Jupp, he’s back, again. Jupp Heynckes was appointed to be the new Bayern Munich coach through the end of the season on Friday, the German’s fourth stint with the club dating back to 1987. Heynckes replaces Carlo Ancelotti, who was canned in September after a 3-0 hiding from Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League combined with a slow start in the Bundesliga.
Heynckes, 72, officially signed on to coach from Oct. 9 (Monday) through June 30 (the end of the 2017-18 season). He was essentially brought in as a temporary stand-in until a longterm replacement can be brought in at the end of the season.
BREAKING: Jupp Heynckes will take over as #FCBayern head coach until the end of the season. pic.twitter.com/ZEFakBJ6Hp
— FC Bayern English (@FCBayernEN) October 6, 2017
Heynckes is an old man and hasn’t coached since 2013, but he does bring a level of familiarity and comfort that was apparently key to club CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge.
“There’s a great mutual trust between Jupp Heynckes and FC Bayern,” Rummenigge said on the club's website. “That showed itself again in the conversations that Uli Hoeneß, Hasan Salihamidžić and I have had with him. We’re very thankful to Jupp that he’s accepted the offer of head coach. He’s the ideal coach for FC Bayern at this moment in time.”
Likewise, Heynckes said he wouldn’t have exited retirement for any other club outside of Bayern. It helps he has experience taking over for a fired manager at Bayern, finishing out the 2009 season when Jurgen Klinsmann was fired.
Heynckes’ first stint with the German giants was from 1987-1991, during which period he won two Bundesliga titles. His greatest triumph came in 2013 when he won the treble, with a Champions League victory over Borussia Dortmund at Wembley.
Heynckes’ return had been rumored for a while before the official announcement, with former Dortmund coach Thomas Tuchel also thought to have been in the running for the gig. Already five points behind Dortmund in the Bundesliga, Heynckes will have his work cut out for him this season.
Jupp is baaaaack?!?!???
— Dirk Nowitzki (@swish41) October 5, 2017