Former Manchester United boss Ralf Rangnick opens up on the phone call that led to Thomas Tuchel getting his big break in football – as new England boss prepares to take first Three Lions match tonight
Former Manchester United boss Ralf Rangnick handed Thomas Tuchel his first job in coaching after learning that he was working in a Stuttgart bar.
The German managed a young Tuchel during a two-year spell with third-tier side SSV Ulm before discovering that the future England boss had been forced to take up bar work when knee problems ended his playing career prematurely.
Rangnick, who now coaches the Austria national team, recalled identifying traits in Tuchel that convinced him of his suitability for management. But he admitted that it was tough to predict he would go on to have such an accomplished career.
‘We got to know each other back in 1998 when I became head coach of Ulm in the third division,’ he told BBC Sport. ‘At the time, I think Thomas was 25.
‘Unfortunately he had problems with his knee. What was obvious was that he was a very bright, intelligent kind of person for a football player.
‘Being smart, bright, asking questions, always trying to get better, to improve. When you become a head coach, you can pretty precisely tell which player could become a coach.
Former Manchester United boss Ralf Rangnick handed Thomas Tuchel his first job in coaching
The England boss began his coaching career at the Stuttgart academy before going on to manage the Ausburg senior side
Rangnick admitted that he could not have foreseen the 51-year-old becoming one of the best managers in the world
‘So when I found out he was working in a bar at Stuttgart, I called him and said to him “What are you doing?” And he said, ” I have to earn my living there”.
‘I said to him, “Thomas, please, why don’t you come to us to Stuttgart and work as a youth team coach?”
‘We brought him together with the academy director at the time and that’s how his coaching career started. For me it was clear that he could become a very good coach.
‘To foresee that he would become one of the best coaches we ever had, at that time, was difficult.’
Still only 51, Tuchel has an impressive trophy cabinet as well as a list of former employers to match any of the top coaches of the last century. Though brief, and below expectations, his most recent spell with Bayern Munich produced a Bundesliga title to add to his two Ligue 1 crowns, German Cup, French Cup and Champions League.
On Friday, Tuchel begins the next chapter of his coaching career as he makes his bow as Three Lions boss at Wembley. England welcome Albania in the first of the qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.
