the club he turned down on Saturday.
Eyebrows were raised in February when Nagelsmann, then aged just 28, was made head coach of Hoffenheim.
The appointment was a “a crazy idea”, mused the Frankfurter Rundschau daily, while Hoffenheim’s local paper branded it a “PR gag”.
His only previous experience as a head coach had been of the club’s under-19 side, whom he led to the 2014 German age-group title, even though he was less than 10 years older than his players.
But after predecessor Huub Stevens walked away due to heart problems, a drastic remedy was needed for Hoffenheim’s position in Germany’s top flight — 17th and second from bottom.
Nagelsmann secured a point in his first game with a 1-1 draw at Bremen and kept Hoffenheim up by the skins of their collective teeth last season.
They are a revelation this campaign.
After nine league games they are unbeaten, third in the table and only four points behind the mighty Bayern.
Now Nagelsmann, the youngest coach in Europe’s top leagues, is confident of Hoffenheim’s first win over Bayern — after 16 failed attempts — at Munich’s Allianz Arena this weekend.
“They are the best team in the football league but we are going to be successful against them,” said Nagelsmann.
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