Streich has been with Freiburg as a coach for 28 yearsAs his team sealed a 2-0 victory over Cologne in November, Christian Streich’s eyes pricked with tears.Note, ‘fellow coaches’. This is an important point to Streich. Those alongside him in the Freiburg dugout are not his coaching staff or assistants. Streich – nominally the head coach – insists they have played an equal and important part in Freiburg’s achievement, and should be recognised as such.The win over Cologne had taken the long-time relegation battlers from one of Germany’s Black Forest backwaters, to second in the Bundesliga, just a point behind 10-time defending champions Bayern Munich. After the game, reporters constantly questioned Streich about his emotions.”It was just the wind in my eyes,” he said.No-one was convinced. His team are on the move. And they are moving Streich and a whole city in the process.Streich’s tears have flowed regularly in recent times.In September 2021, after Freiburg played their final game at their much-loved but outdated Dreisamstadion, he clambered into the north stand, took a megaphone from the ultras and led them in an emotional lament.In May, as he stood in front of 20,000 fans and thanked them for their support during a gut-wrenching shoot-out DFB Cup final defeat by Leipzig, his eyes glistened once again.Announcing his latest contract extension, the 57-year-old choked up when asked what the club and their show of faith meant to him.Streich is perhaps the Bundesliga’s most emotional coachexternal-link. He is a combustible, cantankerous touchline presence, roaring… Click below to read the full story from BBC Sport
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