Following a season where he led Bayern Munich to multiple championships, manager Jupp Heynckes announced Tuesday that he will step away from the game for the time being and has no plans to take over another club to start the 2013-2014 campaign. Guiding Bayern Munich to the German Cup, Bundesliga championship and a UEFA Champions League title, Heynckes certainly deserves to go out on his own terms if he feels he needs to take a break following Bayern's historic season.
The 68-year-old led Bayern Munich to the Champions League final during the 2011-2012 season where they lost to Chelsea and knowing he had loads of talent returning for the 2012-2013 campaign, Heynckes put together a phenomenal run on multiple levels. Despite his growing success, the head coach notes that his increased age makes it difficult to recover from each match at times, a major reason into his decision to take some time off.
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"This year has been tough," Heynckes said to The Guardian. "I didn't have any holiday after we lost the Champions League final last season. I have noticed, especially in the last few weeks, that I have reached an age where it takes longer to recover. It was extremely stressful. Other clubs were interested in hiring me after this season. Rich clubs, where money doesn't matter, such clubs don't interest me."
Heynckes managerial career began in 1979 with Borussia Mönchengladbach. He'd remain with the German team for 8 seasons before taking over at Bayern Munich, his first stint with the club. With stops at Athletic Bilbao, Real Madrid, Benfica and Munich once again in 2009, Heynckes found success with multiple teams while becoming one of the most recognizable coaches in the sport because of his frequent traveling from club-to-club.
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Winning Bundesliga titles with Bayern in 1989 and 1990 and a Champions League crown in 1998 with Real Madrid, Heynckes certainly showed the ability to win on multiple levels. Taking over Bayern Munich for the third time in 2011, Heynckes enjoyed great success with the German club, especially this season when Bayern took down rival Borussia Dortmund in the first-ever Champions League final pitting two teams from Germany.
A phenomenal player before becoming a full-time manager, Heynckes was a member of the 1974 Germany team that won the World Cup. Playing for Borussia Monchengladbach in 1975, the striker helped the team win the 1975 UEFA Cup. In 394 career matches played with Borussia and Hannover 96, Heynckes notched 243 goals.
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Former Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola will take over the German club next season and while it does not appear Heynckes will jump back into the game anytime soon, Bayern Munich executive chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge says there will always be a place for Jupp Heynckes at Bayern.
"If sometime, after his holiday has passed and his spirit has returned, he can call myself and Uli Hoeness," Rummenigge said to Sky Sports. "The doors at Bayern are still wide open."
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