Career
Roger Schmidt (born 13 March 1967, age 59) is a German manager who came to coaching late, having worked as a mechanical engineer before becoming player-manager of amateur side Delbrücker SC in 2004. His senior managerial path ran through SC Preußen Münster, SC Paderborn 07, then a breakthrough at Red Bull Salzburg (2012–2014), Bayer Leverkusen (2014–2017), Beijing Guoan (2017–2019), PSV (2020–2022) and Benfica (2022–2024).
Honours of note: a Salzburg title, Champions League qualification in his first two seasons at Leverkusen, and at Benfica he guided them to the 2022-23 Primeira Liga title and won Manager of the Season, with the club reaching back-to-back UCL quarter-finals before his August 2024 sacking.
Style
He’s known for a high-pressing, attacking style influenced by gegenpressing, with innovative training methods. Preferred shape is typically a 4-2-3-1. The football is intense, vertical and front-foot — exciting but demanding on players, and at times defensively exposed (the “third season” decline has been a recurring theme at his clubs).
Availability
Currently employed but in a non-coaching, time-limited role: J.League Global Football Advisor, assumed 1 October 2025 on a nine-month contract ending June 2026. That means he’s effectively free for a return to management this summer. |  |
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