Rudi Völler’s work at the German Football Association will officially start on February 1st. The 62-year-old succeeds Oliver Bierhoff, who was released after the disappointing World Cup in Qatar from a German perspective, and holds the post of director for the senior national team and the U21 selection of the DFB. His focus is primarily on the upcoming European Championships in his own country in 2024. “We have to awaken enthusiasm again, in the environment, among football fans,” says Völler in an interview with the Cologne city gazette: “Such a big tournament is simply a huge opportunity. Not only for the sporting infrastructure, but also in the social context.”
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After the failed appearances of the DFB team at the World Cups in 2018 and 2022, which ended after the group phase, Völler is also building on a functioning cooperation with the Bundesliga clubs. “The national team is the most important team we have. And the called-up players have to act in every friendly match as if it were a qualifier,” said Bayer Leverkusen’s sporting director and managing director for many years. “Of course the clubs have other interests. That’s normal, I know these interests because I come from club football. Here I have to be the interface and find solutions if there are problems.”
Basically, it is his job to work through the omissions of the last few years and to reflect on his own qualities. “For decades we’ve trained not only good strikers but also wonderful defenders who have won tackles and mastered the header game,” says Völler, not only seeing the DFB as responsible, but also the training clubs: “But today it’s even in the fourth division It’s all about how a central defender opens the game. That’s important, of course, but you also have to win tackles. The basics have to be right.”
Despite the recent failures, Völler remains convinced of the footballing class of the German national team. You don’t have to hide from big nations like world champions Argentina. “Apart from Lionel Messi, who is outstanding and who everyone has treated to this world title, nobody should tell me that the Argentines are better than us,” says Völler: “But they defended with incredible passion. They’re open defended in a way that was impressive and that’s what made them world champions.”
