Everyone, Hrubesch is awarded with Drama and Bronze.
Horst Hrubesch Retires with Olympic Bronze. The Footballers Bid Farewell to a Decade of Success
Horst Hrubesch, the 73-year-old, has retired from his coaching career, leaving behind a legacy of success. He is a father figure, a strict mentor, and not one to take things easy. While he was watching the Olympics on TV, he was captivated by Petanque, a French national sport similar to Boule. Ironically, it's a sport that seems to fit his age, taking things slow and easy. But what really impressed him was a young man and a woman in their 60s or 70s winning the game.
With the German national team, it's the opposite. He's the elder, working with the "girls" who could be his granddaughters. In December, he thanked them, saying, "The girls take the old man along, and it works out well. I don't see that as normal. I can only thank the girls." They too want to thank him, with Klara Bühl planning to dedicate her bronze medal to him as their time together comes to an end.
"He Gets a Farewell Gift"
Hrubesch's last day at work is far from quiet. He doesn't want to know about the historic final match beforehand, saying, "There are people who go to work on their last day and then retire. It's the same for me." But his workday is far from normal. During the bronze medal match against the Spanish world champions, he's constantly heard from the sidelines, giving instructions, cheering, and calming his team.
He watches as Giulia Gwinn confidently scores the winning penalty, putting Germany ahead 1:0. "Last minute," he shouts as the seventh minute of extra time begins. But he doesn't know yet that there's extra time, tense seconds with heart-attack potential. Spain is awarded a penalty, giving them a chance to go into extra time.
But Hrubesch has made Ann-Katrin Berger the number one goalkeeper for the tournament. The 33-year-old has already proven herself as an penalty-saving hero in the quarter-finals against Canada. She does it again this time, saving Alexia Putellas' shot. When the final whistle blows, his teammates rush to him, and he has to take a moment to catch his breath, hands on his knees, before hugging substitute Laura Freigang.
"We're thrilled for the coach. It's the perfect send-off. He's getting a farewell gift," says goal scorer Gwinn. "But the biggest gift we've given ourselves." Thanks to Hrubesch's help, who enjoys his well-deserved retirement. "I have a smile on my face. The medal I promised the girls, we've got it," says penalty hero Berger.
He's great with his girls. He took over the team again after the World Cup disaster and the departure of Martina Voss-Tecklenburg as head coach. He had done this before in 2018 when Steffi Jones' tenure wasn't going well. Hrubesch instilled the basics back into the footballers, as Buhl said, "He radiates a deep trust, reflects it back to us, and that does us a world of good. He shows us what we're capable of, speaks it clearly, and we're very happy with the path." That path ended with winning the Olympic bronze medal. Christian Wueck will take over as head coach.
As for Hrubesch, does he finally have time for petanque? Not quite, the Hamburger SV is waiting for him. Hrubesch will return to his job, which he had only put on hold for the DFB women. He will again be the youth coordinator at the club, wanting to focus more on the girls, with his contract running until 2025. Moreover, there's reportedly still a book project waiting for him: "Flying - Around the World". Given that he's already published "Dorschangling from the Boat and on the Coasts", it's likely not about airplanes, but about the most beautiful waters worldwide for fly fishing. The man who once also had a horse breeding farm in the Luneburg Heath is multifaceted.
Perhaps to the chagrin of his wife Angelika, to whom he had long ago promised to quit football and spend more time together and travel. After the bronze medal, he says, "I first have to make my wife happy and take a few days off with her." But she probably doesn't know him without the ball. Horst "Hotte" Hrubesch is a legend. As a footballer, trainer, and functionary. He's the center forward, the "header monster", one of the greats in German football. Hrubesch's name will forever be linked to the 1980 European Championship. He debuted in the national team just four months earlier, only being nominated for the tournament because Klaus Fischer was injured. And then he scored both goals in the final against Belgium - his first in the DFB jersey. This was followed by the vice-title at the 1982 World Cup, and he played a total of 21 games for the association, which he later shaped for many years.
At Hamburger SV, where Günter Netzer brought him in 1978, he played for five years. He became German champion three times and also won the European Cup of Champions in 1983, as well as the Bundesliga top scorer in 1982. He ended his career as a player-coach, paving the way. But at the DFB, things went disastrously for Hrubesch - as co-trainer in 2000, in the sportingly dark years. Alongside head coach Erich Ribbeck, he experienced the disaster of Euro 2000. He sat on the bench and cried when the German team lost 0:3 to Portugal and exited the tournament without a win and with only one point.
Hrubesch then went to the youth, where he could take the players under his wing, teach them more than just football. With success: he became U19 European Champion in 2008 and U21 European Champion the following year, with six players from his team later becoming world champions. One of them was Manuel Neuer: "Horst Hrubesch was like a friend. He would snap at us and immediately pull us back up. I've never experienced that before."
For 16 years, he was responsible for youth development at the DFB, a role that culminated in Olympic participation once before. That was in 2016, with the men's team. They lost the final, ending with silver - and the players' statements echoed those made by the women now. Nils Petersen said, "We would have liked to have won it for him." Julian Brandt commented, "The coach is a great guy. He has qualities you don't find often, you have to say that."
"I say one word: Thank you."
Hrubesch is a people's coach. Nonchalant, sometimes boisterous, sometimes gentle. Always clear and direct, he has no time for pretenses or vanity. That's why he fits so well with the DFB women. Their lives differ from many of their male colleagues due to financial reasons, making them more grounded. "His girls," as they are.
So it's wonderful that they're able to enhance their shared time with a medal. Hrubesch and his players can pick it up at the award ceremony following the final between Brazil and the USA this Saturday in Paris. When he left HSV, he did so famously with the words, "I say one word: Thank you." It's time again.
In the world of women's football, Horst Hrubesch finds himself in a different role, working with a team that could be his granddaughters. He expressed gratitude towards them, acknowledging their significant contribution to his coaching career.
The German national team, in their appreciation for Hrubesch, plans to dedicate their Olympic bronze medal to him, celebrating their shared success as they approach the end of their time together.
