Meet the boss ‘playing real life Football Manager’ after taking fifth-tier minnows to European football in just 17 years
FRANK SCHMIDT is living out the fantasy that every football fan dreams up in their head.
The FC Heidenheim manager is essentially playing Football Manager, having taken his home town club from the depths of German football to the top flight.
Schmidt, 50, has been the boss of Heidenheim for 17 YEARS, taking over at the club after retiring as club captain in 2007.
The German coach, who was born and raised in Heidenheim, spent four years with the side as a player after a journeyman career that saw him float around the divisions.
After hanging up his boots in 2007, Schmidt was asked to step in as a two week stopgap interim boss for the club… 17 years later and he’s still the man in charge.
That 17-year run as boss makes him the longest serving manager in German professional football history.
And it’s not just about staying put either, Schmidt has propelled the team through the divisions since his appointment all that time ago.
When Schmidt took over at Heidenheim they were in the fifth tier of German football, languishing in the lower divisions with the idea of a rise to the top a pipe dream.
But the hometown gaffer turned those dreams into a reality for the tiny town – which has a smaller population than the capacity of the Emirates Stadium.
Schmidt’s first season in charge ended with promotion into the fourth tier, with a second promotion into the third tier following the next year.
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Heidenheim then spent five seasons in the third tier before winning the league and gaining promotion into the 2. Bundesliga in 2014.
Things slowed down for a bit once the club had earned a spot amongst some of Germany‘s biggest clubs and Heidenheim established themselves as a solid second division side.
But after nine years in the 2. Bundesliga, Schmidt finally took his side to the big time, once again winning the league to earn the club a spot in the Bundesliga proper back in 2023.
As if that wasn’t impressive enough, Schmidt’s tactics and man management saw Heidenheim secure qualification for the Uefa Conference League in their first season in the Bundesliga last term.
While they managed wins over both Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund in the league last season too.
And things have been looking good in the early stages of this season as well, with Heidenheim currently top of the Bundesliga after winning both their opening clashes and keeping two clean sheets.
Schmidt has managed to do it with a team of players who have hardly played Bundesliga football before too.
His side will now get to take on Chelsea as part of their Conference League run this season as well as a trip to face Scottish side Hearts.
Longevity appears to be a part of Schmidt’s DNA with the one-club boss not only staying put in his professional life but also his personal life.
The 50-year-old has only ever been with his wife and even joked that it’s part of the reason that he has been able to manage Heidenheim for so long in an interview with Bild.
He said: “My whole life is about continuity. I’m also still with my first girlfriend. It just fits,.
“It’s actually unbelievable. It doesn’t seem that long to me [at Heidenheim], but it’s crazy, especially when you look at the average half-life of coaches in professional football.”
Unbelievably Schmidt had a back-up plan for if things didn’t turn out the way they have too.
The now-experienced manager is actually a trained banker.