Although Niko Kovač (54) has been a well-known face in Croatian football and the Bundesliga for decades, many details about his life are not known to the general public.
The coach of Borussia Dortmund, who took over the bench on February 2, 2025, and previously led Croatia, Eintracht, Bayern, Monaco and Wolfsburghe revealed in the Bilda podcast information about private life. He talked about his habits on match day, the energy he draws from his faith and growing up in Berlin’s working-class district of Wedding, writes Bild.de.
Kovac revealed that he has a habit related to wristwatches.
I have a little habit of always changing my wristwatch after a loss. I have several watches that mean a lot to mebut I don’t keep them at home, but in the bank, and then I exchange themsaid the former Croatian coach.
When asked if, like his predecessors, he must measure himself against winning the title with Borussia, Kovač answered:
Every coach who works in Dortmund, of course, has to deal with that measured by winning the title. BVB is passion, intensity, aggression and, ultimately, trophies. But I always say that there is nothing to talk about. Hope is born from work. That’s our motto.
Childhood in a working-class neighborhood
He says he learned this principle in his childhood.
My parents came to Germany from Croatia in 1970. I was born in 1971, and my brother Robert in 1974. His father was a carpenter and his mother a cleaner. We were children of migrants, we came to an unknown world. The parents did not know a word of German and had to struggle for everythingKovač told and added:
The four of us lived in a two-room apartment of 50 square meters in Wedding.
Most of the time we had almost nothing. We had a yard where we played with a sponge ball, raced up the stairs and went to religious classes. It wasn’t easy, but it was beautiful.
When asked which of the brothers slept on the top bunk bed, he laughed:
The boss was sleeping upstairs, there wasn’t much discussion there.
Education and winning mentality
He never gave in to his daughter Laura, who is currently studying in Vienna, in the game “Dude, don’t be angry”.
It was important to me that learn to fight for victory and overcome obstacles. It’s a small thing, but everything you fight for in life you appreciate in a completely different way. Christoph Daum, the late German coach, once said: “There is no alternative to winning, and we want to be winners.” I believe that this must be tried to be instilled from a young age, explained Kovač, reports Index.hr.
Faith
Kovac is practical a Christian who goes to mass regularly in the Croatian community in Dortmund, and he also goes to confession.
I firmly believe that there is a dear God. I also believe that we all ultimately have a purpose and that life continues after death. And in my life there are moments when it is not very easy. Someone then talks to a psychologist, someone to a friend, father or someone else. I rely on what dear God has given me.
He only lets me carry as much as I can handle. And when the burden gets a little heavier, I know it’s still there. That helps mesaid Kovač.
It also relies on lucky items.
Giovanni Trapattoni, the former Italian coach, under whom I played in Salzburg, always carried a bottle of holy water in his pants pocket. I occasionally have a rosary or a medal. When we won the Cup with Eintracht in 2018, I wore one bracelet. She gave me protection, but also strength, strength and faith that we can succeed.
A response to criticism about young players
He rejected criticism that he relies too much on experience and too little on talented young players.
That is not true. I’m in Salzburg took over another team and promoted players like Hinteregger and Ilsanker, who later played in the Bundesliga. As the coach of Croatia, there were Brozović, Kovačić, Rebić. In Monaco Tchouaména, who went to Real Madrid. In Wolfsburg, Van de Ven, who went to Tottenham, and Nmecha, who moved to BVB. There is a lot of talk, but no facts.”
Happiest coaching moment
He singled out the happiest moment in his coaching career staying with Frankfurt in the first division.
Staying in the league with Frankfurt after the playoff against Nürnberg. This was a prerequisite for the subsequent victory in the Cup against Bayern. I came to Eintracht in March, and in mid-May everything could have been over. Without that club and those people, my later journey would not have been possible. That’s why I still love Eintracht today and I stand behind it because they gave me everything.
The future in Dortmund
About the possible extension of the contract with Borussia after 2027, he says:
My brother Robert and I feel very comfortable and I think they are both sides very happy with the situation as we currently have. Lars Ricken, the sporting director, brought me to the club. His contract also runs until 2027.
According to information from Bild, Ricken’s contract will soon be extended, to which Kovač added:
I would be happy if that happens because I consider Lars a good man who has already started a lot here.
The secret of a slim line
When asked about the secret of his body shape, he answered:
Of course I play sports, but a lot also depends on genetics which dear God gave me. Once, in the national team, we measured energy consumption even while sleeping and my engine runs non-stop.
This means that, even if I eat late, nothing is caught, everything is processed. My brother was quite surprised to hear that, he said with a laugh and concluded: As a player I weighed 77 kilograms, and now I weigh around 72.
(www.jabuka.tv | Photo: X)
