Dieter Hecking: Who is the experienced German coach charged with saving Wolfsburg's bacon?
Dieter Hecking has been cherry-picked to reverse relegation-threatened Wolfsburg's fortunes. Get the lowdown on the journeyman head coach...
Data correct as of 8 March 2026
Dieter Hecking
Age: 61 (born 12 September 1964)
Club: Wolfsburg
Role: Coach
Country: Germany
Key stats
A former midfielder who made over 200 appearances across Germany's top two divisions, Hecking brings a wealth of experience. He's been in the coaching business since 2000, with this his second stint at Wolfsburg. The first was rather successful, as he helped secure the club's first and only DFB Cup in 2014/15 alongside a second-placed finish in the Bundesliga that same season.
Elsewhere, he led Alemannia Aachen back into the Bundesliga in 2006, and secured Nuremberg's top-flight status via the 2009/10 relegation play-off. More recently, he coached Borussia Mönchengladbach and Hamburg, while he took over at Bochum in November 2024 tasked with keeping them in the Bundesliga. On that occasion, he was unable to do so and was let go at the start of the 2025/26 campaign - he has not worked since.
Coaches a bit like: Ottmar Hitzfeld
Hecking typically favours a 4-4-2 formation, sometimes switching to a 4-2-3-1. He sets his teams up to attack, but isn't one to experiment with players in different positions. It's an old-school approach out of the playbook of legendary Bundesliga coach Ottmar Hitzfeld, who enjoyed tremendous success in charge of Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund.
Did you know?
Nowadays accustomed to cracking the whip from the dugout, Hecking spent three years as an intermediate police officer in his native Castrop-Rauxel before signing professional terms with Gladbach.
What they're saying
“Dieter Hecking brings exactly the experience we need in the current situation. He knows the club, the environment, and the demands of the Bundesliga very well. We are convinced that with his composure, expertise, and clear vision, he will give the team the necessary stability to achieve our common goal of staying in the league." - Pirmin Schwegler, Wolfsburg sporting director
"Wolfsburg in two years under Dieter Hecking - just madness. They've become title contenders." - former Bayern head coach Pep Guardiola, speaking in July 2016
