Thomas Tuchel will manage England for the first time on Friday evening
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Ralf Rangnick and Thomas Tuchel (right) during their Bundesliga days back in 2010.
Ralf Rangnick and Thomas Tuchel (right) during their Bundesliga days back in 2010.
When Thomas Tuchel takes charge of his first game as England manager this evening, he will have a lot to thank former Manchester United manager Ralf Rangnick for.
Tuchel is recognised as one of the finest coaches in world football, having won trophies as manager of Borussia Dortmund, PSG, Chelsea and Bayern Munich and now he has been tasked with winning the World Cup for England.
But it all would not have happened had Rangnick not plucked Tuchel out of his job as a barman to become a youth coach during his time in charge of Stuttgart.
"We got to know each other back in 1998 when I became head coach of Ulm in the third division," Rangnick told BBC Sport. "At the time, I think Thomas was 25. Unfortunately he had problems with his knee. What was obvious was that he was a very bright, intelligent kind of person for a football player.
"Being smart, bright, asking questions, always trying to get better, to improve. When you become a head coach, you can pretty precisely tell which player could become a coach.
"So when I found out he was working in a bar at Stuttgart, I called him and said to him: 'What are you doing?' And he said: 'I have to earn my living there'.
"I said to him: 'Thomas, please, why don't you come to us to Stuttgart and work as a youth team coach?'
"We brought him together with the academy director at the time and that's how his coaching career started. For me it was clear that he could become a very good coach. To foresee that he would become one of the best coaches we ever had, at that time, was difficult."
Tuchel will take charge of England against Albania at Wembley this evening for the first time, as the Three Lions get their World Cup qualifying campaign under way.
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