On Saturday Willy Sagnol came into the media centre at FC Bayern, the room where he announced his retirement as a footballer eight years ago due to persistent injury problems. This time, however, there was a much happier reason for his appearance: the 40 year-old was presented to the media as the new assistant coach.
“I’m back home and very happy to be here,” said the Frenchman with a big grin. Sagnol joined FCB in 2000 and played for nine years, becoming a favourite among the fans. Following his retirement he worked in youth football for the French Football Federation and then as a coach at Ligue 1 club Bordeaux. Now he’s returned to Säbener Straße as Carlo Ancelotti’s assistant.
„"A good step for my career"”
Sagnol
The 2001 Champions League winner is looking forward to his new challenge: “I have the opportunity to be back in Munich and to work with one of the best coaches in the world. I don’t have any personal ambitions here. My aim is to do a good job every day and help the coach.”
Together with Ancelotti, Sagnol will be looking to continue FCB’s success of recent years. The five-time Bundesliga winner fills the space left by Hermann Gerland, who has taken up a new role at the FC Bayern Campus. “Willy is a very good fit for us. I wanted an assistant who knows the club. He’s already got lots of experience as a coach, and he’s also a former Bayern München player,” Ancelotti commented on his new colleague.
Shortly after, Sagnol was one of the first on the pitch for the first pre-season training session. He was in a cheerful mood during the session, giving out instructions and living up to what he’d stated previously in the press conference: “I’m going to enjoy every day here in Munich!”
Topics of this article