Super Eagles’ new coach Bruno Labbadia’s net worth, profile, age, career, salary, achievements, and records.
After months without a coach, the Nigerian Football Federation finally appointed German football coach Labbadia to take up the role.
Labaddia becomes the 23rd foreign coach in the history of the Super Eagles and the sixth German to be appointed.
Here is all you need to know about the Super Eagles’ new coach.
Bruno Labbadia Background
Bruno Labbadia is a German football manager and former player who played as a forward during his playing career.
Labbadia has deep Italian roots, as his family hails from Lenola, a town in the Lazio region of Italy. His Italian parents immigrated to Germany as Gastarbeiter (guest workers) and settled in Schneppenhausen, near Darmstadt, in Hesse.
Growing up on a farm in Schneppenhausen, Labbadia was immersed in both Italian and German cultures. He communicated with his parents in Italian and with his siblings in German.
Despite his strong Italian heritage, Labbadia renounced his Italian citizenship at the age of 18 and became a German citizen. This decision was motivated by the limitations placed on foreign players in German football at the time.
His youth career began in 1972 with FSV Schneppenhausen, where he spent four years before joining SV Weiterstadt in 1977 and staying there until 1983.
However, his break through into senior football came at his hometown club Darmstadt 98, whom he first joined in 1983 as a player for the youth team, before getting promoted to the senior team after a year.
His senior club career spanned almost two decades, taking him to notable clubs like Bayern Munich, where he won the Bundesliga title in 1993-94, and FC Kaiserslautern, where he lifted the DFB-Pokal in 1989-90.
Labbadia never left the shores of Germany as a player, featuring for eight different clubs in the country and never spending beyond three years at any club.
His ability to find the net consistently and his leadership qualities on the field made him a valuable asset to his teams.
However, he was only capped twice for the German national team and did not find the net, though he featured six times for the under-21, with whom he scored three goals.
After retiring as a player, Labbadia transitioned seamlessly into coaching and has managed several prominent German clubs throughout his managerial career, including Hertha Berlin, VfB Stuttgart, and Hamburger SV.
Labbadia's coaching style is characterised by his emphasis on discipline, organisation, and a focus on results. He is known for his ability to adapt to the opponents he is facing, and this tactical versatility and willingness to adapt to different playing styles are his strongest features.
Beyond his footballing achievements, Labbadia has also made contributions to the development of young talent. He has been involved in coaching youth teams and has played a role in nurturing the next generation of football stars.
How old is Bruno Labbadia? (Bruno Labbadia age)
Labbadia was born on February 6, 1966, making him 58 years old as of August 2024.
Where is Bruno Labbadia from?
Bruno Labbadia is from Darmstadt, Germany, and was born in 1966.
Darmstadt is a city located in the state of Hesse, Germany. It is known for its technical university and its vibrant cultural scene.
Labbadia's early years were spent in Darmstadt, where he developed his passion for football and began his playing career.
Bruno Labbadia Playing Career
Bruno Labbadia had a prolific goal-scoring career in the German Bundesliga. He began his journey with his hometown club, Darmstadt 98, where he netted nine goals in 33 games during the 1984–85 season.
Throughout his career, Labbadia represented several top-tier German clubs, including Bayern Munich, Hamburger SV, and 1. FC Köln. He consistently found the back of the net, scoring a total of 103 goals in 328 Bundesliga games. His most successful season was the 1998-99 campaign with Arminia Bielefeld, where he netted 29 goals.
He also contributed significantly in other competitions, including the DFB-Pokal. In the 1989-90 season, he scored twice in the final as FC Kaiserslautern defeated Werder Bremen to win the cup.
His career spanned for two decades, and he continued to impress even in his later years. In the 2002-03 season, at the age of 37, he scored 13 goals for Karlsruher SC in the 2. Bundesliga.
Labbadia's impressive goal-scoring record solidified his reputation as one of the most prolific strikers in German football history.
Bruno Labbadia Managerial Career
Labbadia transitioned seamlessly from a successful playing career to a promising managerial one. His managerial journey began in 2003 when he took charge of Darmstadt 98, earning them promotion to the Regionalliga in his first season.
After three years there, he spent one year each at his next three clubs: Greuther Fürth (2007-2008), Bayer Leverkusen (2008-2009), and Hamburger SV (2009-2010).
In December 2010, he arrived at VfB Stuttgart and managed to save from relegation after his two predecessors, Christian Gross and Jens Keller, had left the club in a dire situation.
The following season, he helped the club finish in 12th place, while he took them to the 2012–13 UEFA Europa League with a sixth-place in 2011–12. In 2012–13, Labbadia took Stuttgart to the DFB-Pokal final but lost to FC Bayern Munich. However, they qualified for the 2013–14 UEFA Europa League as Bayern Munich had also won the 2012–13 Bundesliga title.
He was fired from the job in 2013 after losing the opening three Bundesliga matches, and it took him two years before securing another job, which was a return to Hamburger SV. He saved the club from relegation in the same season, and finished 10th in the following season.
Labbadia was fired in September 2016 after Hamburg dropped to 16th place following their 0-1 Bundesliga defeat to Bayern Munich, which was their fourth Bundesliga defeat in a row.
In 2018, Labbadia was appointed as the manager of Wolfsburg, but he left in the summer of 2019.
In 2020, he was appointed as Hertha Berlin’s new manager, taking charge of the last nine matches in the 2019-20 season with the club finishing 10th. However, he was fired in January 2021 and returned to his former club, Stuttgart in December 2022.
His appointment came at a challenging time for the club, and he was sacked in April 2023 after the club dropped to last place in the table.
Bruno Labbadia Managerial Record
SV Darmstadt 98 (2003-2006)
102 Games: 60 wins, 16 draws, 26 defeats
58.82% win rate
SpVgg Greuther Fürth (2007-2008)
36 Games: 15 wins, 10 wins, 11 defeats
41.67% win rate
Bayer 04 Leverkusen (2008-2009)
40 Games: 19 wins, 7 draws, 14 defeats
47.50% win rate
Hamburger SV (2009-2010)
51 Games: 22 wins, 16 draws, 13 defeats
43.14% win rate
VfB Stuttgart (2010-2013)
119 Games: 50 wins, 24 draws, 45 defeats
42.02% win rate
Hamburger SV (2015-2016)
49 Games: 16 wins, 11 draws, 22 defeats
32.65% win rate
VfL Wolfsburg (2018-2019)
50 Games: 22 wins, 10 draws, 18 defeats
44.00% win rate
Hertha BSC (2020-2021)
28 Games: 8 wins, 6 draws, 14 defeats
28.57% win rate
VfB Stuttgart (2022-2023)
12 Games: 2 wins, 3 draws, 7 defeats
16.67% win rate
Total Managerial Statistics
487 Games: 214 wins, 103 draws, 170 losses
43.94% win rate
Bruno Labbadia Achievements
Playing career
FC Kaiserslautern: DFB-Pokal (1989-90)
Bayern Munich: Bundesliga (1993–94)
Bruno Labbadia Salary
According to various sources, the German has not officially signed a contract with the NFF, which is why a salary has not been revealed.
Pulse Sports will provide timely update when the situation changes and a salary agreement is revealed.
Bruno Labbadia Net Worth
Labbadia's net worth is not available to the public at the moment.
However, we are estimating the German to be worth millions of dollars after a successful playing career that spanned two decades and a coaching career that has also been going on for that long.