After 21 years of DFB: team doctor Meyer leaves the national team

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Tim Meyer accompanied the German national soccer team for more than two decades

Photo: Christian Schroedter / IMAGO/Christian Schroedter

After six world championships and 21 years, Tim Meyer is retiring as team doctor for the German men's national team.

As the German Football Association (DFB) announced on Tuesday in Frankfurt/Main, this is happening at the request of the 55-year-old sports doctor from the University of Saarbrücken.

After the World Cup debacle in Qatar and the resignation of DFB director Oliver Bierhoff, national coach Hansi Flick loses a long-standing employee.

»My appreciation for the person and the doctor Tim Meyer is huge.

His expertise and know-how never ceased to amaze me.

We will miss him as a doctor – and also as an adviser and an interesting and clever conversationalist,” said Flick.

Part of the team since Völler

"It was a great time, for which I am incredibly grateful to the German Football Association and all the national coaches I was able to work with," said Meyer in the association's statement.

He was part of the DFB selection under team boss Rudi Völler, then under Jürgen Klinsmann, Joachim Löw and Flick and was in 289 international matches.

»Even before the World Cup, I had discussed with my wife that I wanted to quit because my overall time commitment was simply reaching its limits.

I didn't want to get involved in the discussions immediately after the World Cup so as not to give the wrong impression."

Meyer described the 2014 World Cup triumph in Brazil as the emotional highlight of his work at the DFB.

During the corona pandemic, he used a medical concept to ensure that games continued under the umbrella of the German Football League (DFL).

Meyer remains chairman of the Medical Commission at the DFB.

In the future he wants to get more involved in international football research and consulting.

cev/dpa