Thomas Schaaf

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Born in Bremen, Schaaf arrived at Werder Bremen's youth academy in 1972, turning professional six years later. After a slow start with the first team, he made his Bundesliga debut on 18 August 1979. He went on to play in 260 top flight games, retiring in 1995 at age 34. He began his managerial career while still an active player, taking care of Werder's youth sides, then managed the reserve team before succeeding Felix Magath on 10 May 1999 as senior side coach. He led Werder to the double in 2003–04, and guided the club to the 2009 UEFA Cup Final, lost 1–2 to Shakhtar Donetsk. Schaaf left Werder on 15 May 2013 after 14 years in charge. After one year out of football, he was appointed head coach of Eintracht Frankfurt on 21 May 2014, signing a two-year contract. He led the team to a ninth-place finish, resigned on 26 May 2015, and finished with a record of 12 wins, 10 draws and 14 losses from 36 games. He later coached Hannover 96 briefly in 2015–16, and returned to Bremen for one game in May 2021.

In Their Own Story

The rain fell hard on the Waldstadion pitch, but the roar of the crowd drowned out the storm. Schaaf stood by the sideline, his eyes fixed on the midfield battle. He had taught these players to press high, to win the ball back in seconds, and to attack with relentless energy. As a through-ball sliced open the defense, the striker surged forward—a perfect execution of Schaaf's philosophy. In that moment, the stadium knew: this was Eintracht football at its finest.

Reader's Guide

Thomas Schaaf is best known for his long tenure with Werder Bremen (1999–2013), not Eintracht Frankfurt. His most celebrated achievement as a manager came with Werder Bremen, winning the Bundesliga in 2003–04 and the DFB-Pokal three times. He also led Werder to the 2009 UEFA Cup Final. His stint at Eintracht Frankfurt lasted one season (2014–15), resulting in a ninth-place finish.

Did You Know?

• Schaaf spent his entire playing career (1978–1995) with Werder Bremen, making 260 Bundesliga appearances.
• As a manager, he won the Bundesliga once (2004) and the DFB-Pokal three times (1999, 2004, 2009) with Werder Bremen.
• He coached Eintracht Frankfurt for one season (2014–15), finishing ninth in the Bundesliga.
• Schaaf was in charge of his 500th Bundesliga match on 19 April 2014 while still at Werder Bremen (against Schalke 04), not during his time at Eintracht Frankfurt.