One former Bundesliga manager has taken an unexpected career turn, trading the intensity of football for fast food.
After years on the touchline, the 46-year-old has walked away from the dugout entirely and now oversees two McDonald’s restaurants in North Rhine-Westphalia.
It’s a striking change for someone who once prepared teams for survival battles and European pushes in the Bundesliga.
Now, his focus is on teamwork of a different kind – bringing staff together behind the counter rather than players on the pitch.
And while his new life may seem worlds apart from professional football, he insists there are surprising similarities between the two.
From Bundesliga touchline to McDonald’s drive-thru
The man in question is Alexander Nouri, who now runs two McDonald’s branches in Herzogenrath and Kohlscheid, both near Aachen.
The move marks a complete departure from his previous career in professional football, where he built a reputation as a meticulous coach with an emphasis on player development.
Nouri earned his coaching qualifications in 2016 alongside Julian Nagelsmann, now the Germany national team manager – a reminder of just how unpredictable football careers can be.
While Nagelsmann went on to the international stage, Nouri decided to find fulfilment elsewhere.
“Ultimately, both worlds are about bringing people together. In football, it’s the players; here, it’s the employees,” Nouri told Suddeutsche Zeitung.
“The basic principle is the same: you have to understand who is in front of you, what motivates him, what he needs to perform.”
Before his move away from football, Nouri enjoyed a playing career as an attacking midfielder for clubs including Werder Bremen and Holstein Kiel.
He then moved into management with Oldenburg, Bremen, Ingolstadt, and Kavala in Greece.
From survival with Werder Bremen to life beyond football
Nouri’s managerial career featured both notable success and tough lessons.
After being promoted from interim to permanent manager at Bremen, he guided the club to Bundesliga survival in 2017 and even pushed for European qualification later that season.
But the following campaign proved far less forgiving. After a winless start, he was dismissed just ten games into the season.
Reflecting on that chapter, Nouri said: “When you sign your contract, you’re also signing your dismissal.”
It was that instability that eventually led him to step away from football in 2022, choosing instead to pursue something with more long-term security.
Now, as the manager of two McDonald’s restaurants, he applies the same leadership principles that once guided his teams on the pitch.
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