Niko Kovac on Niko Kovac: his faith, what shaped him and his quirks | OneFootball

Niko Kovac appeared on the podcast “Phrasenmäher.” What the current Borussia Dortmund coach had to say there—not only about sporting matters, but also about his life story, his faith, and some of his quirks—was noted down by Welt.

Borussia Dortmund and their coach Niko Kovac still have two matches left to play this season, one of them tonight at home against Eintracht Frankfurt. With the — likely — runners-up finish and a convincing points tally in the Bundesliga, this has actually been a successful season. Nevertheless, there is still recurring criticism of Kovac’s football at BVB.

However, Kovac sees what has been achieved this season as the maximum that was possible with this squad and in view of the seemingly overpowering Bayern. In the Champions League, they “underperformed,” and should have advanced at least one more round. What prevented that was the “complete failure” in the match in Atalanta. But they can be proud of their performance in the Bundesliga.

Which is also why signing with BVB until 2027 was the right decision. He, his brother, and assistant coach Robert feel comfortable in Dortmund, and at the moment they are happy with the setup at the Ruhr club. Something Kovac attributes less to the squad than to the cooperation with the club’s leadership.

Speaking of cooperation: since arriving at BVB, he has probably had more conversations with Karim Adeyemi than with any other player. He said Adeyemi has enormous talent, but still needs to work on some finer points—above all, on being more meticulous in his work. Adeyemi could become a truly great footballer—if he also puts in that detailed work.

Photo: IMAGO

Kovac demands more meticulousness from Adeyemi

Niko Kovac also makes no secret of the fact that he believes in a Christian God. He regularly attends services held by a Croatian congregation in Dortmund and also goes to confession there on a regular basis. He is certain that in some form, life continues after death. At the same time, he trusts that this God will only place on him the tasks—even in difficult times—that he is also capable of bearing.

His quirks include, on the one hand, a “watch tic,” as Kovac calls it, and on the other, a lucky charm that he always carries with him. As for the former, he always changes his watch whenever his team has lost. Kovac’s lucky charm is a small medal or a rosary, with which he hopes to give fate a positive turn.

What the BVB coach revealed about his youth—living as a family of four in a 50-square-meter apartment in Berlin—about Jürgen Klopp, and many other topics, can be read in the full article by Welt.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.