Former soccer coach Christoph Daum, who passed away at 70, left a lasting legacy in
But it wasn’t just on the pitch where Daum threw down the gauntlet, during said interview he directly attacked the manager and coach of Bayern, attesting them issues with cognitives abilities and the personality of a sleeping aid.
For the US readers: imagine a young , unknown coach taking on Phil Jackson and MJ during an ESPN setting and winning the NBA three years later!
Side bar: while soccer as a sport has advanced leaps and bounds since the 90s, it also has gotten very sterile. A press conference like this one would never happen today.
But back to the topic.
Daum was the first coach to have studied psychology and used it to catapult a team of under-performers to a national championship ( three of his players went on representing West Germany winning the World Cup in 1990)
Daum was not without flaws but he was a pioneer, someone who always gave it his all and never shied away from conflict or risk.
As I am in Dubai, trying to set up our second branch I draw inspiration from Christoph Daum.
It is ok to go against the grain and take a risk. Just give it your all!
Maik
Maik Wiedenbach is a Hall of Fame swimmer turned bodybuilding champion and fitness model featured in Muscle & Fitness and Men’s Journal. An NYU adjunct professor and award-winning coach, he founded New York’s most sought-after personal training gym.