My Take
Roger Schmidt is the kind of football manager who flies under the radar until you actually watch one of his teams play — and then you get it immediately. Born in a small town in Westphalia in 1967, he never made it as a pro player himself, spending his playing days in Germany's amateur regional leagues, but that grounded path clearly shaped a coaching philosophy that's anything but modest. His pressing-heavy, relentless style at Bayer Leverkusen made him a cult figure in Bundesliga circles, and when he took Benfica to the Champions League knockout stages and back-to-back Primeira Liga titles, he proved the approach translates across borders. No superstar reputation, no flashy headline moments — just a guy who builds teams that genuinely terrorize opponents, and earns respect the hard way.
Overview
Roger Schmidt (German pronunciation: [ˈʁoːɡɐ ˈʃmɪt]; born 13 March 1967) is a German professional football manager and former player. He currently works as J. League Global Football Advisor. He played as a midfielder in Germany's amateur regional leagues, where he began his managerial career before joining SC Paderborn 07 of the 2. Bundesliga in 2011 and Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga in 2014.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Roger Schmidt
- Name (Japanese)
- ロジャー・シュミット
- Reading
- ろじゃー・しゅみっと
- Born
- March 13, 1967 (age 59)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Pisces / Goat
- Origin
- Kierspe, Province of Westphalia, Germany
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- 188 cm
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- association football player / association football coach
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Private
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.