Wie ausgewechselt

Rudi Assauer has shaped football in Germany over five decades like no other - as a player, temporary coach, manager and arena builder. Born in Saarland, grown up in the Ruhr area, he was discovered in the Bundeswehr selection. Assauer was the youngest member of the first German team to win a European Cup - Borussia Dortmund, 1966, followed by six years of BVB and six years of Werder Bremen. In 1976, after the end of his active career, he became the youngest manager in the professional business overnight. In 1981 he abruptly changed to FC Schalke 04, where he initially only stayed for five years, but returned to Schalke in 1993. With Assauer, the Royal Blues experienced their most successful period since the 1930s, winning the UEFA Cup in 1997 and winning the cup twice, in 2001 and 2002. The club's most tragic experience, however, also fell into this era:.