Recapping Borussia Dortmund boss Niko Kovač’s time at Bayern Munich
Borussia Dortmund head coach Niko Kovač enjoyed fruitful spells at Bayern Munich during both his playing career and his time coaching. Ahead of the first edition of Der Klassiker in the 2025/26 season, bundesliga.com rolls back the years on the Croatian’s spells with the Bavarian outfit.
Kovač's history with Bayern dates back to July 2001, when the Croatia international made a high-profile switch from northern giants Hamburg.
A holding midfielder by trade, he joined a Bayern side which was fresh off the back of an impressive continental double, having claimed both the Bundesliga and UEFA Champions League titles the season prior.
He and his brother Robert - who has been the current Dortmund boss's assistant manager at every club he has managed except for Eintracht Frankfurt - were signed by the Bavarians in the same window, with Robert joining from Bayer Leverkusen.
The arrival of the Kovač brothers may have been overshadowed in the historical record by another Bayern acquisition as club legend Claudio Pizarro joined for his first stint in Munich at the same time.
By Bayern's impeccable standards, however, Kovač's debut campaign was not a particularly successful one as Bayern finished third in the Bundesliga, failed to defend their Champions League title (losing to Real Madrid in the quarter-finals) and were knocked out in the semi-finals of the DFB Cup by Schalke.
An Intercontinental Cup triumph against Boca Juniors in November 2021 did bring an early honour in his time at Bayern, however.
The 2002/03 season brought improved fortune in the domestic game too. Bolstered by the arrivals of Michael Ballack and Zé Roberto from Leverkusen, who joined an already staggering wealth of talent which included the likes of Oliver Kahn and Giovane Élber, and with Ottmar Hitzfeld still at the reigns, Bayern and Kovač would go on to win a domestic double - the only two trophies in German football Kovač would win as a player.
With his contract expiring in July 2003, Kovač traded Munich for Berlin, joining Hertha after making 51 total appearances and recording five goals in all competitions.
Watch: Niko Kovač's best Bundesliga goals
Fast forward to 2018; it was announced in April that Kovač would succeed the legendary Jupp Heynckes for the upcoming 2018/29 campaign.
Then at Frankfurt's helm, Kovač's final game in charge of the Eagles came when his side claimed DFB Cup glory with a 3-1 victory over his future employer in what was his second consecutive DFB Cup final with Eintracht.
Kovač became only the fourth player in Bayern's history to have gone on to manage them, following in the footsteps of Søren Lerby, Franz Beckenbauer and Jürgen Klinsmann.
He claimed silverware in his very first game in charge, thrashing his old Frankfurt outfit 5-0 in the 2018 German Supercup.
That success laid the foundations for a successful campaign at the Allianz Arena for Kovač, who steered Bayern to their 29th Bundesliga title as well as his second consecutive DFB Cup - with a 3-0 win over RB Leipzig in the final sealing a domestic double in his debut season in the Bayern dugout.
In doing so, Kovač became not only the first coach to claim back-to-back DFB Cups since Felix Magath (also with Bayern) in 2005 and 2006, but also the first person ever in German football history to win a domestic double as both a player and a coach.
Such success was to be short-lived, however, as in November 2019, Kovač and Bayern parted ways following a 5-1 thumping courtesy of Frankfurt - less than seven months after lifting the title.
Borussia Dortmund's boss since February 2025, Kovač - with brother Robert as assistant - galvanised the Black and Yellows in the second half of last season, going the last eight league games unbeaten to take them from 11th place to fourth and qualifying for the UEFA Champions League.
Along the way, Kovač got his first taste of Der Klassiker from a Dortmund perspective, drawing 2-2 on Matchday 29 away at the Allianz Arena.
Watch: Thrilling draw in Dortmund's first Klassiker under Kovač
This draw took his Klassiker record as a coach to one win, one loss, and one draw, having suffered a 3-2 defeat away to Dortmund on Matchday 11 of the 2018/19 season, before thrashing them 5-0 in the reverse fixture at home on Matchday 28.
Kovač was his trademark cool self when talking to bundesliga.com about experiencing Der Klassiker from both dugouts, saying: "There are no differences. Regardless of which side you are on, there is a certain tension, a certain nervousness, and also a sense of expectation.
"You know exactly how important this game is, both for each individual and for the coach. That’s why there is no difference whether you are in black and yellow or red.”
Unbeaten so far this season and just four points off leaders Bayern, Dortmund fans will be hoping Kovač's record will tip in their favour when they face off against the Bavarians on 18 October.
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