Rest in peace, Christoph Daum

Christoph Daum began his 30-year career in professional football in the 1980s. When he was appointed head coach at VfB Stuttgart in November 1990, he was swiftly able to instil confidence in a club which was struggling at the time, and led the team from 15^th to sixth place in the Bundesliga table.

In the following 1991/92 season, the coach, who earned a reputation as a great motivator, moulded VfB into an elite team. It was largely thanks to him that the club was able to celebrate the fourth of its five German league titles to date on 16 May 1992 in Leverkusen, when Guido Buchwald hit an 86^th-minute winner in a 2-1 victory of a game that could scarcely be surpassed in terms of drama.

Daum won his second piece of silverware with VfB thanks to a 3-1 success over DFB Cup-winners Hannover 96 in the Supercup, and remained at the helm at VfB until December 1993.

“VfB owe a great deal to Christoph Daum, especially his successful tenure as a coach that culminated with the Bundesliga title in 1992,” said VfB Stuttgart president Dietmar Allgaier. “He always remained closely associated with our club, even after ending his career. We will always honour Christoph Daum’s memory.”

“Christoph Daum was an outstanding character in our sport, and a man who lived and breathed football like few others,” said Alexander Wehrle, CEO of VfB Stuttgart. “His many successes speak for themselves. The VfB family mourns alongside his wife and all his loved-ones. We wish them much strength in this difficult time.”