With the FIFA Club World Cup final triumph on Thursday night, Hansi Flick not only made history with Bayern Munich by matching Barcelona’s record of six titles set in 2009 under Pep Guardiola.
He also set an individual best-mark: the 55-year-old became the first person to win both the Club World Cup (since 2000) and the FIFA World Cup as coach, having done so in 2014 as Joachim Low’s assistant.
Flick coached Bayern to defeat Tigres 1-0 in Thursday’s Club World Cup final in Qatar, adding the trophy to the club’s Bundesliga, DFB Pokal, UEFA Champions League, German Super Cup and UEFA Super Cup title all within one year.
“Congratulations to my team,” Flick said after the final. “They have completed a historical feat, they have won six titles in one season. Even for the successful club that is FC Bayern München, this was the most successful season ever. The team played outstandingly. The win was never in danger, we dominated and deservedly won the final.
“It was very difficult for me as well, we were all at the limit, the same goes for me at the touchline. The match against Tigres was on eye-level, even though we dominated. They deserved to be in this final.”
Following that 2014 World Cup triumph, Flick worked as an official at both the DFB and Bundesliga side 1899 Hoffenheim before joining Bayern as Niko Kovac’s assistant for the 2019/20 season. When he succeeded Kovac as head coach in November 2019, it was the prelude to an unprecedented period of success, that included a 32-match unbeaten run in all competitions, as well as glory in the Bundesliga, DFB Cup, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, DFL Supercup and now the FIFA Club World Cup.
Flick was instrumental in Germany’s 2014 World Cup title win as Low’s assistant and has completely transformed Bayern Munich since taking over from Kovac.
He implemented far greater intensity when pressing, a higher defensive line and, together with his staff, prepared his team in the best possible way for the final phase of the Champions League during the suspension of play caused by the pandemic.
In doing so, he was always mindful of the need for loyalty from his players, and proved himself to be an empathetic and even-handed man-manager. “Right from the start, he created a very good atmosphere in the team and gave us a lot of confidence. We had the feeling we were unbeatable,” said Joshua Kimmich.
Although Flick, a midfielder in his playing days, lifted the Bundesliga title four times with Bayern and represented Germany at youth level, he never earned a senior cap for his country. After the 2006 World Cup he was recruited as assistant to Low, himself newly appointed as head coach. The pair formed a harmonious duo from the outset, and although Flick kept a low profile in public, within the Germany set-up he worked independently in many areas.
