Good to know: Domenico Tedesco
Good to know: 18 facts about new RBL head coach Domenico Tedesco ǀ Top of his class and two-time runner-up who is emotional in the dugout
Welcome to Leipzig, Domenico Tedesco! The German-Italian was announced as the new head coach of RB Leipzig yesterday. After signing the contract, he got to know the team before holding his first press conference and finally his first training session at Cottaweg.
The 36-year-old coached FC Schalke 04 until March 2019 before moving on to Russian club Spartak Moscow. But what else is there to know about the new man in charge?
18 facts about Domenico Tedesco
1. Domenico Tedesco was born on the 12th September 1985 in the southern Italian city of Rossano. At the age of two, his family moved from Calabria to Germany, near Stuttgart, where his father had taken a job as a printer.
2. Our new coach therefore has both Italian and German passports.
3. When asked about typical German characteristics, he labels himself as perseverant. His closeness with his family, on the other hand, is a very Italian trait.
4. Domenico Tedesco trained as a trader in wholesale and foreign commerce and has a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Engineering as well as a Master’s in Innovation Management.
5. For a while, he worked for a car parts supplier, in charge of reducing noise pollution.
6. As a student, he did a four-week internship in the sports department of the Esslinger Zeitung (newspaper).
RB Leipzig are extremely innovative, with huge potential and very clear goals!
7. Our new coach speaks six languages – German, Italian, English, French, Spanish and Russian.
8. His first coaching job was for the U9's second team at ASV Aichwald.
9. In 2016, Tedesco completed the DFB coaching course at the Hennes-Weisweiler-Akademie with the highest marks on the course.
10. Old acquaintances: Our new coach was on the same coaching course as Katja Greulich, head coach of the RB Leipzig Women.
11. During his time on the course, he shadowed at RB Leipzig.
12. Domenico Tedesco took the VfB Stuttgart U17s to the final of the national championships in 2015.
13. His first job as a head coach of a men’s team was with FC Erzgebirge Aue, who, at the time, were battling against relegation in the second division in 2016/17. He took 20 points from 11 games with the Violets, keeping the club up against all odds.
14. In the 2018/19 season, he reached the UEFA Champions League round of 16 with FC Schalke 04.
15. Domenico Tedesco has finished runner-up with two clubs in their respective national leagues - 2017/18 with FC Schalke 04 and 2020/21 with Spartak Moscow.
First training session!
16. The German-Italian has also reached the semi-finals of the national cup competitions with the two clubs – 2017/18 with Schalke and in 2019/20 with Spartak Moscow.
17. In August 2020, Domenico Tedesco was named “Manager of the Month” in the Russian Premier Liga.
18. Full commitment from the dugout: He was shown six yellow cards and two red cards within 15 matches in the Russian league.
Our new head coach will take charge of his first game on Saturday when RBL welcome Borussia Mönchengladbach to the Red Bull Arena (15:30 CET).