Erich Ribbeck

Lore & Background

Ribbeck's two-year tenure as Germany national team manager (1998–2000) marked the worst period in the modern history of Germany's national side. He resigned on 21 June 2000 after a group stage exit from Euro 2000. His results were ten wins, six draws and eight losses, the worst managerial performance of all time for a Germany coach. He was the first coach since Otto Nerz over 60 years earlier that failed to bring a major tournament win for Germany.

In Their Own Story

The dressing room smelled of liniment and old wool. Ribbeck stood at the back, arms folded, watching the lads lace their boots in silence. No speech. No rousing words. He simply tapped the whiteboard once, pointed to the diagram of the opposition's left-back, and said, quietly, 'He will drift. Let him drift. Then the space is yours.' The room exhaled. Outside, the floodlights hummed to life over the pitch, and the summer stretched ahead like a long, uncertain road.

Reader's Guide

Ribbeck's managerial career included club roles at Rot-Weiss Essen, Eintracht Frankfurt, 1. FC Kaiserslautern, Bayer Leverkusen, FC Bayern Munich, and a return to Leverkusen. He won the UEFA Cup with Leverkusen in 1988.

Did You Know?

• Ribbeck nearly joined Bayer 04 Leverkusen and Hertha BSC as a player in 1965, but both deals fell through.
• He was the oldest appointee to the Germany national team job at age 61.
• During Euro 2000, Ribbeck rejected calls from players to drop Lothar Matthäus and threatened rebellious players with fines or exclusion.