Erich Ribbeck

Erich Ribbeck (born 13 June 1937) is a German former professional footballer and manager, most recognised for his work in the Bundesliga. His greatest achievement came in 1988, when he led Bayer Leverkusen to the UEFA Cup, the club’s first major trophy.

Ribbeck played from the 1950s into the early 1960s, starting with SSV 1904 Wuppertal (a club that later merged into Wuppertaler SV) and finishing his playing days at Viktoria Köln. He competed in the Oberliga, which was then one of five regional divisions making up Germany’s top tier. In 1965, he nearly signed for Bayer Leverkusen and Bundesliga side Hertha BSC, but both moves collapsed. He retired as a player and became an assistant to Hennes Weisweiler at Borussia Mönchengladbach.

His first head coaching job came at age 30 in 1967–68, when he took Rot-Weiss Essen to second place in the western division of Germany’s second tier, earning a promotion playoff that ended in defeat to Hertha Berlin. Over the next decade, he split his time between Eintracht Frankfurt and 1. FC Kaiserslautern, where both clubs finished mid-table in the Bundesliga. With Kaiserslautern, he reached the 1976 German Cup final, losing 2–0 to Hamburger SV.

After serving as Jupp Derwall’s assistant with the German national team, Ribbeck became Bayer Leverkusen’s coach in 1985. In his first season, the club qualified for European competition for the first time. In 1988, Leverkusen won the UEFA Cup, beating Austria Wien, Toulouse, Feyenoord, Barcelona, and Werder Bremen en route to the final against Espanyol. After losing the first leg 3–0 away, Leverkusen won the home leg 3–0 with three second-half goals and then triumphed on penalties.

Ribbeck joined Bayern Munich in March 1992, replacing Søren Lerby as the team fought relegation. He guided them to 10th place, their worst finish since 1978. The next season, Bayern challenged for the title; on the final day, they were level on points with Werder Bremen but behind on goal difference. A 3–3 draw with Schalke left them second. Ribbeck was sacked in late 1993 after criticism from players and Uli Hoeneß, despite being only one point off the top. Franz Beckenbauer replaced him and won the league. Ribbeck returned to Leverkusen in 1995 but stayed only one year.

After Helmut Schön resigned in 1978, Ribbeck was considered for the national team job, but Jupp Derwall got it. Twenty years later, on 9 September 1998, Ribbeck came out of retirement to take over Germany when other candidates declined. At 61, he was the oldest person appointed to the role. His two-year tenure is considered the worst period in modern German national team history.

He resigned on 21 June 2000 after a group-stage exit at Euro 2000. During the tournament, he rejected calls from Oliver Bierhoff, Oliver Kahn, Jens Nowotny, and Mehmet Scholl to drop veteran sweeper Lothar Matthäus, insisting Matthäus would earn his 150th cap and threatening rebellious players with fines or exclusion. His record as Germany coach was ten wins, six draws, and eight losses—the worst of any Germany manager. He was the first coach since Otto Nerz, over 60 years earlier, to fail to win a major tournament with Germany.

Ribbeck splits his time between homes in Pulheim and Tenerife, Spain.