Remember Mark van Bommel? The always-ready-to-rumble midfielder was a lynchpin in Bayern Munich's side from 2006-2011 where he helped the club win six trophies. At the end of the 2008 season when Oliver Kahn retired, the Dutch midfielder became the first non-German to be named Bayern captain. This was a huge honor for the player, and you could tell that he wore it with pride every single week.
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When Van Bommel retired at the end of last season, speculation began in an attempt to figure out what the next step in his life would be? Would he jump into coaching, try his hand at the commentator gig, or ride off into the sunset with the twenty two trophies that he won throughout his professional career? Well, it appears that we now have an answer.
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge was recently on Sky when Mark van Bommel was a guest. The Chairman had some interesting things to say about van Bommel.
"We have a very good relationship with Mark. He's made it known that he wants to become a coach. He told me when he transferred to Milan. With his experience and tactical understanding, he will undoubtedly be an interesting coach in the future. We talked with him to see if he could, at some point in the future, imagine coming back to FC Bayern as a coach, first in the youth department. Then, you have to see how things develop. He is without question an interesting man. He was the captain with us, and he is an intelligent fellow."
So, according to KHR, talks were held with Van Bommel back in the winter of 2010/2011, before the Dutch Bomber made his transfer to Milan, about coming back to Bayern one day as a youth coach. What did Van Bommel have to say about this?
"Yeah, I can imagine that. I played here for four and a half years. The kids love it here and would really, really like to go back. They had a very nice time. I know the club from front to back, and I would love to be a coach. And, when talking about Bayern, you don't normally have to think long."
Whoa! So, it looks like there is a very good chance that we'll be seeing Van Bommel back in Munich in the near future as a youth coach. What do you think of this development?