Sunday 28 December 2025 will be day 1,000 of the Sebastian Hoeneß era as head coach of VfB. The 43-year-old took over the reins on 3 April 2023, but his passion for the club had already taken root many years earlier…
From relegation fears to DFB Cup glory
Hoeneß wore the famous hooped jersey as a youth player, winning the Germany B-Youth (U17) Championship with VfB in the 1998/99 season. And of course, there are clear family links with Stuttgart, with his father Dieter Hoeneß making 117 appearances for VfB between 1975 and 1979 – before Sebastian was born, but then Dieter went on to be sporting manager of the club from 1990 to 1995. VfB ties handed down from one generation to another…
“When I joined VfB in April 2023, we were in a tough situation on the pitch, all the way down at 18th in the table,” said Hoeneß. He breathed new life into the team and gave them enough self-belief to pull out of the relegation zone and maintain their Bundesliga status. The following season, 2023/24, VfB finished as Bundesliga runners-up, qualifying for the UEFA Champions League, with players coming on in leaps and bounds and getting call-ups for their respective national teams.
The highlight of the Hoeneß era so far is undoubtedly the DFB Cup win in May 2025, which also saw the club qualify for Europe for the second season in a row. And with 12 points in the UEFA Europa League under their belts at this stage, there is every chance that they will go beyond the league phase in the second level of European club competition.
Keep working hard and aiming high
VfB also have plenty to look forward to in the Bundesliga at the moment. After 15 matchdays and the recent draw with Hoffenheim, the lads from Cannstatt currently sit sixth in the table. “I’m enjoying my time here. I felt at home from day one and that’s the same 1,000 days later,” said Hoeneß at the final whistle of the last match of 2025. “It’s quite a big number but when you add it up into years, it’s not that much in the scheme of things. But sure, 1,000 days in footballing terms does speak to a certain sense of continuity.”
To ensure that VfB continue to grow on the pitch, the head coach works every day with the team, his coaches and the backroom staff, and the example that he sets can be seen by all, inside VfB and out. The club is going down its chosen path, day by day and with hard work and dedication.
