Schmidt's ever-expanding Heidenheim reign

Schmidt's story is so interwoven with Heidenheim's astonishing rise from fifth-tier fighters to European challengers that it is now impossible to imagine one without the other.

Rightly hailed a hero at the atmospheric Voith-Arena and beyond in Germany, there will surely be a statue of the much-loved coach erected on Schloßhaustraße 162 when Schmidt finally calls time on his days in the dugout. 

Yet the ever-humble coach would almost certainly shy away from such recognition. For Schmidt - a former versatile defender and Heidenheim captain - it's all part of the day-to-day running with his hometown club, for whom he scored 19 times in 88 appearances between 2003 and 2007. 

The one-time Germany international loves the local feel of it all: the passion and closeness of the fans to their team in the Baden-Württemberg town of 50,000. 

That long-held fervour might be shared by a certain Diego Simeone at European giants Atlético de Madrid - the next-longest serving coach in Europe's top-five leagues with 13 years and 269 days in the job. Yet, Schmidt's connection to his locality and its inhabitants feels even tighter than Simeone's to the Spanish set-up, or even Pep Guardiola's (third on the big-five list with nine years and 79 days) at Manchester City. 

"Wherever people show honest emotions, that's where I belong," Schmidt said in a recent interview with Transfermarkt. "I never had a clear career plan," he continued. "Football is, of course, what I do best, and my goal is to stay involved with it for as long as possible."

As long as possible in the Hedeinehim boss's case ultimately equates to him being the longest active serving club coach in world football. Only Gurban Gurbanov at Qarabag comes close, with the ex-Azerbaijani international in charge at The Horsemen since 2008. 

Needless to say, Schmidt is also streets ahead of his counterparts in the Bundesliga, with his 6,575 days as coach of Heidenheim dwarfing the next in line, VfB Stuttgart's Sebastian Hoeneß, who has racked up 898 days as coach of Die Schwaben.

In his 713 games overseeing Heidenheim, Schmidt has pretty much seen it all. Achieving promotion after promotion, the collective tore through the divisions on their way to the unlikeliest of Bundesliga breakthroughs on the most dramatic of last days in 2022/23. 

Some had predicted immediate relegation, yet Schmidt and Heidenheim flourished. Finishing in eighth place in their maiden top-flight season and defeating the mighty Bayern Munich along the way, a first-ever European qualification thanks to a UEFA Conference League play-off win was eventually celebrated. 

Watch: Schmidt oversaw a home win against Bayern last season

The cheers last season came when Bundesliga survival was secured after more play-off glory, this time against second-division high flyers Elversberg. 

The memories continue to be added to a coaching career that nobody wants to see coming to an end in the town near the Bavarian border. "It's often said that you should leave when you're at your best," Schmidt said. "I don't have a specific date in mind for retiring. I just know that I might want to do something else in life," the tactician continued. 

Watch: Heidenheim survive relegation play-off

Yet for all that, it seems for the time being, the world's longest-serving coach will continue to add to his incredible reign. "I should have quit after qualifying for Europe in the summer [of 2024], but that's not me," he explained. "I feel a sense of responsibility in Heidenheim. I'm very grateful for how things turned out. I don't think I would have been truly happy with my professional life without football."