- Deceased former Bundesliga coach Christoph Daum.
Christoph Daum has bid farewell. After a lengthy dispute with cancer, he "departed serenely with his loved ones," they notified the German Press Agency. Daum departed on a Saturday in Cologne, having reached the age of 70. For quite some time, he was one of the most vibrant coaches in the realm of professional football.
Beginning autumn 2022, Daum had been wrestling with the disease. Initially, he retreated from the public sphere, but later, he reconsidered his decision. Daum spoke out once more, appeared on talk shows. "Cancer picked the wrong host," was his predominant message. He sought to inspire others with his tenacity.
This was the essence of Christoph Daum: Surpassing Hoeneß and the Cocaine Scandal
The battle against cancer mirrored his entire life. Even as a kid, he took on classmates much larger and stronger than the slight lad from Duisburg.
As an unheralded coach of 1. FC Köln, he unexpectedly confronted the titan FC Bayern and its manager Uli Hoeneß – and almost ousted the Bundesliga titan from Munich. In his later career, Daum never shied away from a confrontation.
The Cocaine Scandal made Christoph Daum Legendary
However, the higher he soared, the harder he plummeted initially. Following his debut Bundesliga title with VfB Stuttgart in 1992, he squandered the eligibility for the Champions League due to a substitution blunder. Above all, the 2000 cocaine scandal, which saw him relief of his position as Bayer Leverkusen's coach, became notorious.
Yet, Daum staged a comeback. He claimed more titles in Austria and Turkey, led 1. FC Köln back into the Bundesliga and managed to keep them there. And throughout his extraordinary life, he always uttered these phrases: "You can stumble. It doesn't matter how many times you stumble. What truly matters is that you get up every time."
Despite his past struggles with the Cocaine Scandal, which led to his departure from Bayer Leverkusen, Christoph Daum's love for soccer never wavered. He returned to coaching, leading various teams to success and repeatedly emphasizing, "You can stumble, but it's important to get back up." In one of his comeback appearances, he even declared, "Soccer gave me another chance to prove myself, and I will never forget that."
