Roger Schmidt (footballer)

Roger Schmidt
Schmidt in 2023
Personal information
Date of birth (1967-03-13) 13 March 1967 (age 57)[1]
Place of birth Kierspe, West Germany
Height 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)[1]
Position(s) Midfielder
Youth career
0000–1985 Kiersper SC
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1986–1987 RW Lüdenscheid
1988–1990 TuS Plettenberg
1990–1995 TuS Paderborn-Neuhaus
1995–2002 SC Verl 208 (54)
2002–2003 SC Paderborn 07 25 (2)
2003–2004 SV Lippstadt 08 26 (4)
2004–2005 Delbrücker SC
Total 259 (60)
Managerial career
2004–2007 Delbrücker SC
2007–2010 SC Preußen Münster
2011–2012 SC Paderborn 07
2012–2014 Red Bull Salzburg
2014–2017 Bayer Leverkusen
2017–2019 Beijing Guoan
2020–2022 PSV
2022–2024 Benfica
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Roger Schmidt (German pronunciation: [ˈʁoːɡɐ ˈʃmɪt];[2] born 13 March 1967) is a German professional football manager and former player.

He played as a midfielder in Germany's amateur regional leagues, where he began his managerial career before joining SC Paderborn 07 of the 2. Bundesliga in 2011 and Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga in 2014. He won the league and cup double with Red Bull Salzburg in 2014, as well as cups with Beijing Sinobo Guoan in 2018 and PSV in 2022. With Benfica, he became the first German to win the Primeira Liga.[3]

Football career

Playing and early managerial career

Born in Kierspe, North Rhine-Westphalia, Schmidt played as a midfielder for clubs in the region's leagues. He combined his career with studying Mechanical Engineering at Paderborn University, and then working for Benteler International.[4]

In 2004, Schmidt was made player-manager of Delbrücker SC in the fifth-tier Verbandsliga. Two years later, with the team now one division up into the Oberliga, he retired from playing but stayed on for one further year solely as manager.[4]

Having to balance the commitments of his marriage and young children, as well as his engineering profession, Schmidt only wanted to manage for one season but stayed for three. He decided to leave football for good, but was drawn back by interest from fellow Oberliga team SC Preußen Münster, for whom he quit his engineering job.[4] He was appointed manager in May 2007, effective 1 July,[5] and was sacked on 21 March 2010.[6] Schmidt's contract stated that the club would find him an engineering job in the city of Münster should he be dismissed, but by that stage he was ready to commit solely to football management.[4]

SC Paderborn 07

Schmidt became manager of 2. Bundesliga club SC Paderborn 07 on 1 July 2011.[7] On his professional debut 16 days later, the team won 2–1 at Hansa Rostock.[8] On 30 July, the team won 10–0 in the first round of the DFB-Pokal away to Rot Weiss Ahlen,[9] though the second round was a 4–0 loss at SpVgg Greuther Fürth.[10] His sole league season at the Benteler-Arena ended in 5th place.[11]

Red Bull Salzburg

Schmidt in 2012

On 24 June 2012, Schmidt was announced as the new manager of Austrian Football Bundesliga reigning champions Red Bull Salzburg, after Ricardo Moniz. His assistant manager became Oliver Glasner.[12] The team were eliminated from the UEFA Champions League second qualifying round by Luxembourg's F91 Dudelange in July, on the away goals rule after a 4–4 aggregate draw.[13] Domestically, they came runners-up five points behind FK Austria Wien, and lost 2–1 in the Austrian Cup semi-finals to shock overall winners third-tier FC Pasching.[14]

In 2013–14, Schmidt led Salzburg to the double, with an 18-point league advantage over SK Rapid Wien sealing the league title with eight games remaining.[15] The team won 4–2 in the cup final over SKN St. Pölten.[16]

Bayer Leverkusen

Bayer Leverkusen hired Schmidt on 25 April 2014, replacing the sacked Sami Hyypiä. His two-year contract was effective from the start of the 2014–15 season.[15]

On Schmidt's debut, the team won 6–0 away to SV Alemannia Waldalgesheim in the first round of the cup with five goals from Stefan Kießling on 15 August;[17] eight days later he won 2–0 at neighbours Borussia Dortmund on his Bundesliga bow.[18] He finished his first season in fourth, lost the cup semi-final on penalties to Bayern Munich, and was eliminated from the last 16 of the Champions League on the same method against Atlético Madrid.[19][20]

Schmidt with Bayer Leverkusen in 2015

After his first season, Schmidt signed a new contract until 2019.[21] On 21 February 2016, he was sent off by referee Felix Zwayer in a game against Dortmund after disputing a free kick that led to the opponents scoring the only goal of the match. He initially refused to leave, causing Zwayer to suspend the game and lead the players off the field, culminating in an eight-minute delay before the match resumed without Schmidt on the field.[22] The 2015–16 season ended in third with Champions League qualification.[23]

On 5 March 2017, Schmidt was sacked by sporting director Rudi Völler following a 6–2 loss at Dortmund which left Leverkusen in 9th place.[24]

Beijing Guoan

In June 2017, Schmidt joined Chinese Super League side Beijing Sinobo Guoan on a two-and-a-half-year contract.[25] He won the Chinese FA Cup in 2018.[26]

On 31 July 2019, he was sacked. Hundreds of fans came to the airport for an emotional farewell when he left.[27][28][29]

PSV

Schmidt became the new head coach of PSV on 11 March 2020, on a contract until 2022.[30] His team came second, 16 points behind Ajax in his first season, but beat Ajax in the 2021 Johan Cruyff Shield 4–0 on 7 August.[31] PSV won the 2022 KNVB Cup Final, beating Ajax again, 2–1 on 17 April.[32]

Schmidt left PSV at the end of his contract.[33]

Benfica

On 18 May 2022, Schmidt signed a two-year deal with Primeira Liga club Benfica. He became the second German to be appointed as manager of the club, after Jupp Heynckes.[34] Benfica began the 2022–23 season by winning their first 13 matches across Liga and Champions League (qualifying and group stages), marking the club's best start to a season in 39 years.[35] On 21 October, Schmidt won his first O Clássico, ending Benfica's nine-match winless run against rivals Porto.[36] Benfica's form made the team unbeatable for 29 matches, before a 3–0 away defeat to Braga on 30 December.[37] In Europe, Benfica's Champions League campaign amassed several records: they surpassed the Portuguese record for consecutive matches without losing in the competition,[38] they became the first Portuguese team to reach the quarter-finals twice in a row, and they achieved their biggest home and away wins (excluding qualifying stages), 5–1 against Club Brugge and 1–6 against Maccabi Haifa, respectively.[39]

On 31 August 2024, Schmidt was sacked by Benfica following a 1–1 draw away to Moreirense, ending his 2-year stay as manager of the Portuguese club.[40][41]

Managerial statistics

As of match played 30 August 2024
Managerial record by team and tenure
Team From To Record Ref.
P W D L Win %
Delbrücker SC 1 July 2004 30 June 2007 130 69 25 36 053.08 [42]
SC Preußen Münster 1 July 2007 21 March 2010 108 59 28 21 054.63 [43]
SC Paderborn 07 1 July 2011 24 June 2012 36 18 10 8 050.00 [44]
Red Bull Salzburg 24 June 2012 31 May 2014 99 68 18 13 068.69 [44]
Bayer Leverkusen 1 June 2014 5 March 2017 130 67 27 36 051.54 [45]
Beijing Guoan 3 July 2017 31 July 2019 83 46 15 22 055.42 [44]
PSV 28 April 2020 30 June 2022 104 69 18 17 066.35 [44]
Benfica 1 July 2022 31 August 2024 115 80 20 15 069.57 [46]
Total 804 476 159 169 059.20

Managerial honours

Red Bull Salzburg

Beijing Guoan

PSV

Benfica

Individual

References

  1. ^ a b "Roger Schmidt". BDFutbol. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  2. ^ DW Deutsch (9 December 2014). "Und Jetzt... Roger Schmidt | Kick off!". YouTube (in German). Retrieved 28 July 2018.
  3. ^ "Roger Schmidt faz história em Portugal! Todos os treinadores campeões pelo Benfica" [Roger Schmidt makes history in Portugal! All champion managers for Benfica]. A Bola (in Portuguese). 27 May 2023. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
  4. ^ a b c d Pereira, Sérgio (28 April 2022). "Roger Schmidt, o engenheiro mecânico que sabe como divertir as pessoas" [Roger Schmidt, the mechanical engineer who knows how to entertain people] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  5. ^ "Schmidt trainiert die Preußen". kicker (in German). 7 May 2007. Retrieved 25 March 2013.
  6. ^ "Fascher folgt auf Schmidt". kicker (in German). Retrieved 25 March 2013.
  7. ^ "Schmidt übernimmt und bekommt drei Neue". kicker (in German). 9 May 2011. Retrieved 25 March 2013.
  8. ^ "Proschwitz' Premierentor bringt den Dreier". kicker (in German). 17 July 2011. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  9. ^ "Paderborn macht es gegen RWA zweistellig". kicker (in German). 30 July 2011. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  10. ^ "Pekovic legt den Grundstein fürs Achtelfinale". kicker (in German). 25 October 2011. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  11. ^ "SC Paderborn 07 – Trainer" (in German). kicker. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  12. ^ "Offiziell: Roger Schmidt wechselt vom SC Paderborn nach Salzburg" [Roger Schmidt leaves Paderborn for Salzburg] (in German). Neue Westfälische. 24 June 2012. Retrieved 17 July 2012.
  13. ^ Schneider, Ernst (24 July 2012). "Defiant Dudelange hold on to shock Salzburg". UEFA. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  14. ^ "Pasching deny Austria Wien double". UEFA. 30 May 2013. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  15. ^ a b "Bayer Leverkusen name Roger Schmidt as Sami Hyypia replacement". BBC Sport. 25 April 2014. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  16. ^ a b c "Salzburg pip St Pölten to Austrian Cup". UEFA. 18 May 2014. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  17. ^ "Kiessling hits five in German Cup". Bangkok Post. 16 August 2014. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  18. ^ Baumgartner, Jürgen (23 August 2014). "Leverkusen's Bellarabi buoyed by historic strike". UEFA. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  19. ^ "Bayern Munich beat Bayer Leverkusen on penalties to keep treble hopes alive". The Guardian. 8 April 2015. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  20. ^ "Atlético Madrid through after penalty pressure sinks Bayer Leverkusen". The Guardian. 17 March 2015. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  21. ^ "Bayer Leverkusen extend Roger Schmidt contract to 2019". Eurosport. 21 May 2015. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  22. ^ "Bayer 04 Leverkusen 0–1 Borussia Dortmund". BBC Sport. 22 February 2016. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  23. ^ "Leckie on target in Ingolstadt's last day loss to Leverkusen". Special Broadcasting Service. 15 May 2016. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  24. ^ "Roger Schmidt: Bayer Leverkusen sack boss after heavy defeat". BBC Sport. 5 March 2017. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  25. ^ "Trainer-Beben geht weiter – Roger Schmidt nach China". Bild (in German). 10 June 2017.
  26. ^ a b "足协杯-比埃拉建功张稀哲斩杀 国安客场2-2夺冠" (in Chinese). Sina Sports. 30 November 2018. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
  27. ^ "国安官宣施密特离任 热内西奥接任签约至赛季末" (in Chinese). Sina Sports. 31 July 2019. Retrieved 31 July 2019.
  28. ^ Emotionaler Abschied aus China! Hunderte feiern Roger Schmidt am Flughafen, Ran, 2019-08-05.
  29. ^ Einmaliger Abschied für den entlassenen Trainer Roger Schmidt, Bluewin, 2019-08-05.
  30. ^ "PSV appoint Roger Schmidt as new head coach". PSV Eindhoven official website. 11 March 2020. Archived from the original on 19 December 2021. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  31. ^ a b Wilson, Emily (7 August 2021). "PSV crush 10-man Ajax to win 2021 Johan Cruyff Shield". One Football. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  32. ^ "European roundup: Ajax lose Dutch Cup final but say Ten Hag may stay at club". The Guardian. 17 April 2022. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  33. ^ "Roger Schmidt stopt aan einde van seizoen als trainer van PSV". De Telegraaf (in Dutch). 3 February 2022. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
  34. ^ "Benfica oficializa Roger Schmidt" [Benfica confirm Roger Schmidt]. Record (in Portuguese). 18 May 2022. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  35. ^ "Benfica vence Maccabi-Haifa e começa 'Champions' com o pé direito". Sapo Desporto. 6 September 2022.
  36. ^ Matthew, Marshall (21 October 2022). "Benfica beat 10-man Porto 1-0 to go six points clear in the Primeira Liga". PortuGOAL. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
  37. ^ "SC Braga impõe primeira derrota ao Benfica". A Bola. 30 December 2022.
  38. ^ "Benfica soma 13.º jogo seguido sem perder na Liga dos Campeões e bate recorde do FC Porto" [Benfica sums 13 consecutive matches without losing in Champions League and surpasses FC Porto record]. Record (in Portuguese). 7 March 2023. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
  39. ^ "Um impressionante Benfica europeu: há muitos números a reter" [An impressive European Benfica: many numbers to retain]. zerozero (in Portuguese). 7 March 2023. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
  40. ^ "Benfica fire coach Schmidt". Reuters. 31 August 2024. Retrieved 4 September 2024.
  41. ^ ""Roger Schmidt já não é treinador do Benfica" - Rui Costa" (in Portuguese). S.L. Benfica. 31 August 2024. Retrieved 4 September 2024.
  42. ^ "Delbrücker SC". Westfalenkick (in German). Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  43. ^ "SC Preußen Münster". Westfalenkick (in German). Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  44. ^ a b c d "Roger Schmidt". Sofascore. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  45. ^ "Bayer 04 Leverkusen". kicker (in German). Retrieved 25 July 2014.
  46. ^ Roger Schmidt profile at zerozero.pt
  47. ^ "PSV verrast Ajax met twee goals vlak na rust en wint KNVB-beker". NOS. 17 April 2022. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  48. ^ Kundert, Tom (27 May 2023). "Benfica crowned champions of Portugal". PortuGOAL. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
  49. ^ Vaza, Marco (9 August 2023). "Benfica soube mudar para ganhar a Supertaça". Público (in Portuguese). Retrieved 9 August 2023.
  50. ^ "Roger Schmidt elected Manager of the Year of the Liga Portugal bwin 2022-23". Liga Portugal. 26 June 2023. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
  51. ^ "Best of August: Roger Schmidt wins the Vítor Oliveira Award – Manager of the Month in Liga Portugal bwin". Liga Portugal. 9 September 2022. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
  52. ^ "Best of October/November: Roger Schmidt wins the Vítor Oliveira Award - Manager of the Month in Liga Portugal bwin". Liga Portugal. 15 December 2022. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
  53. ^ "Roger Schmidt wins Manager of the Month in Liga Portugal bwin". Liga Portugal. 16 February 2023. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
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