Christian Streich

Christian Streich (German pronunciation: [ˈkʁɪsti̯a(ː)n ˈʃtʁaɪç]; born 11 June 1965) is a German professional football manager and former player who was the manager of Bundesliga club SC Freiburg from 2011 to 2024. Because of his immediate success at the club and his enigmatic and, oftentimes, energetic personality, Streich has been called a "cult figure", a "firebrand", and a "football philosopher". He was named German Manager of the Year in 2022.

Playing career

Early career

Streich grew up in Eimeldingen, a village in Southern Baden. He began to play football at the local club. Later, he transferred to FV Lörrach, which was close to his hometown. Finally, he switched clubs and moved to Freiburg, where his new club would be Freiburger FC. Their first team had just been relegated from Germany’s second division. After one year in FFC’s academy, he was moved to their first team in 1983/1984. The team, at the time, was in Baden-Württemberg's second division. In his first season there, he won the league’s title, but ultimately lost to FC 08 Homburg and VfR Bürstadt in playoff matches for promotion.

Professional career (Bundesliga)

After a further season with FFC, Streich was transferred to the Stuttgarter Kickers in 1985. He left a little over a year later to play for SC Freiburg in the 2. Bundesliga.