Former national team coach Joachim Löw expressed doubts in Berlin about whether he would return to the coaching bench. However, the 66-year-old left himself a small loophole.
Five years ago, Joachim Löw stepped down as national team coach after the 2021 European Championship and has not returned to the bench since. Of course, there have been repeated speculations and inquiries during this time, Löw explained during the “Cup Handover” in the Coat of Arms Hall of Berlin City Hall ahead of the final between Bayern Munich and VfB Stuttgart on May 23 at the Olympic Stadium.
“So far, I’ve lacked the inner fire for those inquiries. That’s absolutely essential if you want to be a coach,” Löw explained regarding his rejections of offers in recent years. “I’ve been out of the game for a few years now, and I don’t even know if I’d still have the energy to constantly push a team forward.”
“Soccer is constantly evolving”
But it’s probably not just the inner fire; Löw also openly expressed doubts about whether he’s still up to date as a coach. “Soccer is constantly evolving. I don’t even know if everything I say is still correct.” When you watch Champions League-level matches and see how soccer has evolved in terms of pace, intensity, and quality in recent years, “it’s really impressive.”
None of this sounded as though Löw himself was still aiming for a comeback as a coach, though he did want to leave himself a back door open. “Maybe if an offer comes along and it really grabs me, I might do it again. But I’d say it’s rather unlikely.”
As is well known, his coaching career began with this year’s defending champions, VfB Stuttgart, and reached its peak in 1997. The Swabians celebrated a 2-0 victory over Regionalliga side Energie Cottbus thanks to a brace from Giovane Elber.
