Jupp Heynckes

Fourth-highest Bundesliga scorer and legendary manager

Josef "Jupp" Heynckes (born 9 May 1945) is a German retired professional footballer and manager. For the majority of his playing career he was a striker for Borussia Mönchengladbach in its golden era of the 1960s and '70s, when they won many national championships and the DFB-Pokal, as well as the UEFA Cup. During this period the team played in its only European Cup final in 1977, losing to Liverpool. He is the fourth-highest goalscorer in the history of the Bundesliga, with 220 goals. He was a member of the West Germany national team that won the UEFA Euro 1972 and the 1974 FIFA World Cup titles. As manager, Heynckes won four Bundesliga titles with Bayern Munich and two UEFA Champions Leagues; with Real Madrid in 1997–98 and Bayern in 2012–13, the latter of which was part of a continental treble. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest managers of all time.

Quick Facts

Full name: Josef Heynckes
Born: 9 May 1945
Birthplace: Mönchengladbach, Germany
Height: 1.80 m / 5 ft 11 in
Position: Forward
Total caps: 420
Total goals: 259

Lore & Background

Josef Heynckes was born 9 May 1945 in Mönchengladbach. He played 369 matches in the German Bundesliga, scoring 220 goals. His tally is the fourth highest in this league, after Gerd Müller's 365 goals, Robert Lewandowski's 312, and Klaus Fischer's 268. After playing for amateur club Grün-Weiß Holt as a youth, Heynckes started his professional career in 1964 with his hometown club Borussia Mönchengladbach who were then in the second division. In 1965, the club, managed by Hennes Weisweiler, achieved promotion to the Bundesliga, with the teenaged striker scoring 23 goals in 25 matches in his debut season. Heynckes made 39 appearances for the West Germany national team and scored 14 goals. He was a member of the West Germany team that won the 1972 UEFA European Championship and was included in West Germany's squad for the 1974 FIFA World Cup, which was held in West Germany.

Reader's Guide

Heynckes ended his playing career in 1978 and began studying for his coaching licence at the Deutsche Sporthochschule Köln. After his playing career, Heynckes stayed with Borussia Mönchengladbach and served the club for eight more years, first as an assistant and then as a manager, succeeding Udo Lattek in this position in 1979 at age 34. Heynckes took over on 1 July 1979 and in the 1979–80 season, Heynckes led Mönchengladbach to the 1980 UEFA Cup final, where they lost to Eintracht Frankfurt.

Did You Know?

He scored 51 goals in 64 matches in European club competitions, an average of 0.8 goals per match.
Heynckes was joint top goalscorer in the Bundesliga alongside Gerd Müller in the 1973–74 season with 30 goals.
He scored a hat-trick in the 1975 UEFA Cup final second leg against Twente, helping Gladbach win 5–1.