Hans Meyer – Documentary pays tribute to football legend

FC Carl Zeiss Jena and Borussia Mönchengladbach are among the stops in an extraordinary coaching career. Now Hans Meyer is revisiting the places of his greatest successes – and meeting up with old colleagues.

A cinematic journey through German football history is about to begin: “Mensch Meyer! Hans, der Fußballphilosoph” accompanies the 83-year-old successful coach to the locations of his remarkable career.

The 90-minute documentaryThe production will be available in the ARD Mediathek from January 9, 2026, and will be broadcast on MDR television on January 11 at 10:25 pm.

Premiere in Jena with prominent guests

A public screening will take place in Jena on January 8, 2026. Several of Hans Meyer's former players and colleagues are expected to attend.

Filmmakers Marion Tetzner and Eik Galley, along with MDR sports director Raiko Richter, are covering the event. Filming took the team to ten significant locations.

Ten stages of a unique career

In Jena, Meyer recalls the European Cup qualification in 1981 under Georg Buschner, when he took over the championship-winning FC Carl Zeiss team at just 28 years old. At the stadium on the Kernberge hills, it becomes clear: what his feet lacked in speed, his mind more than made up for.

Chemnitz marks another important milestone. There, Meyer led FC Karl-Marx-Stadt to the European Cup. Torsten Bittermann recalls the young coach's uncompromising work ethic. Christoph Franke, his assistant coach at the time, also appears on camera.

Dutch lightness meets East German school

Meyer's time at Twente Enschede profoundly shaped his philosophy. Player Berthil ter Avest reports revolutionary changes: Meyer abolished Wednesdays as a day off from training and established communal meals.

In Mönchengladbach, the coach brought Borussia back to the first division. His invention of the "Spelersroom," a room for team discussions, helped with the promotion. The Bökelberg stadium became the site of the turning point.

The only cup winner in both East and West

He brought the DFB Cup to Nuremberg. Javier Pinola once angrily threw his wet jersey at Meyer – shortly afterwards the team triumphed. This episode illustrates Meyer's special talent: turning conflicts into successes.

Meyer is the only coach to have won both the FDGB Cup and the DFB Cup. Max Eberl, now sporting director at FC Bayern Munich, summarizes his former coach's work: Under Meyer, he finally understood the purpose of training.

Vitality at 83 years

The film portrays a man who has lost neither his sharpness nor his wit. Self-irony and sarcasm characterize the narrative style – there's never a dull moment.

The combination of East German football school and Dutch playing style created a coach who continues to polarize and fascinate to this day.

Sierks Media / © Photo: MDR, Eik Galley