Steffen Baumgart stands for one thing above all: intense emotions. Ultimately, however, this approach no longer led him to success. First his engagement at HSV ended without promotion to the Bundesliga, then in the second half of last season he had to go to his second heart club, Union Berlin, in eleventh place. How does the 54-year-old trainer view the separations?
Question: Mr. Baumgart, at the end of September you terminated your contract with Union Berlin, which originally ran until June 30, 2027. When are you ready for a coaching job again?
Steffen Baumgart: From now on, because recently I've had enough free time, I've traveled a lot with my wife Katja, among other things. My battery is full for a new task.
Question: Are you speculating on a job in the Bundesliga?
Baumgart: The Bundesliga is certainly super interesting. But I would also be interested in working abroad. I know some German trainers who have no regrets about working outside of Germany. Roger Schmidt, for example, who was in China, Eindhoven and then Lisbon, among other places. There are certainly worse stations. In England's Premier League, Fabian Hürzeler (Brighton, editor) and Daniel Farke (Leeds United) are doing a really good job and gaining valuable experience. I'm sure I can explain football abroad too.
Question: At the beginning of 2026, your former club Union extended your contract early by one year, and the separation followed three months later when you were in eleventh place in the Bundesliga with the Berliners. How much did that hurt?
Baumgart: I was surprised and disappointed. My job was to keep the club in the Bundesliga. I managed to do this in the first season after I was signed during the 2024/25 winter break. And by the time I was on leave from Union during the 2025/26 season, I had already managed to stay in the league.
Question: How so?
Baumgart: We had 32 points at that point. Not all the clubs behind us could have caught up with us, just because of the game plan. VfL Wolfsburg, who ultimately achieved relegation in sixteenth place, only had 29 points by the last matchday. That's why, in my opinion, the separation during the season was unnecessary. Of course we didn't play well in the second half of the season and fell short of expectations. But if you come to the conclusion that you want to take a different path, to have a different development, then you could have waited until the summer break and sorted it out then.
Question: Especially since Union is not just any club for you...
Baumgart: I have lived in Köpenick for around 20 years, have been a member of the club for more than two decades and used to play for Union. Now the smart guys come and say: That's how the football business is. I see it differently.
Question: Last summer, Berlin brought in a new coach, Mauro Lustrinelli, who was supposed to play attractive football - and in return gave up the Union DNA with a compact defense. So far, however, without much success.
Baumgart: Anyone who followed my time as a coach in Paderborn and then in Cologne knows that I was always an advocate of offensive and very courageous football and played with a four-man defense.
Question: And quite successfully. They led Paderborn to the Bundesliga in 2019 and Cologne to the European Cup in 2022...
Baumgart: Yes, the period, from my start in Paderborn in April 2017 to the end in Cologne in December 2023, was the best for me as a coach. But back to Union, one should not forget: the club had its best time under Urs Fischer. However, with typical Union defensive football, with which he led the club to the Champions League - the ultimate for the club. We'll see if the new plan works, especially since other clubs invested a lot more money in their teams.
Question: Before your Union commitment, you were at Hamburger SV. However, after nine months, your favorite childhood club ended. How bitter was that for you?
Baumgart: The separation went smoothly. I had a very open and good relationship on an equal level with those responsible, from Jonas Boldt (the then sports director hired Baumgart in February 2024, editor) to his successor Stefan Kuntz to Eric Huwer (board member). All situations were clearly discussed - even in difficult times. That's why the separation, when Stefan asked me for an interview in November 2024, was the right decision.
Question: Why?
Baumgart: Because the pressure to achieve promotion simply became too great after the lack of results. We had reached a point where we had to decide to take new paths in order to do the best for the club, for the team. It was an honest exchange. In the end it worked, the team that we put together before the season with the signing of Davie Selke, among other things, was rightly promoted with Merlin and his team.
Question: How do you see HSV today with some distance?
Baumgart: Only when you have worked for HSV do you realize how powerful this club is. And not when someone tells you something. For me, the club, which has an incredible presence, is one of the three or four biggest in Germany. Maybe HSV got promoted too late after relegation in 2018, but otherwise it hasn't done much wrong if you look at the last six or seven years.
Question: That means?
Baumgart: HSV is in a good financial position despite being in the second division for a long time. The Volksparkstadion has been permanently full for a long time, and 55,000 spectators recently attended a friendly match against Copenhagen. This is incredible. And despite all the euphoria, those responsible always have the reality in the back of their minds: they are not building castles in the air. You know: This season for HSV it's all about staying in the league, which won't be easy. This is what sets the club apart from others.
Question: Merlin Polzin was promoted to be your successor at the time. How do you see the development of your former assistant?
Baumgart: I think his development is good. Also how he approached the task and continues to do so today. He is clear and stays very calm in difficult situations, like the last time before the Cologne game, when he and HSV were not in an easy situation after three defeats in the opening game. However, he also has a small advantage.
Question: Which one?
Baumgart: He has been an HSV fan since he was a child and grew up with the club. This means he enjoys a small bonus. Nevertheless: Merlin has a clear idea of how he wants football to be played, and he benefits from the unity of the club, in which there are not 25 different people who have a say - but three or four who then show the way. In my opinion, this is very important for successful work.
Question: So was it right for HSV to extend Polzin's contract early until 2029?
Baumgart: It was the right decision because it gave HSV an important signal to the outside world: Merlin is our coach for the future.
Question: At the weekend HSV will be visiting another of your former clubs: SC Paderborn. Does the club have a chance of staying in the league after being immediately relegated after the first two promotions in 2014 and seven years ago?
Baumgart: Firstly: For me it's no wonder that clubs like Paderborn and Elversberg have been promoted. Your potential lies in calm, composure, clarity and good human resources policy. Something has been built up at both clubs over the years, and it reminds me of examples of how not to do it, even if other clubs have a much more tradition. Can Paderborn keep the class? The opportunity is greater than before because those responsible have learned from the first two promotions to better position the squad across the board. I think Ralf Kettemann is a good trainer.
Question: You have been involved in professional football as a player and coach for over 30 years. What really annoys you?
Baumgart: That a lot of things are regularly talked down to. There are some experts who just want to polarize - but don't want to discuss things objectively. Our great players, such as Toni Kroos, who won the Champions League six times with Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, are downplayed. He still has to explain himself today, but there is no German player who was more successful. Or we question Joshua Kimmich, one of the best midfielders in Europe, in the national team. That makes me scared and anxious. I find all of this very difficult. Also how our talent promotion is discussed.
Question: To what extent?
Baumgart: Our senior national team is not one of the absolute best in the world, we can say that after our performance at the last three World Cup tournaments. But please don't let anyone tell me that we have poor training and no talent. The U17 became world champions in 2023, the U21 became European runner-up in 2025, and the U19 came second in the European Championships in 2026. Our problem is: promoting these talents in the senior sector. Clubs would rather spend money on foreign players than rely on their own. We're surprised that young German players can't make the jump from the junior to the men's division.
