The German calls time on his managerial career.
Speculation that Bayern Munich manager Jupp Heynckes would be taking over at real Madrid rather than Carlo Ancelotti have been quashed, as the 68-year-old announces his retirement.
It was already known that Heynckes would be leaving the Allianz Arena this summer, with former Barcelona ace Pep Guardiola resuming his position next season.
However, until now it had not been discovered what the German planned to do next and he became heavily linked with the vacant managerial role at Madrid when Bayern midfielder Anatoliy Tymoschuk said he was almost certain the move would go through.
Up until that point it was widely considered that Paris Saint-Germain boss Ancelotti would be succeeding newly appointed Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Yet with Heynckes having won the Champions League with Los Blancos in a previous short stint in the Spanish capital back 1997/98, suddenly it seemed the Bayern man was the new favourite.
The story has now taken another twist with the former Bayer Leverkusen and Benfica boss announcing that he will be retiring from football in July.
This revelation has not only rubbished Tymoschuk’s belief that Heynckes would be heading to Madrid, but also puts Ancelotti back in the driving seat for one of the most coveted jobs in world football.
Heynckes meanwhile brings to an end a 50-year long career as a player and manager, since making his professional debut for Borussia Monchengladbach back in 1963.
As well as two spells with Munich – where he won the treble this year of Bundesliga, German Cup and Champions League triumphs – Heynckes also won the Intertoto Cup twice with Schalke 04 in the mid-2000s and has World Cup and European Championship winners medals as a striker for Germany.
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