Who is Dino Toppmoller? Nagelsmann's ex-assistant making a name for himself

Tom Weber

• Updated: 9 Apr 2024 09:53 BST
• 6 min read

Dino Toppmoller is considered one of Germany's most intriguing coaching prospects.

The 43-year-old was once one of the most highly-rated assistant coaches in the country during his time as Julian Nagelsmann's right-hand man. It was only a matter of time before a Bundesliga side took a punt on him, with Eintracht Frankfurt eventually doing so in the summer of 2023.

Toppmoller's first season in charge of a big German side has been topsy-turvy, but a clear foundation for something eminently exciting is being put in place at Frankfurt. So, who is Dino Toppmoller and how good is he really?

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What team does Toppmoller manage?

Toppmoller is in charge of Eintracht Frankfurt and has been since June 12, 2023.

What formation does Toppmoller play?

Toppmoller mostly utilises a 3-4-2-1 formation, but he has also experimented with a back four.

How good is Toppmoller?

The son of Bundesliga legend Klaus Toppmoller and named after Dino Zoff, Dino Toppmoller was always going to become involved in football eventually. A middling striker who had a strange six-month stint at Man City in the Premier League in which he did not make an appearance, Toppmoller had an uneventful playing career.

Despite having an illustrious father, Toppmoller had to work hard to get to where he is now. His coaching career began in the German amateur game before he eventually took charge of Hamm Benfica (now FC Luxembourg City) and Dudelange in Luxembourg. After a stint in Belgium, Toppmoller became an assistant coach to Julian Nagelsmann at RB Leipzig in 2020. Nagelsmann was so happy with their working relationship that he brought him to Munich when he joined Bayern.

At Bayern, Toppmoller was nicknamed the 'player whisperer' as he was responsible for acting as a kind of link between Nagelsmann and the squad. Additionally, he was in charge of set pieces and the routines he came up with led to goals on more than one occasion. It was during his time that the former striker gained a reputation as one of the brightest minds in the German coaching game. Toppmoller was to Nagelsmann what Pep Lijnders is to Jurgen Klopp or Zsolt Low to Thomas Tuchel - a seemingly overqualified assistant expected to eventually make it big as a head coach.

Nagelsmann's ideas certainly influenced Toppmoller. The managerial 'wonderkid' once famously said that "coaching is 30 per cent tactics and 70 per cent social competence" and Toppmoller certainly subscribes to this school of thought. In 2022, the 43-year-old said: "I believe that knowing how to deal with people is a bit more important than pure coaching expertise. The player should see you as a coach but also as a human being."

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Despite all of the above being said, Toppmoller's first season in charge of Eintracht Frankfurt has been a mixed bag. The Eagles have at times looked lethargic and bereft of ideas and crashed out of Europe in embarrassing fashion. Yet at other times, they have been scintillating with forward Omar Marmoush earning plaudits and Premier League links. December 2023 was quite symbolic of Frankfurt's season: they beat Bayern 5-1 but then lost to Aberdeen 2-0 five days later.

However, Frankfurt's struggles aren't entirely down to Toppmoller. On the contrary, the 43-year-old has at times impressed with his tactical flexibility. Frankfurt have a fairly young and new team. They lost their star striker Randal Kolo Muani on summer Deadline Day 2023 and could not sign a replacement. In January, they tried to remedy the situation with the arrivals of Sasa Kalajdzic and Hugo Ekitike, but the former - after looking incredibly promising - tore his ACL and the latter has struggled with fitness after not training let alone playing with PSG for half a season.

The biggest criticism of Toppmoller thus far is that risk aversion is at the core of his philosophy. In this way, he is a very modern coach, cut from the same cloth as Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta. This means that Frankfurt can look devoid of inspiration at times - they are no Man City or Arsenal, after all - especially against sides that sit deep and compress space and they often tend to look better against 'good' teams than 'bad' ones.

Despite this, the foundation Toppmoller and sporting director Markus Krosche are building is exciting. Frankfurt are stacked with high-potential young players such as Hugo Larsson, who has Premier League admirers, and Willian Pacho, who will be playing in England sooner rather than later. The jury is still out on Toppmoller after a season disrupted by transfer turmoil. Expect his second season in charge to be much more successful.

What trophies has Toppmoller won?

Toppmoller won three league titles, two cups and two supercups with Dudelange in Luxembourg.

Who has Toppmoller managed previously?

Toppmoller was previously in charge of Hamm Benfica, Dudelange and Royal Excelsior Virton.

How old is Toppmoller?

Toppmoller was born on November 23, 1980, making him 43 years old.