Bayer 04 mourn the loss of Peter Hermann

“I owe everything to football.” That’s what Peter Hermann said in March 2025 at the end of the WDR 2 podcast ‘Einfach Fußball’. His voice was already somewhat affected by the neurological condition that had recently confined him to a wheelchair. Anyone listening to this wonderful conversation about the love of football – in which Hermann’s good friend Jürgen Gelsdorf also took part – couldn’t help but catch their breath at that final sentence. “I owe everything to football” – these words were moving because they clearly came from the heart. Because they were an expression of the self-image of a man who was never drawn into the limelight. And yet, of course, the reverse is also true: football owes a great deal to Peter Hermann.

He was the quintessential assistant manager in Germany. More renowned and respected in the sport than many a head coach. An undisputed football expert, Hermann never made a fuss about himself. Down-to-earth, modest, loyal. A man with a great sense of humour and without a trace of vanity. A team player, a meticulous worker and a good listener. Someone who continued to learn even in his later years, remained curious and was always up to date. He inspired players and made them better, treating young talents and established stars with the same respect. “Peter was always there for me,” recalls Bayer 04’s honorary captain Stefan Kießling. “I owe him a great deal. He was an incredibly good motivator and he had many one-to-one conversations with the players because he simply had a great deal of tact.”

Wherever the name Peter Hermann is mentioned, he is spoken of with nothing but the utmost respect. “He had an incredible wealth of expertise. As far as I’m concerned, he’s the best assistant manager there has ever been,” says Klaus Toppmöller, who was runner-up three times with Bayer 04 in the 2001/2002 season, with Hermann at his side.

"a wonderful person with a marvellous character"

Jupp Heynckes once spoke in similarly glowing terms about his colleague, who he met in Leverkusen in 2009. With the Werkself, the pair finished as runners-up in 2011; two years later, the duo won the treble with FC Bayern, securing the Bundesliga title, the DFB Pokal and the Champions League. “Peter is a brilliant person with a wonderful character. He’s very empathetic, connects with players quickly and gains their trust straight away. That’s absolutely, absolutely vital. We understood each other perfectly – he was a great support to me and played a key part in our success in Leverkusen and Munich. Over the years, he’s become a good friend to me.” In 2017, Heynckes also insisted that Hermann should return as his assistant should he take charge of Bayern again. The record champions bought the sought-after assistant manager out of his current contract with Fortuna Düsseldorf for a substantial sum at the time. This, too, was a sign of the enormous respect Hermann enjoyed in Germany. In Munich, he won the German league title again with Heynckes in 2018; a year later, he won the double with Bayern under Niko Kovac.

Peter Hermann was never tempted to take on the role of head coach anywhere. As an assistant coach, however, he was the ideal choice at many clubs for decades – and not just at Bayer 04 and Bayern Munich. Even though the club always held a special place in his heart. He has worked there in so many different roles: as a player, assistant manager, caretaker manager during particularly difficult times, coach of the reserve team and in the scouting department. For almost 30 years, he has helped shape football at the club.

After starting his football career at his local club, FV Engers 04, and a spell at TuS Neuendorf, Hermann made the leap to the Bundesliga at the age of 21, joining Hamburger SV. The attacking midfielder played alongside the likes of Rudi Kargus, Manfred Kaltz and Kaspar Memering in the Hanseatic city. However, he only made two brief appearances for HSV and moved to Alemannia Aachen after a year. Hermann made a flying start at the second-tier side, immediately becoming a first-team regular and he went on to make 71 appearances for the Black and Yellows over two years. Bayer 04, having been promoted to Bundesliga 2 in 1975, signed the then 24-year-old in the summer of 1976 – it was the start of a lifelong association. In Leverkusen, too, Hermann quickly proved himself indispensable. In his very first match under coach Willibert Kremer, the new signing scored to make it 1–1 against VfL Osnabrück. From then on, he was in the starting line-up for all 37 subsequent matches. With just two exceptions, the fit and dynamic attacking player always played the full 90 minutes. By the end of his first season at Bayer 04, he had scored nine goals.

promotion hero and saviour in times of need

During the 1978/79 season, Hermann was one of the heroes of the club’s promotion to the Bundesliga. He contributed to what was, at the time, the greatest success in the club’s history, scoring two goals and providing numerous assists in 28 matches. The team – featuring goalkeeper Fred Bockholt, Jürgen Gelsdorf, Thomas Hörster, Dieter Herzog, Norbert Ziegler, Klaus Bruckmann and Matthias Brücken – remained something of a second family to him. Whenever time allowed, Hermann would attend the regular get-togethers with his former team-mates, many of whom remained among his closest friends even decades after promotion. Jürgen Gelsdorf, for example. “We played together for Bayer 04 for eight years,” recalls the chair of the football department at TSV Bayer 04. “Back then, we still wore our socks pulled down low. As a tireless runner and technically gifted dribbler, Peter went on to become the dedicated marker of the opposition’s playmakers – Paul Breitner could tell you a thing or two about that.” In total, Hermann played 235 competitive matches for the Werkself, scoring 35 goals along the way.

In the end, it was Jürgen Gelsdorf who managed to persuade his friend to join him as assistant manager at Bayer 04 in 1989. Hermann had just brought his playing career at VfL Hamm/Sieg to a close and accepted the offer straight away. “Peter certainly wouldn’t have thought back then that he’d end up doing this job for so long and with such success,” said Gelsdorf. Hermann was indeed to enjoy an even more successful career as an assistant manager than he had as a player. Gelsdorf: “When you look at how many world-class players he’s worked with at all his clubs, how many brilliant managers he’s worked with in a spirit of mutual trust, and how they all speak of him in exclusively positive terms, it’s truly extraordinary. You can only take your hat off to that.”

Following his time with Jürgen Gelsdorf, Hermann worked in Leverkusen as an assistant to managers such as Dragoslav Stepanovic, Erich Ribbeck, Christoph Daum, Berti Vogts, Klaus Toppmöller, Klaus Augenthaler and Michael Skibbe. Whenever the club was in a tight spot, he would step in at short notice as caretaker manager. His most precarious and nerve-wracking spell came in the spring of 1996. Hermann was now solely responsible for the team following the sacking of head coach Erich Ribbeck in the final stages of the season. The mission to avoid relegation was accomplished at the very last moment thanks to a 1–1 draw in the ‘decider’ against Kaiserslautern. “Before the match, Peter gave a very emotional speech that made a deep impression on all of us,” recalls goalkeeping legend Rüdiger Vollborn. “He knew exactly what was at stake. And he made sure we understood that too. We simply couldn’t be relegated.”

Almost exactly 25 years later, Hermann didn’t hesitate for a second when Bayer 04 asked him to step in at short notice as assistant manager under Hannes Wolf. Wolf’s task was to lead the Werkself into a European competition in their final eight matches. “The fact that we did indeed reach the Europa League, as we’d hoped, was also largely down to Peter,” said Rudi Völler, who himself was able to rely on Hermann as his right-hand man in a number of matches whilst serving as Bayer 04’s interim manager. “Peter always had a special connection to Bayer 04,” said Völler.

it was most intense under the bayer cross

Quite true. Even during his subsequent spells at FC Nürnberg, Bayern Munich, Schalke 04, Hamburger SV, Fortuna Düsseldorf, Borussia Dortmund and the DFB, the centre of Hermann’s life always remained Leverkusen-Opladen. That is where he put down roots and started a family. Peter Hermann, born in Kleinmaischeid, Rhineland-Palatinate, in 1952, was a Leverkusen man through and through. But first and foremost, he was someone who loved football. Every club he worked for could be certain of his passion, professionalism and identification with the club. Hermann threw himself into new challenges with the same enthusiasm every time. That is why he was so highly regarded everywhere. And that is why the fans never held his moves to other clubs against him. Even when, in the summer of 2022, at the age of 70, he moved from the ‘Royal Blues’ at Schalke to the ‘Black and Yellows’ at BVB, it wasn’t a problem. His six months as Edin Terzic’s assistant at Borussia Dortmund proved to be his final posting. In December 2022, Hermann had to step down due to ill health. “I really enjoyed my time at all the clubs. It was a wonderful period. But it was under the Bayer Cross that it was the most intense for me,” said Hermann, looking back.

As a regular and welcome guest at the BayArena, he also experienced the historic 2023/24 double-winning season first-hand. Hermann watched all of the Werkself’s home matches alongside Jürgen Gelsdorf. “The crowning glory was, of course, winning the Bundesliga. We actually deserved that title much earlier.” “We” – Hermann always saw himself as part of the Bayer 04 family. And rightly so. Right up until the end, he also felt a close connection to Leverkusen’s youth football. Whenever he could, he went to watch the U17 and U19 matches. And, of course, he was always fully up to speed on the young talents.

Peter Hermann passed away on Saturday at the age of 74. Bayer 04 mourn the loss of a good friend and mentor. Peter will never be forgotten.