Opposition Check: Hannover 96

What do Felix Magath, Bushido, a three-meter-long beer table, and currywurst with fries have in common? At first glance: Nothing. At second glance: André Breitenreiter, current head coach of Hannover 96.

From an early age, football was more than just a hobby for Breitenreiter – it was a family affair. His father graded his son’s performance after every game – and the reward was often currywurst with fries. It became clear early on: If you want to be successful, you have to work hard. And Breitenreiter did just that. As a player, he played for Hamburger SV, VfL Wolfsburg, and Hannover 96, among others. In Hamburg, he met a coach who had a lasting influence on him: Felix Magath. „He was a role model for me in terms of fitness, fairness, and commitment,“ Breitenreiter recalls.

Later, he would embody these virtues himself as a coach. With SC Paderborn, he achieved the much-acclaimed promotion to the Bundesliga, and later did the same with Hannover 96. With Schalke 04, he even reached the Europa League – and was fired despite his sporting success. The reasons were less on the pitch than interpersonal: „I took the personal propaganda against me very seriously,“ Breitenreiter once said in a Sport1 interview. On the way home, he processed his frustration with loud support from rapper Bushido – all alone in the car.

Breitenreiter celebrated his most emotional triumph to date in 2022 with FC Zurich: After 13 years without a title, he surprisingly led the club to the championship. The team bus shook with emotion, tears flowed, and assistant coach Alain Nef provided arguably the most spectacular celebratory moment of the evening: a three-meter dive over a beer-soaked beer table, complete with a forward roll. Also on hand as Breitenreiter’s assistant coach at the time was Darius Scholtysik, now assistant coach at the Lilies under Florian Kohfeldt.

André Breitenreiter is not only a meticulous worker, but also a guy with rough edges and stories to tell – someone who stands up for his path, stays true to himself, and shows the football world that professionalism and personality are not mutually exclusive. Hannover is now the next chapter of a career spanning the Bundesliga, Bushido, and beer tables.

It will likely be a difficult match for Darmstadt 98’s attackers: Hannover 96 boasts the best defence in the 2. Bundesliga this season. With just 30 goals conceded, no team has conceded fewer. Furthermore, the Lower Saxony side is very aggressive yet fair: Despite committing the third-most fouls, Andre Breitenreiter’s team has received only 64 cards. This figure is only surpassed by Elversberg (63) and Fürth (62).

Ron-Robert Zieler likes Christmas to be kitsch. Fairy lights, glitter balls, and plenty of family time – the 2014 World Cup winner lives the holidays wholeheartedly. But what sounds so cozy and quiet today wasn’t always so. The path to this? A football adventure with stops along the way, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Sir Alex Ferguson, and a World Cup win in Brazil.

At just 16, Zieler moved from Köln to Manchester United – into the heart of the football world of superstars. There, he trained with greats like Cristiano Ronaldo and Ruud van Nistelrooy, lived with an English host family, and experienced the rough and tumble English routine of a world-class club.

Zieler’s professional breakthrough didn’t come in Manchester, however, but later in 2011 at Hannover 96 under Mirko Slomka. Within six months, the talented goalkeeper became the first-choice goalkeeper – and shortly thereafter, even a national team goalkeeper. Joachim Löw nominated him for the German national team. And in 2014, Zieler crowned himself a World Cup winner as a reserve goalkeeper in Brazil.

After the title, his path led him back to England: Leicester City was his destination in 2016, before returning to Hannover 96 via VfB Stuttgart. After a loan spell with 1. FC Köln, he returned permanently to Lower Saxony in 2021 – where his heart probably lies most in sporting terms.

Today, Ron-Robert Zieler is not only an experienced defender between the sticks, but also a player who has experienced just about everything: childhood dreams in Manchester, World Cup gold in Brazil, Christmas romance in the living room. He calls Hannover his home. „Ron is a face of this club. He has helped shape Hannover 96 over the past few years,“ says 96 sporting director Marcus Mann about his goalkeeper. „As captain, he takes on a lot of responsibility, is an important contact in the dressing room for all his teammates and for me too. And last but not least: He’s played a consistently high level throughout the season.“