Uwe Rösler (; born 15 November 1968) is a German
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
manager
Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...
and former professional footballer. He most recently managed
Danish Superliga
The Danish Superliga (, ) is a professional association football league in Denmark and the highest level of the Danish football league system. The league is currently contested by 12 teams each year, with 2 teams relegated. It is the current ...
club
AGF from
2022
The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...
to
2025
So far, the year has seen the continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudanese civil war, and the Gaza war. Internal crises in Bangladesh post-resignation v ...
.
As a player he was a
centre forward
In the sport of association football, a forward (attacker or striker) is an outfield position which primarily plays further up the pitch than midfielders and defenders. As with any attacking player, the role of the forward relies heavily on be ...
, notably playing in the
Premier League
The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
for
Manchester City
Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...
, where he was the leading goalscorer for three consecutive seasons from
1994–95 to
1996–97, and in the
Bundesliga
The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany and the highest level of the German football league system. The Bundesliga comprises 18 teams ...
for
1. FC Nürnberg and
1. FC Kaiserslautern
1. Fußball-Club Kaiserslautern e. V., also known as 1. FCK, FCK (), FC Kaiserslautern (), K'lautern or colloquially Lautern (), is a German sports club based in Kaiserslautern, Rhineland-Palatinate. In addition to Association football, football ...
, playing in the
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...
with the latter. He also played Premier League football for
Southampton
Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...
, in the
Football League
The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in Association football around the world, the w ...
for
West Bromwich Albion and in
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...
for
Lillestrøm. Back in his native Germany, he represented
1. FC Lokomotive Leipzig,
BSG Chemie Leipzig,
1. FC Magdeburg
1. FC Magdeburg is a German Association football Football club (association football), club based in Magdeburg. The club was founded in 1965 from the football department of the Sports club (East Germany), sports club ''SC Magdeburg'' and has bee ...
,
Dynamo Dresden
Sportgemeinschaft Dynamo Dresden e.V., commonly known as SG Dynamo Dresden or Dynamo Dresden, is a German association football club based in Dresden, Saxony.Grüne, Hardy (2001). Enzyklopädie des deutschen Ligafußballs 7. Vereinslexikon. Kasse ...
,
Tennis Borussia Berlin
Tennis Borussia Berlin is a German football club based in the locality of Westend in Berlin.
History
The team was founded in 1902 as ''Berliner Tennis- und Ping-Pong-Gesellschaft Borussia'' taking its name from its origins as a tennis and ...
and
SpVgg Unterhaching. Rösler is a former
East Germany
East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...
international, whom he represented in the
under-21 team and five times as a senior.
In 2004, he began his managerial career with
Lillestrøm in Norway, and later led
Viking
Vikings were seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden),
who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9� ...
and
Molde FK
Molde Fotballklubb () is a association football, football club based in Molde Municipality, Molde, Norway, that competes in Eliteserien, the top flight of Norwegian football league system, Norwegian football. Founded on 19 June 1911, the club w ...
in
Tippeligaen. He also managed
Brentford
Brentford is a suburban town in West (London sub region), West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the River Thames, Thames, west of Charing Cross.
Its economy has dive ...
,
Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic Football Club is a professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system.
Founded in 1932, they have p ...
,
Leeds United
Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The team compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league system.
Leeds United have won the League Championship th ...
and
Fleetwood Town in the English Football League, as well as
Malmö FF
Malmö Fotbollförening (), commonly known simply as Malmö FF or MFF, is a Swedish professional football club based in Malmö, Scania. They compete in the Allsvenskan, the top division of Swedish football, and play home matches at the Eleda S ...
in
Allsvenskan
Allsvenskan (; ), also known as Fotbollsallsvenskan (, ) is a professional association football league in Sweden and the highest level of the Swedish football league system.
Founded in 1924, it operates on a system of promotion and relegatio ...
,
Fortuna Düsseldorf
Düsseldorfer Turn- und Sportverein Fortuna 1895 e.V., commonly known as Fortuna Düsseldorf (), is a Football in Germany, German football club based in Düsseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia, that competes in the 2. Bundesliga.
Founded in 1895, Fo ...
in the Bundesliga, and most recently
AGF in the
Danish Superliga
The Danish Superliga (, ) is a professional association football league in Denmark and the highest level of the Danish football league system. The league is currently contested by 12 teams each year, with 2 teams relegated. It is the current ...
.
Club career
Germany
Born in
Altenburg
Altenburg () is a city in Thuringia, Germany, located south of Leipzig, west of Dresden and east of Erfurt. It is the capital of the Altenburger Land district and part of a polycentric old-industrial textile and metal production region betw ...
, Rösler started his career in the former
GDR, joining
Lokomotive Leipzig in 1987, where he spent one season, before moving on to
BSG Chemie Leipzig in 1988. Following this he transferred to
1. FC Magdeburg
1. FC Magdeburg is a German Association football Football club (association football), club based in Magdeburg. The club was founded in 1965 from the football department of the Sports club (East Germany), sports club ''SC Magdeburg'' and has bee ...
in 1989, where he spent a year before signing for
Dynamo Dresden
Sportgemeinschaft Dynamo Dresden e.V., commonly known as SG Dynamo Dresden or Dynamo Dresden, is a German association football club based in Dresden, Saxony.Grüne, Hardy (2001). Enzyklopädie des deutschen Ligafußballs 7. Vereinslexikon. Kasse ...
in the winter 1990–91. After two years with Dresden, he also spent two years with
1. FC Nürnberg, where he failed to score once in 28 games, resulting in him being loaned back to Dresden for the second year. Having grown up in the East, where players were nominally regarded as amateurs, Rösler found it difficult to adapt when he moved to the West after
reunification: "I suddenly saw more individualistic thinking, cliques, a powerful press and personal politics around team selection.
The Wall was still there in some people's heads and in many ways I was naive."
Manchester City
In March 1994, Rösler joined
Manchester City
Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...
on trial. Given an opportunity in a reserve match against
Burnley
Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2021 population of 78,266. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River B ...
, he scored two goals, which resulted in a three-month loan. He made his first team debut the following Saturday, against
Queens Park Rangers. A return of five goals in twelve games saw the move made permanent in the close season,
reports of the transfer fee varying between £375,000 and £500,000.
After an ignominious start to the 1994–95 campaign, when he was sent off in a 3–0 opening day defeat at
Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
,
Rösler formed a productive partnership with
Paul Walsh, and scored 22 league and cup goals despite missing several games through injury. In an FA cup match against
Notts County he scored four goals, becoming the first Manchester City player to score four in an FA Cup tie since
Johnny Hart in 1953.
His performances that season meant he was the club's leading goalscorer, and he won the club's Player of the Year award.
At the start of the 1995–96 season,
Alan Ball became manager and immediately changed the nature of the side. Despite City's obvious strengths down the flanks, the team was adapted to play through the middle of the park. With no supply line from the wings (City's other winger
Nicky Summerbee often playing at right-back), and with the loss through injury of Beagrie and the shocking sale of Walsh, Rösler struggled in this season. Many felt that he and fellow striker
Niall Quinn were too similar to play in a system that didn't feed strikers effectively and Rösler clearly became unhappy. Much publicised disagreements with the manager culminated in Rösler being dropped from the side, only to be brought on as a sub in the Manchester derby and immediately score a phenomenal goal. Rösler's goal celebrations saw him running to the bench, shouting at Ball and pointing to his name and squad number on the back of his shirt. City were relegated to
Division One at the end of the campaign, but Rösler opted to stay with the Blues. Despite another difficult campaign, Rösler again finished top scorer and clearly benefited from the return to a 4–4–1–1 formation. After another spell out with injury, Rösler would eventually leave the Blues in May 1998 on a free transfer following relegation to
Division Two.
In his four years at City he played 176 games, scoring 64 goals. He was admitted to City's "Hall of Fame" in December 2009.
Return to Germany
In the summer of 1998, Rösler returned to Germany joining
Kaiserslautern
Kaiserslautern (; ) is a town in southwest Germany, located in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate at the edge of the Palatinate Forest. The historic centre dates to the 9th century. It is from Paris, from Frankfurt am Main, 666 kilometers (414 m ...
, then reigning German champions, for one season. His most remarkable game there was on 9 December 1998 when he came on as a substitute against
HJK and
scored a second half
hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three.
Origin
The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three Wick ...
as Kaiserslautern won 5–2, helping them to win
their group in the 1998–99 UEFA Champions League, before going out in the
quarter-finals to
Bayern Munich. He then moved on to
Tennis Borussia Berlin
Tennis Borussia Berlin is a German football club based in the locality of Westend in Berlin.
History
The team was founded in 1902 as ''Berliner Tennis- und Ping-Pong-Gesellschaft Borussia'' taking its name from its origins as a tennis and ...
for the 1999–2000 season.
Southampton
When Tennis Borussia went bankrupt in the summer of 2000,
Glenn Hoddle snapped Rösler up on a free transfer, but he was unable to become a regular in Saints' first team as
James Beattie started to find his form (scoring 10 goals in 10 games in November and December). Rösler also suffered a groin injury which required surgery, keeping him out for several weeks. Although he was a whole-hearted and committed player, he only managed to score once for the Saints, in a
League Cup game at
Mansfield Town
Mansfield Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the third level of the English football league system.
The club was formed in 1897 as Mans ...
.
Rösler scored the last goal at
The Dell on 26 May 2001 in a friendly against
Brighton & Hove Albion – who were selected as Southampton's opponents as they had been the stadium's first visitors when it opened in 1898 – as Saints won 1–0. However, the distinction of the last competitive goal at The Dell went to Rösler's teammate
Matt Le Tissier
Matthew Paul Le Tissier (; born 14 October 1968) is a former professional association football, footballer who played as a midfielder. Le Tissier spent his entire professional club career with Southampton F.C., Southampton, before turning to non- ...
, who had scored a late winner in the 3–2 Premier League win over Arsenal seven days earlier.
In the following season, he only made a handful of appearances before being loaned out to
West Bromwich Albion on 30 October 2001, as cover for the injured
Scott Dobie. He made his debut away at
Crystal Palace on 31 October 2001, and his only goal for Albion came in a 1–0 home win over
Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest Football Club is a professional association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football.
Founde ...
four days later. Rösler played just five games for West Bromwich Albion, as he joined German side
SpVgg Unterhaching on a free transfer in January 2002, who went on to win promotion as Division One runners-up at the end of the 2001–02 season.
Lillestrøm
In July 2002, Rösler signed for Norwegian club
Lillestrøm. He played 11 matches and scored 10 goals for the Canaries in the latter part of the 2002 season.
After the first match of the season in 2003, in which he scored the match winner in a 1–0 defeat of
Bodø/Glimt, Rösler was diagnosed with cancer, when
x-ray
An X-ray (also known in many languages as Röntgen radiation) is a form of high-energy electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength shorter than those of ultraviolet rays and longer than those of gamma rays. Roughly, X-rays have a wavelength ran ...
s discovered a tumour in his chest, and had to put an end to his playing career.
After
chemotherapy
Chemotherapy (often abbreviated chemo, sometimes CTX and CTx) is the type of cancer treatment that uses one or more anti-cancer drugs (list of chemotherapeutic agents, chemotherapeutic agents or alkylating agents) in a standard chemotherapy re ...
, he made a full recovery. While in remission, Rösler obtained his coaching badges, enabling him to continue working in football.
International career
Rösler made his debut for
East Germany
East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...
on 26 January 1990 in a 2–1 win over
Kuwait
Kuwait, officially the State of Kuwait, is a country in West Asia and the geopolitical region known as the Middle East. It is situated in the northern edge of the Arabian Peninsula at the head of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to Iraq–Kuwait ...
. He appeared in the team's final match against
Belgium
Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...
on 12 September 1990, 21 days before the
German reunification
German reunification () was the process of re-establishing Germany as a single sovereign state, which began on 9 November 1989 and culminated on 3 October 1990 with the dissolution of the East Germany, German Democratic Republic and the int ...
. Overall, Rösler was capped five times, scoring no goals. He also represented
East Germany U21s at international level.
Management career
Lillestrøm
After making a full recovery from lung cancer, he returned to Lillestrøm, and took the manager's seat in 2005. He led the team to two successive fourth-place finishes in the league, and also took them to the
final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...
of the
Norwegian Cup in 2005 and the
Royal League final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...
in 2006, subsequently losing both. These results failed to satisfy the Lillestrøm board, and on 13 November 2006 he was sacked from his position along with assistant coach
Gunnar Halle.
Viking
Rösler was appointed manager of
Viking
Vikings were seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden),
who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9� ...
, another Norwegian team, on 22 November 2006, replacing
Tom Nordlie, who took over Rösler's old job at Lillestrøm. In the 2007 season he led Viking to a third place in the
Tippeligaen. On 18 November 2009 it was announced that Rösler was leaving Viking.
Molde
On 31 August 2010, he was hired by
Molde
Molde () is a List of towns and cities in Norway, town and the seat of Molde Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is located in the Traditional districts of Norway, traditional district of Romsdal. It is located on the Romsdal Pen ...
on a short-term contract. During Molde's last eight games of the season, he doubled the team's total number of points, avoided a single defeat, and saved them from relegation. He was replaced by
Ole Gunnar Solskjær in November 2010 ready for the start of
the 2011 season.
Brentford
In November 2010, Rösler expressed his desire to return to the Premier League as a manager. In June 2011, he was appointed manager of
League One side
Brentford
Brentford is a suburban town in West (London sub region), West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the River Thames, Thames, west of Charing Cross.
Its economy has dive ...
on an initial two-year contract.
Rösler's first game in charge was a practice match against
Strømmen, which ended 0–0, while his first game open to fans was a 10–0 victory over
Tonbridge Angels and his first competitive match in charge ended in a 2–0 win over
Yeovil Town. Rösler had a successful first season managing at Brentford, finishing in ninth place with a total of 67 points, Brentford's highest league finish in six years.
In Rösler's second season in charge of Brentford they came within minutes of securing promotion from League One to the Championship. For their final game of the season, on 27 April 2013, they faced second placed
Doncaster Rovers
Doncaster Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. The team currently competes in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system after winning the 202 ...
at Griffin Park, with Brentford in third place only a win would see his side promoted. In the dramatic final minute of added time and with the game poised at 0–0, Brentford won a penalty. On-loan striker
Marcello Trotta insisted on taking the penalty rather than captain,
Kevin O'Connor, hitting the crossbar. Doncaster counter-attacked from the rebound and
James Coppinger scored the goal which guaranteed Doncaster's promotion as well as the league title.
Brentford entered the play-offs, where they were drawn in the semi-final against
Swindon Town
Swindon Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. The team, known as the "Robins", currently compete in , the fourth level of the English football league system.
Founded as Swindon A ...
.
Despite beating Swindon in an almost equally dramatic manner, eventually succeeding via a penalty shoot-out after a 4–4 aggregate scoreline. However promotion was never to come for Rösler's Brentford as they were beaten 2–1 in the play-off final by
Yeovil Town at
Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium, currently branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE Limited, EE for sponsorship reasons, is an association football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Sta ...
, after a poor first-half performance.
Following the drama and disappointment of the 2012–13 season, Rösler embarked upon a heavy overhaul of his squad in order to finally gain promotion to the Championship. In the summer transfer window, 13 players were either signed or loaned from other clubs whilst only three of last-season's first-team squad were sold. Rösler left the position of Brentford manager on 7 December 2013, having led a revival in the team's fortunes, winning seven of his final eight games. Under the stewardship of former
sporting director
A sporting director, or director of sport, is an executive management position in a sports club. The role is well known as a manager role for European football clubs, which are sometime also "sports clubs", offering many types of sports. The ...
Mark Warburton
Mark Warburton (born 6 September 1962) is an English professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Association football, player who is currently the Sporting Director and Head of Soccer for Sporting Club Jacksonville ...
, the Bees achieved automatic promotion to the Championship on 18 April 2014. Long-serving player Kevin O'Connor paid tribute to Rösler at the end of the season, saying "Uwe got the ball rolling. We were a bang average League One side, but Uwe changed the mentality. Everything he did was all Premier League standard. He did amazing, so we’ll be saying thank you to him".
Wigan Athletic
On 7 December 2013, Rösler was appointed as the new manager of Championship side
Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic Football Club is a professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system.
Founded in 1932, they have p ...
,
taking over the position from
Owen Coyle. His first game in charge came on 12 December 2013, a 2–1 loss against
NK Maribor in the
UEFA Europa League
The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...
.
In March 2014, Rösler returned to Manchester City and led holders Wigan to a shock 2–1 victory over his old club at the
Etihad Stadium in the quarter-final of the
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
. However, his team lost in the semi-finals to Arsenal at
Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium, currently branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE Limited, EE for sponsorship reasons, is an association football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Sta ...
, 4–2 on penalties after a 1–1 draw. After finishing fifth in the Championship, Wigan qualified for the play-offs, but lost in the semi-final to eventual winners
Queens Park Rangers after goals from
Charlie Austin.
With Wigan being amongst the early favourites for promotion during the 2014–15 season, on 13 November 2014, Rösler was sacked by Wigan Athletic after the club fell into the relegation zone. The then Wigan chairman
Dave Whelan proclaimed that despite sacking Rösler "I still rate him as a very, very good manager and I think he'll get another job very quickly and I wish him good luck" and Whelan revealed that it was a "harsh decision" to sack him after guiding Wigan to the Championship play-off semi-finals and FA Cup semi-finals months earlier. He was replaced as Wigan Athletic manager by
Malky Mackay and then
Gary Caldwell as the season ended with relegation.
Leeds United
On 20 May 2015, he was appointed as the head coach of Championship side
Leeds United
Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The team compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league system.
Leeds United have won the League Championship th ...
on a two-year deal. He had rejected a job offer from
1860 Munich in February 2015 in hopes of landing another job in England. As part of his backroom staff, he was joined at Leeds by assistant head coach
Rob Kelly, goalkeeper coach
Richard Hartis and first team coach
Julian Darby. On 8 August, on the opening day of the Football League Championship season, Rösler's first game in charge ended in a 1–1 draw against Burnley after a goal from
Mirco Antenucci. On 19 October, he was sacked after just two wins from 12 games in charge, following a 2–1 home defeat to
Brighton & Hove Albion which left Leeds in 18th place in the Championship. On the same day, he was replaced as Leeds' head coach by former Rotherham manager
Steve Evans.
Fleetwood Town
On 30 July 2016, four days before the start of the League One season, Rösler was appointed manager of League One side
Fleetwood Town.
In Rösler's inaugural season at Fleetwood Town, he guided them to their highest ever points tally and finish in the club's history, finishing fourth with 82 points and reaching the League One play-offs where they were narrowly defeated by Bradford City (1–0 over two legs). From November 2016 to March 2017 the club went 18 games unbeaten, climbing from 13th to 2nd.
He was sacked on 17 February 2018 after seven straight defeats in all competitions.
Malmö FF
On 12 June 2018, Rösler was announced as the new head coach of
Swedish title holders Malmö FF
Malmö Fotbollförening (), commonly known simply as Malmö FF or MFF, is a Swedish professional football club based in Malmö, Scania. They compete in the Allsvenskan, the top division of Swedish football, and play home matches at the Eleda S ...
on a 2.5-year deal.
On 1 January 2020, Rösler resigned from Malmö after a two–year spell.
After taking over midway through the 2018 campaign, he led the team from 11th to 3rd place. In his first full season, Malmö FF finished second in Allsvenskan (2019), losing the title by one point to Djurgården. Additionally, in his two seasons, he led the team into back-to-back Europa League knock-out stages, a first in the club's history.
Fortuna Düsseldorf
On 29 January 2020, Rösler was appointed as the new head coach of German
Bundesliga
The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany and the highest level of the German football league system. The Bundesliga comprises 18 teams ...
side
Fortuna Düsseldorf
Düsseldorfer Turn- und Sportverein Fortuna 1895 e.V., commonly known as Fortuna Düsseldorf (), is a Football in Germany, German football club based in Düsseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia, that competes in the 2. Bundesliga.
Founded in 1895, Fo ...
. This was the first German club of his managerial career. The team ended the season with relegation after a 3–0 defeat at
1. FC Union Berlin on the final day. His contract was not extended after the 2020–21 season.
AGF
On 14 June 2022, Rösler was appointed as the new head coach for the
Danish Superliga
The Danish Superliga (, ) is a professional association football league in Denmark and the highest level of the Danish football league system. The league is currently contested by 12 teams each year, with 2 teams relegated. It is the current ...
team
AGF on a three-year contract. After a poor end to the
2024-25 Danish Superliga, he was sacked by the club on 31 May 2025.
Managerial style
Rösler is renowned for his teams playing a high, pressing style of football, and is also a fan of squad rotation among players, with
4–3–3 or
3–5–2 his favoured formations. Rösler compared his style and brand of football similar to the philosophies of German compatriot
Jürgen Klopp
Jürgen Norbert Klopp (; born 16 June 1967) is a German football executive and former Manager (association football), manager and Football player, player. He is widely regarded as one of the best football managers in the world. Klopp has been ...
, with Rösler describing the style of football as 'heavy metal' attacking football, with powerful quick football with quick transitions from attack to defence.
Personal life
Born and brought up in
East Germany
East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...
as the
communist
Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...
regime was collapsing, during his time at Lokomotive Leipzig, Rösler was interviewed by the
Stasi
The Ministry for State Security (, ; abbreviated MfS), commonly known as the (, an abbreviation of ), was the Intelligence agency, state security service and secret police of East Germany from 1950 to 1990. It was one of the most repressive pol ...
secret police organisation, who attempted to force him to inform on colleagues seeking to defect to the West in exchange for the Stasi allowing him to continue his fledgling football career unimpeded – only the furious intervention of his manager saved him from their attentions.
Having been a fan of English football from his childhood, Rösler said that he found his "home" in England during his time with
Manchester City
Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...
, and described the formation of his bond with the City fans as the "biggest achievement in my career".
Diagnosed with
non-Hodgkin lymphoma
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), also known as non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, is a group of blood cancers that includes all types of lymphomas except Hodgkin lymphomas. Symptoms include enlarged lymph nodes, fever, night sweats, weight loss, and tiredn ...
in 2003, he credited his recovery to the support of the fans of the club,
and said that hearing them sing his name at a game while he lay in hospital made his bond with the club "unbreakable".
Rösler has stated on several occasions that his ambition for his managerial career is to eventually become manager of the Manchester club.
Rösler has a Norwegian wife, with whom he has had two sons. His younger son is named
Colin after
Colin Bell, and is a professional footballer for
Malmö FF
Malmö Fotbollförening (), commonly known simply as Malmö FF or MFF, is a Swedish professional football club based in Malmö, Scania. They compete in the Allsvenskan, the top division of Swedish football, and play home matches at the Eleda S ...
, while his eldest son is named Tony after
Tony Book – both Bell and Book are former Manchester City players and are considered club legends.
In 2013, Rösler's autobiography ''Knocking Down Walls'' was released.
Career statistics
Club
Managerial
Honours
Individual
*
League One Manager of the Month: November 2013, January 2017
References
External links
*
Interview in the Guardian from September 2011
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rosler, Uwe
1968 births
Living people
People from Altenburg
Footballers from Thuringia
East German men's footballers
German men's footballers
Men's association football forwards
1. FC Lokomotive Leipzig players
1. FC Magdeburg players
Dynamo Dresden players
1. FC Nürnberg players
Manchester City F.C. players
1. FC Kaiserslautern players
Tennis Borussia Berlin players
Southampton F.C. players
West Bromwich Albion F.C. players
SpVgg Unterhaching players
Lillestrøm SK players
DDR-Oberliga players
Bundesliga players
2. Bundesliga players
Premier League players
English Football League players
Eliteserien players
East Germany men's under-21 international footballers
East Germany men's international footballers
German expatriate men's footballers
German expatriate sportspeople in England
German expatriate sportspeople in Norway
Expatriate men's footballers in Norway
Expatriate men's footballers in England
German football managers
Lillestrøm SK managers
Viking FK managers
Molde FK managers
Brentford F.C. managers
Wigan Athletic F.C. managers
Leeds United F.C. managers
Fleetwood Town F.C. managers
Malmö FF managers
Fortuna Düsseldorf managers
Eliteserien managers
English Football League managers
Allsvenskan managers
Bundesliga managers
2. Bundesliga managers
German expatriate football managers
German expatriate sportspeople in Sweden
Expatriate football managers in Norway
Expatriate football managers in England
Expatriate football managers in Sweden
German autobiographers