One "little" mistake led to Jürgen Klinsmann's firing at Bayern Munich

Everyone remembers the few months that Jürgen Klinsmann was in charge of Bayern Munich. Hopes were high across Säbener Straße that the figurehead of the German national team that advanced to the semifinals at Germany 2006 could be the face of the Bayern Munich revolution that would see the Bavarians resurgence in Europe.

Well, things didn't work out. Klinsmann got the boot before his first season was completed. Everyone has their own theories as to what led to Klinsmann's dismissal, and everyone has also now moved on for the better. So, of course, it gets brought up again.

Goal.com scored a one hour sit down interview with Karl-Heinz Rummenigge. Of course, since it was an American speaking with the Chairman, he was asked about Jürgen Klinsmann's current gig with the United States national team. We know that Rummenigge isn't one to hold back when speaking the media, and he made no exception here.

"I believe it's not a surprise that he's successful, because when he had been coaching here for one season I believe both parties, him and ourselves, made one mistake. It was looking like something little but in the end it was an important mistake.

"His second coach, the Mexican who was a nice guy and a very good coach, didn't know anything about the Bundesliga or about German football, and I believe at the end that was a mistake done by us and done by (Klinsmann). Maybe we had to choose a German who knew the Bundesliga who could have helped him, like maybe how Joachim Low helped him during the 2006 World Cup. It was little, but in the end it was a very important mistake.

"I have to excuse him, because I know he suffered about that and in the end got fired here. But it was not his mistake alone. We also made a mistake."

The "Mexican" in question is Mexican-American Martin Vasquez. He joined as Klinsmann's number two at Bayern Munich and then followed him in the summer of 2011 when Klinsmann took over the United States national team before being unceremoniously fired by Klinsmann a month before Brazil 2014.

So, Rummenigge thinks one thing that led to Klinsmann's downfall was not having a number two that knew anything about the Bundesliga? Of course, it was. This was also why Bayern demanded that Hermann Gerland stay on the FC Bayern coaching staff when Pep Guardiola took over the club.