Bundesliga
Horst Steffen has a long history in German football, both as a player and now as a coach. bundesliga.com looks at his career so far following his appointment as Werder Bremen head coach...
Stats correct as of 30 May 2025
Age: 56 (born 3 March 1969)
Club: Werder Bremen
Role: Head coach
Country: Germany
Key stats
Before leading Elversberg to the relegation play-off against Heidenheim at the end of the 2024/25 season, Steffen earned his coaching stripes further down German football's pyramid. His first role saw him take the reins of sixth-tier side SC Kapellen-Erft, where he spent three years before being trusted with the next generation of Duisburg’s talent.
Watch: The best of Elversberg in 2024/25
Over three years at Duisburg, he took charge of their reserve and U19 sides. This was the first of two positions in youth football that he held. He clearly made an impression in his spell at Duisburg, with Borussia Mönchengladbach entrusting him with their U17 and U19 sides over the next four years. His time with the Foals saw him nurture future Bundesliga talents, such as Julian Korb and, most notably, Germany and Barcelona first-choice goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen.
After stints at Stuttgarter Kickers, Preußen Münster and Chemnitzer FC, Steffen landed at Elversberg, where he had the most successful spell of his career.
In seven years with the club, Steffen averaged 1.96 points per game and picked up four Saarland Cups on the way to Bundesliga 2, where he led Elversberg to 11th in their first-ever season in the division.
Last season, he led them to third place, narrowly missing out on promotion via the Bundesliga relegation/promotion play-off. Although he couldn’t lead them to Germany’s top tier, Steffen will still get his chance to coach in the Bundesliga with Bremen, who rewarded him for his incredible work with the Saarland club by hiring him as Ole Werner’s replacement.
Watch: Elversberg's top 5 goals in 2024/25
Coaches a bit like: Lucien Favre
Both Steffen and Lucien Favre create attacking, fluid teams sprinkled with young, exciting talents. Elversberg have been particularly easy on the eye in their time in the Bundesliga 2 so far, being the joint-second highest scoring team in the league in 2024/25 with 64 goals, with 22-year-old Hoffenheim loanee Fisnik Asllani netting 18 of those.
Did you know?
Steffen also played for Duisburg at the end of his career, where he was coached by recent Cologne boss Friedhelm Funkel. He made a total of 207 Bundesliga appearances as a player and also represented Gladbach and Uerdingen. A defensive midfielder, he earned 10 Germany U21 caps.
What they’re saying
"Horst played a significant role in shaping our club's most successful years. He represented our values both internally and externally in an exemplary manner." - Elversberg sporting director Ole Book
“He has done outstanding work in Elversberg over the past seven years. Horst stands for attacking, attractive football and very good and clear team leadership.” - Werder Bremen managing director Clemens Fritz