Legend: Christoph Daum - The man who taught us to want

In the 1970s, Daum played as a midfielder for Hamborn 07, Eintracht Duisburg and the FC Köln reserve team. At the same time, he prepared himself single-mindedly for his coaching career: He studied sports science, completed the DFB training courses and finally obtained his coaching badge - the basis for his path into professional football. He remained largely unknown as a player, but his time in Cologne opened doors for him that would have a decisive influence on his future.

In 1981, Daum started as a youth coach at FC Köln. In the 1985/1986 season, he was promoted to assistant coach of the first team and in September 1986, after a crushing 4-1 home defeat against Bayer 04, he became the youngest Bundesliga coach to take over as head coach. His start was spectacular: He possessed a spirited demeanour, communicated in a modern way and relied on innovative training methods. Under his leadership, FC Köln finished runners-up in 1989 and 1990. Daum established himself as one of Germany's greatest coaching talents.

a new era under the cross begins in the summer of 1996

In 1990, he moved to VfB Stuttgart and lifted his first major trophy there. In 1992, he led the club to the German league title with attacking, dominant football. His reputation as a visionary was cemented, but his time in Stuttgart came to an end after differences over the future direction of the club. From 1994 to 1996, Daum coached the Turkish capital city club Besiktas and they were champions in his very first season. In 1996, Bayer 04 manager Reiner Calmund brings him to Leverkusen.

Although the Werkself had already won the UEFA Cup in 1988 and the DFB Pokal in 1993, and later had world stars such as Bernd Schuster and Rudi Völler playing in the team, Bayer 04 had not yet managed to compete for the Bundesliga title. After the dramatically poor 1995/96 season, where the club only managed to avoid relegation on the final matchday of the season, Christoph Daum started an era that thrilled the fans for six years. He was in the dugout for the first four of these. Daum instilled a new spirit in the team: Courage, movement, counter-pressing, constant activity, team spirit. His training sessions were tough but focussed, always geared towards the next opponent. Young players grew into personalities under his guidance, and Bayer 04 becomes a magnet for talent - because Daum created an atmosphere where everyone senses we can achieve something.

best time of their careers for many players

At the end of the 1990s, his team delivered football that remains unforgotten today: quick transitions, attacking wing play, elegance paired with explosiveness. Michael Ballack took his first steps towards world stardom under him, Jens Nowotny grew as captain, Zé Roberto, Emerson and Ulf Kirsten really blossomed. Together with his assistant coach Roland Koch, Daum forms a team that thrilled the BayArena crowd. He finished runner-up three times with Bayer 04. The championship trophy eluded him - but he created something rare and valuable: identity. Many see this period as the origin of the later "Vizekusen" image, especially after the drama of Unterhaching 2000. Others are convinced that Bayer 04 would never have become the modern top club it is today without Daum's foundation.

One thing is clear to me: He kissed this club awake. He taught us the desire, the longing for a trophy. And his four years as coach laid the foundations for the fantastic 2001/2002 season. If you talk to players from that time, they often describe those years as the best of their careers. Even for me, they remain the best years under the Bayer Cross, even though I wasn’t the number 1 under him. It was a pleasure to go to training, to work and to watch the team put his ideas into action at the weekend.

Daum remains a fighter

Im Sommer 2000 planen DFB-Verantwortliche, ihn zum Bundestrainer zu machen. Wenig später tauchen Kokainvorwürfe auf. Daum weist sie zunächst entschieden zurück, gibt dann jedoch eine Haarprobe ab – und diese fällt positiv aus. Der Skandal führt zu seiner Entlassung in Leverkusen. Daums Absturz zählt zu den spektakulärsten der deutschen Fußballgeschichte und trifft besonders jene, die ihn unter dem Bayer-Kreuz verehren. Die Mannschaft steht kurz vor ihrem sportlichen Höhe

In the summer of 2000, DFB officials plan to make him the national coach. A short time later, allegations of cocaine use emerge. Daum initially firmly rejects them, but then gives a hair sample - which turns out positive. The scandal led to his dismissal in Leverkusen. Daum's fall from grace was one of the most spectacular in German football history and particularly affected those who worshipped him under the Bayer Cross. The team was on the brink of its sporting peak, the national team awaited him - and then came the long drop. Although he leaves the stage abruptly, the connection to Bayer 04 remains tangible - it is not destroyed, just damaged.

Daum remains a fighter. In 2001, he made a fresh start in Turkey, securing the Turkish league title with Besiktas, moves on to Austria Vienna and later wins two more championship titles with Fenerbahçe. His emotionality and enthusiasm made him a cult figure there. He coached FC Köln again for three years from 2006 to 2009, before returning to Fenerbahçe and continuing his successful work.

After his return to Germany, Daum briefly took over Eintracht Frankfurt, but was unable to prevent the club from being relegated. This was followed by spells at Club Brugge, Bursaspor and finally as coach of the Romania national team - his last major job.

In retirement, Daum publishes his autobiography "Immer am Limit", in which he talks openly about success, crashes, family and mistakes. In 2022, he makes his lung cancer public. He battled bravely against it for two years and appeared determined and reflective in interviews and documentaries - vulnerable but with a strong character, just as we know him.

Christoph Daum passed away in Cologne on 24 August 2024 at the age of 70. He will be remembered as someone who polarised, but never bored. A coach who moulded players, shaped teams and created something in Leverkusen that cannot be measured: a feeling, a new beginning, an identity.