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May 30, 2026 11:30+06:00
Translated by "He was eager to come": FC Bayern had hoped to bring Julian Nagelsmann to Munich much earlier.
Bundesliga J. Nagelsmann Bayern Munich Hoffenheim
Julian Nagelsmann joined FC Bayern in the summer of 2021. Yet the record champions had already been tracking the young coach for six years. Memories of Julian Nagelsmann's reign at FC Bayern are still fresh. He moved from RB Leipzig to Munich in the summer of 2021, and his dismissal in the spring of 2023 came as something of a surprise. Thomas Tuchel replaced him, but he too failed to achieve long-term success in Munich.
What might have happened if Bayern hadn't been turned down by TSG Hoffenheim—specifically by club patron Dietmar Hopp—back in 2015? Even then, FCB had set its sights on the rising coaching talent and wanted to bring Nagelsmann to Munich. This revelation came from Michael Reschke, Bayern's former technical director, in the podcast 'Nagelsmann – The Youngest One' by t-online. "As a local boy, it was a great story for him and he was simply very keen to move to Munich to become the U19 coach within the whole setup under Pep Guardiola," says Reschke.
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Could Julian Nagelsmann have joined Bayern Munich as early as 2015? Uli Hoeneß tried in vain.
Uli Hoeneß backed the idea and, leveraging his close relationship with TSG chairman Dietmar Hopp, briefed him on Bayern's plan. Yet the move collapsed when Hopp replied, "No chance. He's staying; we have big plans for him." Hopp already saw Nagelsmann as the club's future first-team coach, a role he assumed in the winter of 2016 at just 28. In 2019, the now-Germany boss moved to RB Leipzig before answering Munich's call two years later. In 2022, Nagelsmann won the Bundesliga with Bayern.
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