SC Freiburg will return to Germany for a city reception after the Europa League final in Istanbul, regardless of the result against Aston Villa. The club’s achievement is framed as a journey beyond the destination, especially because Freiburg has never won a major trophy. Christian Streich’s absence is central to the story, since he stepped down in 2024 after nearly three decades in multiple roles, including 12 and a half years as head coach. Under Streich, Freiburg rose from the 2. Bundesliga to top-flight stability, earned European qualification, and moved to the Europa-Park Stadion. Streich is portrayed as a totemic, spiritual figure who connected tactics with life philosophies, including cycling to matches and local work after retirement. His successor, Julian Schuster, was chosen with Streich’s involvement and had played 10 years under him as captain.
"Regardless of the result in Wednesday's Europa League final against Aston Villa in Istanbul, the club will be present at a reception in the city on their Thursday return to acknowledge the moment and the compelling season that has taken them there. There are many extraordinary elements to a club that have never won a major trophy — the closest they came was losing on penalties to RB Leipzig in the 2022 DFB Pokal final — arriving at such a showpiece, but for most in Germany the true wonder is that they have managed it without Christian Streich."
"The longest-serving coach in the Bundesliga stood down in 2024 having served Freiburg continuously in several roles for almost three decades, including as the first team's head coach for the final 12 and a half. Streich was an iconic coach who had led the club from the 2.Bundesliga to become top-flight regulars, from survival to European qualification, from the Dreisamstadion to the bigger, new Europa-Park Stadion. Freiburg were guided into a different dimension, like a provincial version of Arsene Wenger's Arsenal or Atletico Madrid in the Diego Simeone era."
"Streich was not even just part of the furniture, someone nationally synonymous with and representative of the club, a Jurgen Klopp-like figure in terms of his totemic qualities. He was a spiritual leader, engaging media and fans not only talking tactics but offering his philosophies on life in a down-to-earth, self-effacing manner uncommon in his profession. Throughout his tenure, he cycled to raining and to home matches (one of his first acts on retirement, to supplement his punditry, was to commit to a work placement at the local bike workshop Brody Bikeservice)."
"In the context of Streich and Freiburg, it made sense that his successor — whom he helped choose — was Julian Schuster, who played 10 years for Streich as captain before reti"
Read at www.theguardian.com
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