Salihamidzic's emotional farewell speech in the catacombs: "I wasn't always the easy guy"

Hasan Salihamidzic bids farewell to FC Bayern with his sixth championship in a row. He talks about his departure and what he plans to do next.

Cologne - FC Bayern secured the German championship in a heart-stopping final, but that was not the dominant topic after Munich's 2-1 win in Cologne. Instead, it was all about the departure of Hasan Salihamidzic and Oliver Kahn.

Even Thomas Müller was completely flabbergasted by this. After the game, the Bosnian spoke in detail about the end and his emotions and spoke about the dramatic season. He also invited Kahn, who, according to his information, was ill, to celebrate, as well as ex-coach Julian Nagelsmann, who had been dismissed by him. In Cologne, Salihamidzic spoke with tz and other media representatives about ...

... communication with him at the time of his dismissal: "There was a conversation with the supervisory board. Of course, I would have liked to continue. Of course, there are situations in football when little is possible ... we noticed that after the change of coach. In the Champions League, in the cup ... That was difficult. Nevertheless, we became champions. I accept that, of course. FC Bayern is above it all. I have good conversations with Uli (Hoeneß, editor's note) and Herbert (Hainer, editor's note). and would like to remain the friend of FC Bayern. My wish for the future is that FC Bayern remains successful. I'm always emotional when it comes to FC Bayern. I've had a lot of difficult situations, but also a lot of beautiful ones. I would like to thank you for the last six years." (TV images also show a heated discussion between Salihamidzic and Hainer on the pitch.)

Hasan Salihamidzic is getting emotional after his dismissal from FC Bayern.

© IMAGO/Frank Hoermann / SVEN SIMON

Hasan Salihamidzic on his departure from FC Bayern: "Not an easy situation"

... his emotional world: "For me, it's emotional today. Not an easy situation. Nevertheless, I wish everyone good luck and success. I would like to thank the team for this wonderful journey we have made together. Have won a lot of titles emotionally. Six league titles in six years is a good number. We didn't perform so well in the cup, but we won the Champions League once."

... his farewell to the team: "Of course I spoke in front of the team. That was also an emotional moment. You grow together. I've made a lot of transfers. You have a lot of beautiful moments, but also unpleasant moments, that's part of the position. Sometimes it was fun, sometimes they didn't. I said goodbye in peace. Tonight we will celebrate. I want to have a nice farewell to fans, players and staff, that's the way it should be. FC Bayern will always remain in my heart. I just said that to the lads - I'm just proud of this team, which has quality, character and willpower."

... what he believes the team can do in the future: "I really wanted to win the Champions League again with this team. The team will continue to win the Champions League in the next few years, I'm sure of that. The team is really good, has a good mix.

Lattek, Heynckes, Tuchel: All FC Bayern Bundesliga coaches

Lattek, Heynckes, Tuchel: All FC Bayern Bundesliga coaches

Salihamidzic on Kahn: "I hope Oliver will join in the celebrations"

... Oliver Kahn and why he is not in Cologne: "I hope that Oliver will also join in the celebrations. He deserves it. He's at home with a mild flu, I think. He is just as much a part of it. We've been doing this together for the past few years. Like all employees, he is cordially invited. He has also made his contribution."

... the championship: "I'm really proud of the squad. The guys did an excellent job. This was a difficult situation for all of us. You could see the true character of the team today, and that we can sometimes master difficult situations. That was great. I'm glad we brought that home. I was actually prepared to congratulate Dortmund, who just had to win at home. From a human point of view, too, I have to say that I am really sorry for that. But our lads really deserve it because they put in particularly great performances in the first half of the season as the best team in Europe. Scored a lot of goals and played good, attacking football."

... Julian Nagelsmann's contribution: "Then we had problems. With a new coach, we tried something different. The fact that it works in the end makes me happy for Thomas (Tuchel, editor's note). At the back, it has to be said that Julian (Nagelsmann, editor's note) also has a hand on the shell. We were all sad when he had to leave. I would also like to congratulate him today, that is the way it should be. It's also important for him to know that we appreciate him very much, that he's a really good coach. But there are situations in football that just have to be like that. The hardest thing for me was to separate. He certainly looked at home and is a good guy. He was there for three quarters of the season and is cordially invited to the party, he deserves it.

Salihamidzic: "I'm going to do things and write things down that I've always wanted to do"

... his lessons from the last few years: "I have learned a lot. I would also like to thank you (the journalists, ed.). I wasn't always the easy guy for the media. But I think you have also come to know me as a warm person who is always friendly, but speaks his mind. I learned a lot about people, about leadership, about strengths and weaknesses in the position. I will always remember this time. FC Bayern is something special. FC Bayern will always be successful, no matter who is there. I'm very proud of the time."

... what will happen to his employees: "Marco (Neppe, editor's note) is a super guy. He's really got what it takes. You have to show great respect. He stays there for the time being. I hope you'll be fair to him. It depends on what happens next, we haven't discussed that yet. He has a lot of knowledge about football and great competence. We were almost twins. He's really a top guy. I would also like to thank him very much for his cooperation. Let's see what the future holds. Marco is a part of FC Bayern and it has to stay that way. I had a team with Christopher Keil, also a terrific guy. He wants to stay connected to me, we will also work together in the future, also with my assistant. That was important to me and I was promised that the employees would be treated well."

... what he will do in the future: "I have a lot of projects, I don't fall deep. Of course, I'm going to go on vacation first. I'm going to do things and write things down that I've always wanted to do, because in the six years, of course, life has changed and so has you as a guy. That's what the job entails. You have to do a lot of things that you don't always want to do. I hope that the fans will remember me fondly. That my work is appreciated."

(cgsc, recorded by Hanna Raif)

Category list image: © IMAGO/Frank Hoermann / SVEN SIMON