Domenico Tedesco: Profiling Leipzig's Manager

At 36 years of age, Domenico Tedesco has already amassed a coaching resume that is paralleled by few, if any of his age mates. Born in Rossano, Italy, Tedesco's family emigrated to Germany when he was two years old, with Tedesco completing his vocational training as a wholesale merchant and earning a bachelor's degree in business engineering and a master's in innovation management.

Having played for ASV Aichwald in the German amateur leagues, Tedesco began working as an assistant coach in VfB Stuttgart's youth department under Thomas Schneider on July 1, 2008. He was the under 17 team's assistant coach in 2013, before being promoted to head coach during the course of the season.

He left Stuttgart at the end of the 2014–15 season to become the youth manager of Hoffenheim. Prior to the 2016–17 season, he was promoted as under 19 coach. He was the top student in the class of 2016 at the Hennes-Weisweiler-Akademie, Germany's football coaching institution.

Tedesco got his first professional job in March 2017, taking charge of Erzgebirge Aue, who were rooted to the bottom of the second tier. He earned 13 points from his first five matches and ended the season in 14th place, staving off the threat of relegation and racking up six wins, two draws, and three losses.