Who is Dino Toppmöller?

Dino Toppmöller

Age: 43 (23 November 1980)
Club: Eintracht Frankfurt
Role: Head coach
Country of birth: Germany

Key stats

Toppmöller steered Frankfurt to a sixth-placed finish in his first season at the club, securing their return to the UEFA Europa League for 2024/25. He averaged 1.43 points per game, overseeing some impressive wins over former employers Leipzig and Bayern along the way.

Before working as an assistant under Nagelsmann between 2021 and 2023, Toppmöller led Luxembourg's Dudelange to three league titles, completing a domestic treble in 2026/17. The ex-Manchester City, Bochum, Frankfurt and Augsburg midfielder also guided them into the group stage of a European competition for the first time in their history.

Watch: How Dino Toppmoller's Frankfurt beat Bayern in 2023/24

Coaches a bit like: Ralph Hasenhüttl

Having worked at Leipzig and learned from Nagelsmann, Toppmöller unsurprisingly succeeds in marrying well-organised defensive football with intense pressing and rapid counter-attacking transitions. He likes his teams to rattle the opposition - or, as he puts it, to be "positive troublemakers" - which has drawn comparisons with the approach of Wolfsburg counterpart Ralph Hasenhüttl. 

Did you know?

Toppmöller is the son of former Bayer Leverkusen coach Klaus Toppmöller, who famously led Die Werkself into the final of the UEFA Champions League in 2002 – the year they also finished runners up in the Bundesliga, and lost the DFB Cup final, earning the nickname 'Neverkusen'.

While Dino inherited his dad's coaching genes, their personalities differ – at least according to his father. "I used to race onto the field to celebrate when my team scored a goal, but Dino's always so relaxed," he said. "He's the same even when we're in the car and maybe have an argument. He's the most down-to-earth guy around – he must have got that from his mother."

What they're saying

"It was only a matter of time till Dino worked as a head coach in the Bundesliga. It was no surprise that Julian Nagelsmann took him with to Bayern. The way he plays football fits with our philosophy. And as a former Eintracht player, who speaks fluent English and French, Dino will have no problems quickly finding his feet in Frankfurt." - Frankfurt sporting director Markus Krösche after appointing Toppmöller

"We chatted on the phone and knew instantly that we were on the same wavelength; Dino's a relaxed guy who has an incredibly big heart and huge understanding of football. He's a great addition to my coaching team and deserves a spell in the spotlight. " - Nagelsmann