Dietmar Johann Wolfgang "Didi" Hamann (German pronunciation: ; born 27 August 1973) is a German professional football coach, former player and media personality.
Throughout his career, he has played for Bayern Munich, Newcastle United, Liverpool and Manchester City primarily in a defensive midfield position. He also spent time at Milton Keynes Dons as a player/coach before joining Leicester City as a first team coach. He was a member of the Germany national team from 1997 until 2006 and represented his nation in two FIFA World Cups and two UEFA European Championships, reaching the 2002 FIFA World Cup final. He is known in Ireland as a football pundit on Raidió Teilifís Éireann's live coverage of major European and International competitions.
Throughout his playing career Hamann gained a reputation for being a highly consistent and reliable player. He is highly respected by supporters of Liverpool due in large part to his involvement in the club's victory in the 2005 UEFA Champions League final.
On 5 July 2011, Hamann was named as the new manager of Stockport County, replacing former manager Ray Mathias. He resigned from the post on 7 November 2011 after only four months with Stockport struggling in 17th place in the Conference Premier citing failure of a proposed takeover by Tony Evans.
Hamann played for Germany at under-21 level before making his full international debut in a friendly against South Africa in November 1997. He was selected by manager Berti Vogts for the 1998 FIFA World Cup, being, at almost 25, the second youngest player in an over-aged Germany squad. During the group stage, Hamann drifted in and out of the starting XI, finally breaking into the team when Germany gained momentum in the second round game against Mexico. However, after a quarter-final defeat against Croatia, Germany was out of the tournament.
During the UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying, Hamann established himself as a key player for a transitional Germany side. He played in all of Germany's games at the final tournament as they exited in the first round. Hamann was the last player to score at the old Wembley Stadium before its demolition when he scored the winning goal in Germany's 2002 World Cup qualifier against England in October 2000.
Alongside Michael Ballack and Bernd Schneider, Hamann was one of the key players in Germany's surprising run to the 2002 FIFA World Cup Final. He became only the second Liverpool player after Roger Hunt in 1966 to play in a World Cup Final while still at the club, but finished on the losing side as Brazil won 2–0 in Yokohama. In the 67th minute of that match, Hamann lost the ball to opposing forward Ronaldo, who passed to Rivaldo, who shot from outside the area; goalkeeper Oliver Kahn gave a rebound, allowing Ronaldo to score and give Brazil a 1–0 lead. The subsequent Euro 2004 turned out to be Hamann's last tournament. Again, the Euro ended with a disappointing first round exit for Germany. A 1–2 defeat against a Czech Republic side resting its key players proved to be Hamann's penultimate international game.
After a strong performance in the 2005 Champions League final, Hamann was recalled for the Germany squad by new manager Jürgen Klinsmann. In the 2–2 draw against the Netherlands, Hamann produced a lacklustre performance, apparently convincing Klinsmann that he did not possess the required pace for that kind of level anymore. Hamann was dropped from the squad for the subsequent friendlies. Having not been selected for the German squad in the 2006 FIFA World Cup, he decided to officially retire from international football.
Hamann has two daughters, Chiara and Luna. He is the brother of Matthias Hamann, who also played in the Bundesliga, mainly for Bayern rival 1860 Munich. Hamann enjoys cricket and once played for Alderley Edge CC 2nd XI vs Neston CC 2nd XI in the Cheshire County Cricket League, taking a catch in the game. He became interested in the sport during the 2005 Ashes series.
On 23 February 2010, the former German international was found guilty of Driving under the influence and sentenced to a 16-month driving ban while also being fined nearly £2,000. He had been stopped by police at junction six of the M56 near his home in Styal, Cheshire, at 12.15 am on 12 July 2009.
In cooperation with Standard Chartered Bank, an institution for which he also acted as an ambassador, Hamann hosted a football clinic in Nigeria.
In 2012, Hamann revealed the gambling problems he suffered towards the end of his career, an addiction that has been "not healthy or sustainable" and lasted for many years.
Hamann went to Australia on an extended holiday in 2018. In June 2019 he was charged with assault in the country.
English Premier League 2 Goals 2000-09-09 |
1992-1998 |
1997-2005 |
1998-1999 |
1999-2006 |
2006 |
2006-2009 |
2010-2011 |
2010-2011 Coach |
2011-2011 Coach |
2011-2011 Manager |
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