Otto Rehhagel: Essen football legend finally in the Hall of Fame!

Otto Rehhagel: Essen football legend finally in the Hall of Fame!

On October 7, 2025, Otto Rehhagel, a native of Essen and a former Rot-Weiss Essen player, was ceremoniously inducted into the “Hall of Fame” of German football. The honor took place at the German Football Museum in Dortmund, where a jury of journalists honored his outstanding achievements. Rehhagel is one of the most successful coaches in German football and leaves behind a long list of achievements that he can look back on with pride.

His career began in the shoes of Rot-Weiss Essen, where he put various holes in the net before his great coaching years before playing for Hertha BSC and 1. FC Kaiserslautern. In 1981, Rehhagel finally took over the scepter at SV Werder Bremen and gave the club new impetus, and not just in terms of sport, with promotion to the Bundesliga. In the following 14 years he secured the German championship for the team twice and even brought home the DFB Cup twice. A special highlight was winning the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1992, when he and Werder Bremen triumphed in the final against AS Monaco.

A master of diversity

Rehhagel is known for his strength of character and his ability to shape a team. Under his aegis, Werder Bremen developed into an absolute Bundesliga powerhouse and numerous talents such as Rudi Völler and Marco Bode were able to develop under him. Werder Bremen set a remarkable record in the 1987-88 season: conceding fewer goals than ever before (only 22). These successes enabled him to gain a lot of sympathy in the football circle and to write his name into the history books.

After a short interlude at Bayern Munich, where his performances did not leave the desired impression, Rehhagel took over 1. FC Kaiserslautern in 1996, which was in the second division at the time. But here too, the coach was able to turn things around immediately and secure promotion to the Bundesliga, followed by the championship title in 1997. This made him the first coach to achieve this achievement with a newly promoted team. On the first matchday under his direction, Kaiserslautern sensationally won 1-0 against Bayern.

Europe's hero with Greek roots

The highlight of his career came with winning the 2004 European Championship, when he helped the Greek national team to a sensational title. In the final, his team defeated Portugal 1-0. This triumph was a historic moment, not only for Greek football, but also for Rehhagel, who was celebrated in Greece as “Rehakles” and is considered by many to be the strategic genius behind this success.

High-profile guests were also present at the honorary event. Among them were Bastian Schweinsteiger and Philipp Lahm, who dared to look back on Schweinsteiger's 2014 World Cup title. In a humorous speech, Horst Hrubesch, who was also honored, said that he felt good and wanted to stay active for a long time. Rehhagel's career makes it clear that he was not just a simple coach - he was a pioneer in German football who popularized the term "controlled offense" and knew how not only to shape talent, but also to re-motivate older players.

Otto Rehhagel, who wrote a whole piece of football history through his successes and how he dealt with each club, will remain unforgettable. Whether with a wink or a broad grin, the honor in Dortmund is just further proof that his name is an integral part of German football culture.

For more information about Otto Rehhagel, read how t-online.de reports or find out more about his successes on Wikipedia.