Thorsten Fink
Encyclopedia
Thorsten Fink is a German
football coach
and former player, currently manager of Bundesliga
club Hamburger SV
.
's reserve squad before moving to SG Wattenscheid 09
, where he helped them gain promotion to the German premier league, the Bundesliga, in 1990. After the club's relegation in 1994, he moved to Karlsruher SC
, where he spent three seasons as a regular and impressed so much that he earned himself a move to the most successful club in Germany, Bayern Munich
, in 1997. He subsequently spent seven seasons at Bayern, five of which as a regular, but lost his place in the starting lineup in 2002 and was transferred to the club's reserve squad in the German third division, the Regionalliga
, in February 2003, although he managed a return to the Bundesliga squad in late April 2003. In the 2003–04 season, he became a regular in Bayern's reserve squad and only made one, his last, Bundesliga appearance that season, coming on as a substitute against VfL Wolfsburg
in September 2003. His contract with Bayern's Bundesliga squad expired in June 2004 and he subsequently only continued to play another two seasons for the club's reserve squad before definitely ending his playing career upon the end of the 2005–06 season.
While playing for Bayern's first team, he helped the team reach the 1999 Champions League final
against Manchester United
, where Bayern dramatically lost 2–1, conceding two goals in injury time. Fink came on as a substitute late in the game, but his sliced clearance in the 91st minute led to United's equaliser, with the ball breaking to Ryan Giggs
whose shot was turned into the net by Teddy Sheringham
.
However, Fink still managed to pick up a Champions League winner's medal two years later, as Bayern beat Valencia
in the 2001 Champions League final
on penalties, although he did not play in the match. He also won four Bundesliga champions titles and three German Cups with the club.
He was forced to end his playing career in 2006 after sustaining cartilage
damage in his knee.
as the assistant of headcoach Trappatoni, Fink stepped up and became the new assistant.
Fink took over as head coach of FC Ingolstadt 04
on 4 January 2007, replacing Jürgen Press, who was sacked on New Years Day. He appointed Heiko Vogel
as his assistant. Fink was fired on 21 April 2009.
On 9 June 2009, Fink was appointed manager of FC Basel
in the Swiss Super League
as replacement for Christian Gross
. Fink took his assistant Vogel with him. In domestic affairs 2009/10 Basel swept the board. Despite a poor start to the season, Finks' Basel came back to win the 2010 Super League title
on the last day of the season with an away win against favourites BSC Young Boys
in the Stade de Suisse. Young prospect Valentin Stocker
and club legend Scott Chipperfield
gave Basel the goals in the 2–0 victory on May 16. FC Basel won the Swiss Cup Final 2010
with a 6–0 victory over FC Lausanne-Sport on May 9. With Fink Basel also won the 2011 Super League title
and the 2011 Uhrencup
. As Fink left the club Vogel replaced him as manager.
On 13 October 2011, Fink signed a contract with Hamburger SV
to manage the Hanseatic club through 2014.
As manager
FC Basel
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
football coach
Coach (sport)
In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...
and former player, currently manager of Bundesliga
Bundesliga
The Bundesliga is the name for the premier league of any sport in Germany or Austria...
club Hamburger SV
Hamburger SV
Hamburger Sport-Verein, usually referred to as HSV in Germany and Hamburg in international parlance, is a German multi-sport club based in Hamburg, its largest branch being its football department...
.
Career
Fink began his career with Borussia DortmundBorussia Dortmund
Ballspielverein Borussia Dortmund, commonly BVB, are a German sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. Dortmund are one of the most successful clubs in German football history. Borussia Dortmund play in the Bundesliga, the top league of German football...
's reserve squad before moving to SG Wattenscheid 09
SG Wattenscheid 09
SG Wattenscheid 09 is a German association football club, located in Wattenscheid which is part of Bochum, North Rhine-Westphalia. The club claims an official founding date of 18 September 1909 as Ballspiel-Verein Wattenscheid out of the merger of two earlier sides known as BV Sodalität der...
, where he helped them gain promotion to the German premier league, the Bundesliga, in 1990. After the club's relegation in 1994, he moved to Karlsruher SC
Karlsruher SC
Karlsruher SC is a German association football club, based in Karlsruhe, Baden-Württemberg. KSC rose out of the consolidation of a number of predecessor clubs. They currently play in the 2...
, where he spent three seasons as a regular and impressed so much that he earned himself a move to the most successful club in Germany, Bayern Munich
FC Bayern Munich
FC Bayern Munich , is a German sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. It is best known for its professional football team, which is the most successful football club in Germany, having won 22 national titles and 15 cups....
, in 1997. He subsequently spent seven seasons at Bayern, five of which as a regular, but lost his place in the starting lineup in 2002 and was transferred to the club's reserve squad in the German third division, the Regionalliga
Regionalliga (football)
The Fußball-Regionalliga is the fourth tier of football in the German football league system. Until 1974, it was the second tier of the league system before being disbanded. The Regionalliga was then re-introduced as the third tier of the system in 1994...
, in February 2003, although he managed a return to the Bundesliga squad in late April 2003. In the 2003–04 season, he became a regular in Bayern's reserve squad and only made one, his last, Bundesliga appearance that season, coming on as a substitute against VfL Wolfsburg
VfL Wolfsburg
VfL Wolfsburg is a professional German association football club based in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, who play in the Bundesliga football competition. Wolfsburg have won the Bundesliga once in their history, in the 2008–09 season, and were DFB-Pokal runners-up in 1995. The current head coach is Felix...
in September 2003. His contract with Bayern's Bundesliga squad expired in June 2004 and he subsequently only continued to play another two seasons for the club's reserve squad before definitely ending his playing career upon the end of the 2005–06 season.
While playing for Bayern's first team, he helped the team reach the 1999 Champions League final
1999 UEFA Champions League Final
The 1999 UEFA Champions League Final was a football match that took place on Wednesday, 26 May 1999. The match was played at Camp Nou in Barcelona, Spain, to determine the winner of the 1998–99 UEFA Champions League. The final was contested by Manchester United and Bayern Munich...
against Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
, where Bayern dramatically lost 2–1, conceding two goals in injury time. Fink came on as a substitute late in the game, but his sliced clearance in the 91st minute led to United's equaliser, with the ball breaking to Ryan Giggs
Ryan Giggs
Ryan Joseph Giggs OBE is a Welsh professional footballer who plays for Manchester United. Giggs made his first appearance for the club during the 1990–91 season and has been a regular player since the 1991–92 season...
whose shot was turned into the net by Teddy Sheringham
Teddy Sheringham
Edward Paul "Teddy" Sheringham MBE is a retired English footballer, and the father of footballer Charlie Sheringham. Sheringham played as a striker, and had a successful career at the club level, winning almost every domestic honour available with his clubs, most notably the Treble with Manchester...
.
However, Fink still managed to pick up a Champions League winner's medal two years later, as Bayern beat Valencia
Valencia CF
Valencia Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Valencia, Spain. They play in La Liga and are one of the most successful and biggest clubs in Spanish Football and European Football. Valencia have won six La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey trophies, two Fairs Cups which was the...
in the 2001 Champions League final
2001 UEFA Champions League Final
The 2001 UEFA Champions League Final was a football match that took place at San Siro in Milan, Italy, on 23 May 2001, to decide the winner of the 2000–01 UEFA Champions League. The match pitted Bayern Munich against Valencia. The match finished in a 1–1 draw, but Bayern clinched their fourth...
on penalties, although he did not play in the match. He also won four Bundesliga champions titles and three German Cups with the club.
He was forced to end his playing career in 2006 after sustaining cartilage
Cartilage
Cartilage is a flexible connective tissue found in many areas in the bodies of humans and other animals, including the joints between bones, the rib cage, the ear, the nose, the elbow, the knee, the ankle, the bronchial tubes and the intervertebral discs...
damage in his knee.
Coaching career
By this time, he had already graduated from Cologne Sport University, in December 2005, after taking a course on coaching. From 5 September 2006, he began coaching for Red Bull Salzburg's amateur side. After the departure of Lothar MatthäusLothar Matthäus
Lothar Herbert Matthäus , is a German football manager and former player.In 1990, he was named European Footballer of the Year and World Soccer Player of the Year after captaining West Germany to victory in the 1990 World Cup...
as the assistant of headcoach Trappatoni, Fink stepped up and became the new assistant.
Fink took over as head coach of FC Ingolstadt 04
FC Ingolstadt 04
FC Ingolstadt 04 is a German football club based in Ingolstadt, Bavaria. The club was founded in 2004 out of the merger of the football sides of two other clubs: ESV Ingolstadt and MTV Ingolstadt.-ESV Ingolstadt:...
on 4 January 2007, replacing Jürgen Press, who was sacked on New Years Day. He appointed Heiko Vogel
Heiko Vogel
Heiko Vogel is a German football manager. Presently he is manager of the Swiss Swiss Super League club FC Basel.- Activ Career :...
as his assistant. Fink was fired on 21 April 2009.
On 9 June 2009, Fink was appointed manager of FC Basel
FC Basel
Fussball Club Basel 1893, widely known as FC Basel is a Swiss football club based in Basel. They are one of the most successful clubs in Swiss football, having won the Swiss Super League 14 times, the third most for any Swiss club. They were most successful in the late 1960s and 1970s, winning the...
in the Swiss Super League
Swiss Super League
The Swiss Super League or Axpo Super League is the top tier of the Swiss Football League. The Swiss Super League is currently ranked 16th according to UEFA's ranking of league coefficients, which is based upon Swiss team performances in European competitions.-Names:-Participating clubs:The teams...
as replacement for Christian Gross
Christian Gross
Christian Gross is a professional football coach and former player who currently manages Young Boys Bern. Before that he managed VfB Stuttgart until his dismissal in October 2010. He was manager of FC Basel from 1 July 1999 to 27 May 2009.-Playing career:Gross began his playing career at...
. Fink took his assistant Vogel with him. In domestic affairs 2009/10 Basel swept the board. Despite a poor start to the season, Finks' Basel came back to win the 2010 Super League title
2009–10 Swiss Super League
The 2009–10 Swiss Super League is the 113th season of top-tier football in Switzerland. The competition is officially named AXPO Super League due to sponsoring purposes. It began on 11 July 2009 and will end in May 2010. FC Zürich were the defending champions...
on the last day of the season with an away win against favourites BSC Young Boys
BSC Young Boys
Berner Sport Club Young Boys 1898 is a Swiss sporting club based in the capital city of Bern. The name is often abbreviated to YB . Abroad, YB is often referred to as Young Boys Bern. The club's colors are yellow and black....
in the Stade de Suisse. Young prospect Valentin Stocker
Valentin Stocker
Valentin Stocker is a Swiss international footballer who plays as a midfielder for FC Basel in the Swiss Super League.-Club:...
and club legend Scott Chipperfield
Scott Chipperfield
Scott Kenneth Chipperfield is an Australian international football player who currently plays as a midfielder for FC Basel in the Swiss Super League.-Personal life:...
gave Basel the goals in the 2–0 victory on May 16. FC Basel won the Swiss Cup Final 2010
2009–10 Swiss Cup
The 2009–10 Swiss Cup was the 85th season of Switzerland's annual football cup competition. It began on 17 September with the first game of Round 1 and ended on 9 May 2010 with the Final held at St. Jakob-Park, Basel. The competition was won by FC Basel, who defeated second-level side...
with a 6–0 victory over FC Lausanne-Sport on May 9. With Fink Basel also won the 2011 Super League title
2010–11 Swiss Super League
The 2010–11 Swiss Super League was the 114th season of top-tier football in Switzerland. It began on 17 July 2010 and ended on 25 May 2011. The league comprised ten teams....
and the 2011 Uhrencup
Uhrencup
The Uhrencup is a club football tournament, held annually in Switzerland.The tournament usually features four teams , each playing two matches, and is held in July at Stadion Brühl in Grenchen. As a friendly tournament, the format tends to be fluid...
. As Fink left the club Vogel replaced him as manager.
On 13 October 2011, Fink signed a contract with Hamburger SV
Hamburger SV
Hamburger Sport-Verein, usually referred to as HSV in Germany and Hamburg in international parlance, is a German multi-sport club based in Hamburg, its largest branch being its football department...
to manage the Hanseatic club through 2014.
Honours
As player- BundesligaFußball-BundesligaThe Fußball-Bundesliga is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of Germany's football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 18 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the 2. Bundesliga...
: 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2002–03 - German CupDFB-PokalThe DFB-Pokal or DFB Cup is a German knockout football cup competition held annually. 64 teams participate in the competition, including all clubs from the Bundesliga and the 2nd Bundesliga. It is considered the second most important national title in German football after the Bundesliga...
: 1997–98, 1999–2000, 2002–03 - Intercontinental CupIntercontinental Cup (football)The European/South American Cup, commonly referred to as the World Club Championship, Intercontinental Cup or Toyota Cup, was a football competition endorsed by UEFA and CONMEBOL, contested between the winners of the European Cup and the South American Copa Libertadores...
: 2001 - UEFA Champions LeagueUEFA Champions LeagueThe UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
: 2000–01
As manager
FC Basel
- Swiss CupSchweizer CupThe Swiss Cup is a football cup tournament that has been organised annually since 1926 by the Swiss Football Association . The winner is allowed to take part in the UEFA Europa League. Between 2003 and 2008 the cup has been sponsored and known as the Swisscom Cup.-Finals:All played...
: 2009–102009–10 Swiss CupThe 2009–10 Swiss Cup was the 85th season of Switzerland's annual football cup competition. It began on 17 September with the first game of Round 1 and ended on 9 May 2010 with the Final held at St. Jakob-Park, Basel. The competition was won by FC Basel, who defeated second-level side... - Swiss Super LeagueSwiss Super LeagueThe Swiss Super League or Axpo Super League is the top tier of the Swiss Football League. The Swiss Super League is currently ranked 16th according to UEFA's ranking of league coefficients, which is based upon Swiss team performances in European competitions.-Names:-Participating clubs:The teams...
: 2009–102009–10 Swiss Super LeagueThe 2009–10 Swiss Super League is the 113th season of top-tier football in Switzerland. The competition is officially named AXPO Super League due to sponsoring purposes. It began on 11 July 2009 and will end in May 2010. FC Zürich were the defending champions...
, 2010–112010–11 Swiss Super LeagueThe 2010–11 Swiss Super League was the 114th season of top-tier football in Switzerland. It began on 17 July 2010 and ended on 25 May 2011. The league comprised ten teams.... - Uhrencup WinnerUhrencupThe Uhrencup is a club football tournament, held annually in Switzerland.The tournament usually features four teams , each playing two matches, and is held in July at Stadion Brühl in Grenchen. As a friendly tournament, the format tends to be fluid...
: 2011