Julian Nagelsmann

Julian Nagelsmann (born 23 July 1987) is a German professional football coach who was most recently the manager of the Germany national team. He previously managed TSG Hoffenheim, RB Leipzig and Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga. Appointed Hoffenheim head coach at the age of 28, he became the youngest permanent manager in Bundesliga history and subsequently led the club to its first UEFA Champions League qualification. He later guided Leipzig to the semi-finals of the 2019–20 Champions League and won the Bundesliga with Bayern in 2022.

Born in Bavaria, Nagelsmann never played senior professional football, retiring at the age of 20 after a succession of injuries (although he later returned for a brief stint in the lower levels). He began his coaching career in TSG Hoffenheim's youth setup in 2010 and was promoted to the first team in 2015; his best finish there was third place in the Bundesliga, and the club won one of its twelve European group-stage matches under him. He moved to RB Leipzig in 2019, where his side reached the semi-finals of the Champions League in the 2019–20 season, but he departed after two seasons without silverware, having lost the 2021 DFB-Pokal Final.

In 2021, Bayern Munich paid a reported €25 million (£21.7 million) to release Nagelsmann from his Leipzig contract, an unprecedented fee for a manager. He won the Bundesliga title in his debut season, extending the club's run to a tenth consecutive championship, but was dismissed in March 2023, midway through his second season; reporting attributed the decision to inconsistent results .

In September 2023, Nagelsmann was appointed coach of the Germany national team, which was eliminated in the quarter-finals of Euro 2024 on home soil. He stepped down in July 2026 after Germany were eliminated in the round of 32 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup by Paraguay, the nation's first penalty-shootout defeat in World Cup history.

Off the pitch, Nagelsmann has supported charitable initiatives connected to football and children, including becoming the first coach to join Common Goal in 2017.

Early life

Nagelsmann was born on 23 July 1987 in Landsberg am Lech, Bavaria. He played for FC Augsburg and 1860 Munich at youth level, In the 2006–07 season, he was part of the second team but made no appearances due to injuries. Nagelsmann returned to Augsburg for the 2007–08 season coached by Thomas Tuchel, playing with the second team, but injured his knee and meniscus for the second time, damaging the cartilage. As a result, he decided to end his footballing career at the age of 20, having never played a senior professional match. He had already assisted his head coach Thomas Tuchel as a scout in the first half of 2008. He studied business administration in university for four semesters until he transferred to sports science.

Coaching career

Early career

Nagelsmann joined TSG Hoffenheim's youth academy in 2010 and coached different youth teams in the following years. After Huub Stevens resigned for health reasons in February 2016, Nagelsmann assumed the role earlier than planned. At 28, he became the youngest head coach in Bundesliga history.

Hoffenheim extended Nagelsmann's contract until 2021 in June 2017. In the 2017–18 season, Hoffenheim lost to Liverpool in the Champions League play-off round and finished last in their Europa League group. Nagelsmann's first two full seasons represented the two highest league finishes in Hoffenheim's history at the time. After leading the club to fourth place and its first Champions League qualification in 2016–17, he improved to third the following season, securing direct qualification for the Champions League group stage. In the 2018–19 Champions League, Hoffenheim finished last in their group with three draws and three defeats.

RB Leipzig

On 21 June 2018, RB Leipzig announced that Nagelsmann would become their head coach from the 2019–20 season on a four-year contract.

In his first season, Leipzig finished third in the Bundesliga and reached the semi-finals of the 2019–20 UEFA Champions League. They topped their group and defeated Tottenham Hotspur in the round of 16 and Atlético Madrid in the quarter-finals before losing 3–0 to Paris Saint-Germain in the semi-finals. At 32, he became the youngest coach to win a UEFA Champions League knockout tie when Leipzig defeated Tottenham Hotspur in the round of 16. The knockout rounds from the quarter-finals onward were played as single-leg ties at neutral venues because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nagelsmann's work during the 2019–20 season earned him third place in the inaugural UEFA Men's Coach of the Year award, behind Hansi Flick and Jürgen Klopp.

In the 2020–21 season, Leipzig finished second in the Bundesliga, reached the Champions League round of 16, and lost the DFB-Pokal final 4–1 to Borussia Dortmund. During his two seasons at Leipzig, the club finished third and second in the Bundesliga, reached its first Champions League semi-final, and reached the DFB-Pokal final.

Bayern Munich

On 27 April 2021, Bayern Munich appointed Nagelsmann as head coach on a five-year contract, effective from 1 July 2021, replacing Hansi Flick. Bayern reportedly paid a managerial transfer fee of €25 million to release him from his RB Leipzig contract.

In his first season, Bayern won the 2021 DFL-Supercup and the 2021–22 Bundesliga, securing the league title with three matches remaining. Bayern scored 97 league goals during Nagelsmann's first season, finding the net in all 34 Bundesliga matches and setting a league record with 49 away goals. The season also included a 5–0 defeat to Borussia Mönchengladbach in the second round of the DFB-Pokal and a Champions League quarter-final elimination against Villarreal.

Bayern won the 2022 DFL-Supercup at the start of the following season. In the 2022–23 Champions League, Bayern won all six group-stage matches before defeating Paris Saint-Germain 3–0 on aggregate in the round of 16, giving Nagelsmann eight victories from eight matches in the competition that season prior to his dismissal.

During the 2022–23 season, reports described tensions between Nagelsmann and parts of the Bayern squad. In January 2023, the club dismissed goalkeeping coach Toni Tapalović, a close associate of captain Manuel Neuer. Neuer publicly criticised the decision, while Bayern executives and Nagelsmann criticised Neuer's comments.

On 24 March 2023, Bayern dismissed Nagelsmann and appointed Thomas Tuchel as his successor, with the club one point behind Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga. Bayern CEO Oliver Kahn said the decision was prompted by fluctuations in performance and that the team had played "less successfully and less attractively" since the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

After Nagelsmann's dismissal, Bayern were immediately eliminated from the DFB-Pokal and Champions League but won the Bundesliga on the final match-day. The same day, CEO Oliver Kahn and sporting director Hasan Salihamidžić were dismissed. Nagelsmann had lost three of 37 competitive matches during the 2022–23 season at the time of his dismissal. His successor Thomas Tuchel equalled that total within his first seven matches in charge. The decision to remove Nagelsmann and replace him with Thomas Tuchel was described as a "failure", that ended up "making things much worse."

Germany

On 22 September 2023, Nagelsmann was appointed head coach of the Germany national team, replacing Hansi Flick, on a contract running until after UEFA Euro 2024, which Germany hosted. In April 2024, his contract was extended until the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and in January 2025 it was extended again until UEFA Euro 2028.

Nagelsmann began his tenure with a 3–1 comeback win over the United States, but won only one of his first four matches in charge, drawing with Mexico and losing November 2023 friendlies to Turkey (2–3) and Austria (0–2).

At UEFA Euro 2024, Germany won their group after matches against Scotland, Hungary and Switzerland. They defeated Denmark in the round of 16 before losing 2–1 after extra time to eventual champions Spain in the quarter-finals. Although Germany were eliminated in the quarter-finals, the tournament was widely viewed as an improvement on the team's preceding major tournaments and was accompanied by renewed public enthusiasm around the national side.

Nagelsmann later led Germany to the 2025 UEFA Nations League Finals. Germany finished top of their group but lost 2–1 to Portugal in the semi-finals.

At the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Germany topped their group but were eliminated by Paraguay in the round of 32, losing 4–3 on penalties after a 1–1 draw. It was Germany's first penalty-shootout defeat in World Cup history and first shootout defeat in a major tournament since the UEFA Euro 1976 final. The elimination meant Germany had failed to reach the World Cup round of 16 for a third consecutive tournament, and Nagelsmann faced criticism over his tactics and team selection during the competition. After the elimination, Nagelsmann held a three-and-a-half-hour meeting at DFB headquarters in Frankfurt on 2 July, where he was reportedly offered a severance package of around €7 million, roughly one year's salary, if he agreed to step down rather than receive the €14 million he would have been due if dismissed early. The decision to terminate his contract was unanimously made following internal discussions with DFB leadership, who also began planning for a successor, with early contact considerations involving Jürgen Klopp. Nagelsmann resigned on 3 July 2026, stating the decision was "anything but easy," adding that "my top priority has always been the team's success" and that "after such a bitter disappointment, the national team deserves the chance for a fresh start," while thanking the players, staff, and fans for their support.

Style of management

Analysts have described Nagelsmann's teams as tactically flexible, with frequent changes of formation, possession-oriented play and aggressive pressing after turnovers, including the use of gegenpressing.

His use of rotation and tactical variation contributed to his reputation at Hoffenheim and RB Leipzig. However, his communication drew scrutiny in connection with Manuel Neuer's return to the national squad and Oliver Baumann's demotion before the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Personal life

In 2018, Nagelsmann married Verena. They have two children. After the relationship became public, Wurzenberger was reassigned from covering Bayern Munich to avoid a potential conflict of interest and later resigned from Bild.

Nagelsmann played ice hockey for EV Landsberg and SV Apfeldorf before focusing on football.

In 2017, Nagelsmann became the first football coach to join Common Goal, pledging one percent of his salary to football-based charitable projects.

Managerial statistics

Honours

Manager

Bayern Munich

Bundesliga: 2021–22 DFL-Supercup: 2021, 2022

Individual

VDV Coach of the Season (Germany): 2016–17 German Football Manager of the Year: 2017