roots. Labbadia communicated in Italian with his parents, while he spoke German with his siblings.[62] He acquired his secondary school leaving certificate and trained as an insurance salesman.[4] When he was 18 years old, he gave up Italian citizenship[62] and became a German citizen,[4] since in Germany only two foreigners were eligible to play in one team at the time, and so he gave place to a non-German in the squad of SV Darmstadt 98.[62] He was also associated with the German U21 national team.[4]

Career statistics

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Club

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Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup Continental Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Darmstadt 98 1984–85 2. Bundesliga 32 9 1 0 — 33 9
1985–86 38 17 1 1 — 39 18
1986–87 35 18 4 3 — 39 21
Total 105 44 6 4 0 0 111 48
Hamburger SV 1987–88 Bundesliga 31 11 2 1 4 3 37 15
1988–89 10 0 3 1 — 13 1
Total 41 11 5 2 4 3 50 16
1. FC Kaiserslautern 1988–89 Bundesliga 17 5 1 0 — 18 5
1989–90 28 6 6 3 — 34 9
1990–91 22 9 1 0 0 0 23 9
Total 67 20 8 3 0 0 75 23
Bayern Munich 1991–92 Bundesliga 30 10 1 0 4 1 35 11
1992–93 32 11 2 3 — 34 14
1993–94 20 7 2 3 1 0 23 10
Total 82 28 5 6 5 1 92 35
1. FC Köln 1994–95 Bundesliga 33 14 5 1 — 38 15
1995–96 8 1 1 0 — 9 1
Total 41 15 6 1 0 0 47 16
Werder Bremen 1995–96 Bundesliga 13 4 0 0 0 0 13 4
1996–97 23 8 2 1 — 25 9
1997–98 27 6 1 1 — 28 7
Total 63 18 3 2 0 0 66 20
Arminia Bielefeld 1998–99 2. Bundesliga 33 28 3 1 — 36 29
1999–2000 Bundesliga 34 11 3 0 — 37 11
2000–01 2. Bundesliga 31 11 2 1 — 33 12
Total 98 50 8 2 0 0 106 52
Karlsruher SC 2001–02 2. Bundesliga 33 6 1 0 — 34 6
2002–03 27 12 1 1 — 28 13
Total 60 18 2 1 0 0 62 19
Career total 557 204 43 21 9 4 609 229

Managerial record

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As of matches played on 1 April 2023
Managerial record by team and tenure
Team From To Record Ref
G W D L Win %
Darmstadt 98 1 July 2003[7] 30 June 2006[14] 102 60 16 26 058.82 [9][11][13]
Greuther Fürth 1 July 2007[16] 26 May 2008[19] 36 15 10 11 041.67 [20]
Bayer Leverkusen 26 May 2008[19] 5 June 2009[24] 40 19 7 14 047.50 [23]
Hamburger SV 5 June 2009[24] 26 April 2010[28] 51 22 16 13 043.14 [30]
VfB Stuttgart 13 December 2010[31] 26 August 2013[41] 119 50 24 45 042.02 [43]
Hamburger SV 15 April 2015[44] 25 September 2016[52] 49 16 11 22 032.65 [30]
VfL Wolfsburg 20 February 2018[53] 30 June 2019[63] 50 22 10 18 044.00 [63]
Hertha BSC 9 April 2020[56] 24 January 2021 28 8 6 14 028.57 [57]
VfB Stuttgart 5 December 2022 3 April 2023 12 2 3 7 016.67 [43]
Total 487 214 103 170 043.94 —

Honours

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As a Player

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FC Kaiserslautern

DFB-Pokal: 1989–90

Bayern Munich

Bundesliga: 1993–94[64]

References

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  1. ^ "Paukenschlag: Labbadia sagt Nigeria ab". kicker.de (in German). 30 August 2024. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
  2. ^ Theweleit, Daniel (24 December 2008). "Wir nehmen den Kindern alles ab". die Tageszeitung (in German). Retrieved 4 July 2009.
  3. ^ Màzzaro, Tony (24 December 2008). "Prima soddisfazione di Bruno Labbadia col suo nuovo Amburgo" (in Italian). Südwestrundfunk. Retrieved 8 March 2013.
  4. ^ a b c d "Geil aufs Gewinnen". Der Spiegel (in German). 7 October 1991. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
  5. ^ Arnhold, Matthias (1 October 2015). "Bruno Labbadia – Matches and Goals in Bundesliga". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 9 October 2015.
  6. ^ Arnhold, Matthias (1 October 2015). "Bruno Labbadia – International Appearances". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 9 October 2015.
  7. ^ a b "Labbadia neuer Coach bei den "Lilien"". kicker (in German). 8 May 2003. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
  8. ^ "SV Darmstadt 98". kicker.de (in German). kicker. Retrieved 24 February 2017.
  9. ^ a b "Oberliga Hessen – Spieltag / Tabelle". kicker.de (in German). kicker. Retrieved 24 February 2017.
  10. ^ "SV Darmstadt 98". kicker.de (in German). kicker. Retrieved 17 March 2017.
  11. ^ a b "Regionalliga Süd (2000–2008) – Spieltag / Tabelle". kicker.de (in German). kicker. Retrieved 17 March 2017.
  12. ^ a b "SV Darmstadt 98". kicker.de (in German). kicker. Retrieved 17 March 2017.
  13. ^ a b "Regionalliga Süd (2000–2008) – Spieltag / Tabelle". kicker.de (in German). kicker. Retrieved 17 March 2017.
  14. ^ a b "Lettieri übernimmt die "Lilien"". kicker (in German). 3 April 2006. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
  15. ^ "Labbadia: "Eine Bauchentscheidung"". kicker (in German). 19 March 2007. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
  16. ^ a b "Timms Abschied steht fest". kicker (in German). 28 March 2007. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
  17. ^ "SpVgg Greuther Fürth". kicker.de (in German). kicker. Retrieved 17 March 2017.
  18. ^ "2. Bundesliga – Spieltag / Tabelle". kicker.de (in German). kicker. Retrieved 17 March 2017.
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  20. ^ a b "SpVgg Greuther Fürth". kicker.de (in German). kicker. Retrieved 23 February 2015.
  21. ^ a b "Bayer 04 Leverkusen". kicker.de (in German). kicker. Retrieved 18 March 2017.
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  24. ^ a b c "Labbadia unterschreibt bis 2012". kicker (in German). 5 June 2009. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
  25. ^ a b "Hamburger SV". kicker.de (in German). kicker. Retrieved 18 March 2017.
  26. ^ "Bruno Labbadia entlassen" (in German). ZDF. 26 April 2010. Archived from the original on 29 April 2010. Retrieved 26 April 2010.
  27. ^ "Der HSV setzt auf Moniz" (in German). kicker.de. 26 April 2010. Retrieved 26 April 2010.
  28. ^ a b "Hamburg axe coach Bruno Labbadia". BBC Sport. 26 April 2010. Retrieved 26 April 2010.
  29. ^ "1. Bundesliga – Spieltag / Tabelle". kicker.de (in German). kicker. Retrieved 18 March 2017.
  30. ^ a b c "Hamburger SV" (in German). kicker. Archived from the original on 30 November 2013. Retrieved 16 January 2014.
  31. ^ a b "Nun soll's Labbadia richten". kicker (in German). 12 December 2010. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
  32. ^ "VfB Stuttgart". kicker.de (in German). kicker. Retrieved 19 March 2017.
  33. ^ "1. Bundesliga – Spieltag / Tabelle". kicker.de (in German). kicker. Retrieved 19 March 2017.
  34. ^ "Stuttgart's Bruno Labbadia wins the Bundesliga sack race … in August". The Guardian. 26 August 2013. Retrieved 27 August 2013.
  35. ^ "1. Bundesliga – Spieltag / Tabelle". kicker.de (in German). kicker. Retrieved 19 March 2017.
  36. ^ "VfB Stuttgart". kicker.de (in German). kicker. Retrieved 19 March 2017.
  37. ^ "Labbadia signs on at 'growing' Stuttgart". UEFA. 30 January 2013. Retrieved 30 January 2013.
  38. ^ "1. Bundesliga – Spieltag / Tabelle". kicker.de (in German). kicker. Retrieved 19 March 2017.
  39. ^ "1. Bundesliga – Spieltag / Tabelle". kicker.de (in German). kicker. Retrieved 19 March 2017.
  40. ^ "VfB Stuttgart". kicker.de (in German). kicker. Retrieved 19 March 2017.
  41. ^ a b "Bruno Labbadia released from duties". VfB Stuttgart. 26 August 2013. Archived from the original on 6 January 2014. Retrieved 26 August 2013.
  42. ^ "Schneider replaces Labbadia at struggling Stuttgart". UEFA. 26 August 2013. Retrieved 27 August 2013.
  43. ^ a b c "VfB Stuttgart" (in German). kicker.de. Retrieved 16 January 2014.
  44. ^ a b "Prototyp Labbadia: "Ich habe Bock darauf"" (in German). kicker. 15 April 2015. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  45. ^ a b Rommel, Stefan (25 April 2015). "Ein Sieg für den Glauben". Süddeutsche Zeitung (in German). Hamburg. Retrieved 25 April 2015.
  46. ^ "Hamburger SV". kicker.de (in German). kicker. Retrieved 18 March 2017.
  47. ^ "1. Bundesliga – Spieltag / Tabelle". kicker.de (in German). kicker. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  48. ^ "Ilicevic hält Hamburgs Hoffnungen am Leben" (in German). kicker. 28 May 2015. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  49. ^ "Hamburg verhindert den Abstieg". Süddeutsche Zeitung (in German). 1 June 2015. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  50. ^ "1. Bundesliga – Spieltag / Tabelle". kicker.de (in German). kicker. Retrieved 18 March 2017.
  51. ^ "Hamburger SV". kicker.de (in German). kicker. Retrieved 18 March 2017.
  52. ^ a b "Hamburg dismiss Bruno Labbadia after 18 months in charge". ESPN FC Asia. 25 September 2016.
  53. ^ a b "Labbadia übernimmt beim VfL Wolfsburg" (in German). kicker. 20 February 2018. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
  54. ^ "Muto antwortet Brekalo bei Labbadias Debüt". kicker.de (in German). kicker. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  55. ^ "Bundesliga – Spieltag / Tabelle". kicker.de (in German). kicker. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  56. ^ a b "Bruno Labbadia neuer Cheftrainer bei Hertha BSC". herthabsc.de (in German). 9 April 2020. Archived from the original on 11 April 2020. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
  57. ^ a b "Hertha BSC Trainer". kicker.de. kicker. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
  58. ^ "Bundesliga Tabelle". kicker.de. kicker. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
  59. ^ "Hertha BSC part ways with Michael Preetz and Bruno Labbadia". herthabsc.de. Hertha BSC. 24 January 2021. Archived from the original on 24 January 2021. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  60. ^ Gleeson, Mark (27 August 2024). "German Bruno Labbadia named as new Nigeria coach". Times Live.
  61. ^ "Sebastian Hoeneß replaces Bruno Labbadia" (in German). VfB Stuttgart. 3 April 2023. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  62. ^ a b c d Schiller, Kai; Wenig, Peter (27 August 2016). "Bruno Labbadia: "Als Kind war ich der Spaghettifresser"". Hamburger Abendblatt (in German). Zeitungsgruppe Hamburg GmbH. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
  63. ^ a b "VfL Wolfsburg". kicker.de (in German). kicker. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  64. ^ "Bayern München 1993–94". bdfutbol.com. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
 
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