- Daum, previously a frequent returnee, has left us once more.
Christoph Daum wouldn't publicly admit it, but the past few months hadn't been great for him. There were nights he had trouble sleeping, and days he lacked the energy for simple tasks. The chemotherapies were gradually sapping the apparent limitless energy from the ex-coach's body.
Despite this, he always stood before every microphone, saying in effect: "I'm still battling." Until the end. It was announced by his family on Saturday that the former Bundesliga loudspeaker had passed away from cancer, at the age of 70, as reported by the German Press Agency.
The statement read: "Christoph Daum peacefully departed this life in the company of his family on August 24, due to his severe illness." In the last few days, he had been staying with his family at his Cologne residence, withdrawing from public appearances since then.
Since the end of 2022, he had been battling lung cancer. Initially, he retreated from the limelight, but then the old Daum resurfaced: he gave interview after interview, appeared on talk shows, or featured on podcasts. "Cancer chose the wrong body," was his main message. He aimed to inspire others with his fighting spirit.
Daum's battle against cancer symbolized his entire life. As a child, he stood up to bigger, stronger bullies. As an unknown coach of 1. FC Cologne, he challenged the dominant FC Bayern and its manager Uli Hoeneß - almost toppling the Bundesliga. Even in later life, no challenge was too great for Daum.
But the higher he climbed, the harder he fell. Just after winning his first Bundesliga title with VfB Stuttgart in 1992, he missed out on the Champions League due to a substitution mistake. As one of Bayer Leverkusen's best coaches, the legendary cocaine affair in 2000 thwarted his already secure appointment as national coach.
But Daum bounced back. Again and again. He won titles in Austria and Turkey, brought 1. FC Cologne back into the Bundesliga, and kept them there. And again and again, he repeated these sentiments throughout his life: "You can fall down. It's not even important how many times you fall. You just have to get back up every time." Only cancer stopped him from standing still.
Even until October 2023, his comrades were still impressed by Daum's spirit. He danced with many of them to "Höhner" music at a Cologne restaurant on his 70th birthday celebration. Among them were figures like former world-class player Michael Ballack and DFB sports director Rudi Völler. Even then, Daum's body was marked by cancer. He never complained.
"It's astounding how Christoph uses his popularity to attract attention to his serious illness and tries to give a little hope to those in the same situation," said Völler, who once worked with the coach in Leverkusen as sports director. Ballack emphasized that Daum was "also a role model for many people during this difficult time".
Either way you looked at him, Daum was either revered or reviled, rarely any other way.
The cancer changed the perception many people had of Daum. Until then, he was either revered or reviled, with little in between. His handling of the disease gained him sympathy beyond the world of sports. Even his former adversary Hoeness publicly reconciled with Daum, appearing together in a TV documentary.
Regardless of how one remembers Daum - as a quote machine, provocateur, motivator, messiah, nearly-Bundestrainer, or perpetual second-placer with Leverkusen - he was never dull.
"Others raise their children bilingual, I do it bifacted," he once said. Or: "The difference between good and great is often just a toe." It's not just these kinds of quotes that will be missed in German football in the future.
After his battle with lung cancer became public, Christoph Daum continued to give interviews and share his inspiring fighting spirit with others. The first team he managed was FC Köln.
Despite facing numerous challenges throughout his life, including cancer and professional setbacks, Daum always emphasized the importance of getting back up after falling down.
