Ottmar Hitzfeld (Bayern Munich, 1998-2004 and 2007-08)
A year after securing the Champions League title with Borussia Dortmund, Hitzfeld headed off to Bayern, and was an instant success. His new side finished 15 points clear at the top of the Bundesliga in his debut season, reached the DFB-Pokal final, and were defeated in the Champions League only by virtue of Manchester United's dramatic injury-time comeback.
The Bundesliga title was secured in four of his six seasons, and he won the DFB-Pokal twice, while in 2001 he led the club to Champions League glory as they defeated Valencia on penalties. He was Bayern's most successful coach of all time but, after a disappointing 2003-04 campaign, his position came under scrutiny. He stated his intention to remain until his contract expired in 2005 but was relieved of his duties that summer, with Uli Hoeness, the club's general manager, saying a change was necessary as the players were "all too spoiled".
Arch-disciplinarian Felix Magath was brought in, securing back-to-back domestic doubles in his first two campaigns, but his third was disappointing and he was fired in January 2007 with the club in fourth place. Hitzfeld - in self-imposed exile from football - accepted the offer to return, but was unable to achieve his stated aim of guiding the club into the Champions League places.
That summer, Bayern spent heavily, bringing in the likes of Franck Ribery, Miroslav Klose, Luca Toni and Ze Roberto. The spending paid off as Bayern secured the Ligapokal, DFB-Pokal and Bundesliga but Hitzfeld rejected the offer of a new contract. The coach - previously a maths teacher - had been offended when advised by the club's chief executive, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, that "football is not mathematics" after a 2-2 draw against Bolton in November 2007. "At that time I was still considering extending my contract," he said.
Hitzfeld opted to take charge of Switzerland at the end of the season.