After 12 years from a spectator in the stands to a manager, Terzic's Dortmund imprint has never changed

Beiqing Sports

2024-05-08 09:33Published on the official account of Beijing Beiqing Sports News

Who is the hero behind Dortmund's return to the Champions League final after 11 years? Some say it's the old captain Hummels, others say it's Jadon Sancho who has regained his form at his old club, but these are all true, they are both absolute core strengths, but for a team, the real helmsman must be their manager. And Dortmund was led by the previously unknown Terzic to finally walk on the Champions League stage again. Terzic once watched the team be crowned league champions as a fan in the stands, and now, 12 years later, he has the opportunity to lead the team to the Champions League for the third time as a manager.

Born in Menden, Germany, in 1982, Terzic is a Yugoslav immigrant, while he himself chooses to hold Croatian and German passports. If you want to talk about his family's relationship with football, you have to mention Terzic's brother, who used to be a scout for Borussia Dortmund and also served as the team's administrator for Borussia Dortmund II.

While studying at the University of Bochum, Terzic majored in sports science, and at that time he played for four lower teams, but his performances did not attract much attention. What changed his life was when he joined the Dortmund Academy in 2010 and began his career as a coach.

From 2010 to 2013, he served as an assistant coach for the Hornets U19, 2 and U17 teams, before leaving Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 2013 to join his predecessor Bilic in Besiktas as his assistant coach. Two years later, he went to West Ham United again with the "Rock Coach", until the Croatian coaching staff was fired two years later, and he ended two four-year overseas coaching resumes.

2018 was a crucial year for Terzic, who won his UEFA professional coaching certificate and returned to Borussia Dortmund as an assistant coach in the first team, where he was assisted by Favre. Following the Swiss' sacking at the end of 2020, Terzic was appointed interim head coach until the end of the season, his first first-team manager.

However, just when the outside world thought that Terzic would justifiably "turn positive", Dortmund chose to make him the team's technical director instead of the official manager in the summer of 2021, that is, after he led the team for half a season. You know, Terzic helped the team win the German Cup that season and qualify for the Champions League.

Although this choice may seem strange, Terzic did not actually leave the position for long, as his predecessor Marco Roze left the team after barely finishing a season due to his mediocre record, and it was Terzic who took his place. Since his official appointment on 1 July 2022, he has been in charge for one year, 10 months and seven days, and the team has advanced to the Champions League final for the third time in their history under his leadership.

Previously, Klopp led Borussia Dortmund to the Champions League final in the 2012-2013 season, but lost to Bayern Munich in the final. In the 1996-1997 season, Dortmund reached the Champions League final for the first time under Heathfield, beating Juventus in the final that year to win the first and only Champions League trophy in team history.

When Jurgen Klopp led Borussia Dortmund to their eighth Bundesliga title 12 years ago, Terzic was a fan in a Dortmund jacket and a Dortmund scarf to watch the team win the title from the stands. Now, 12 years later, he has been honed in different positions such as assistant coach of the youth team, coach and even technical director of the first team, and he is already the man who can lead the team back to the Champions League final stage. Regardless of the final outcome, Terzic has written his name into the history of Dortmund.

Text/Beiqing Sports Zhang Kunlong

View original image 49K

• 

• 

•