Jupp Heynckes has admitted that he turned down coaching offers from both Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain in 2013 following Bayern Munich’s treble-winning season. Pep Guardiola had already been lined up to take over as manager at the end of the 2012-2013 campaign, which meant that Heynckes was one of the most sought after coaches in the summer of 2013, despite having announced his retirement.
After defeating Bayern in the Champions League final in 2012 by penalty shoot-out, Chelsea were no strangers to Heynckes, and they had their sights set on having him succeed interim manager Rafael Benitez. Speaking to German outlet FAZ (via ESPN), Heynckes revealed that he had no interest in entertaining Chelsea’s efforts to bring him on board:
[Chelsea owner] Roman Abramovich wanted to visit my home. I said -- no thanks. I am done.
Heynckes was equally blunt in declining Paris Saint-Germain’s offer after the club had been taken over by Nasser Al-Khelaifi and Oryx Qatar Sports Investments, their main goal being to win a Champions League trophy:
PSG’s boss wanted to bring his whole entourage, including his chefs, to cook at my farmhouse. I didn’t want that either.
But when Uli Hoeness called in Bayern's hour of need, Heynckes was ready to help an old friend. Since replacing Carlo Ancelotti, he’s led Bayern to 17 wins in 18 matches across competitions in his fourth stint in charge. Bayern now enjoy 16-point cushion at the top of the Bundesliga table.
There’s a strong push from within the club convince Heynckes to stay as manager beyond the end of this season, but he’s insisted that he will not change his plans and has been quick to play down speculation regarding his future.
Regardless of what his future holds, Heynckes has cemented his place in Bayern lore, staying true to the club where he spent most of his managerial career outside of his hometown Mönchengladbach.