'I was Thomas Tuchel's sports teacher - he was overruling me on tactics at 16'

England manager was showing his tactical genius at 16 by changing the line-up of the school teams he played in and telling his sports teacher: “If we do this, we will win.”

But as Hans Komm remembers his former pupil after his appointment as the ’ first German boss, it is not just his analytical mind that stands out.

The 71-year-old said: “Thomas was in a very good year group, in a very talented team of ­footballers. But he didn’t only play well, he was good at ­volleyball, tennis, and swimming. There was something special about him at a young age.”

Hans taught Tuchel at Simpert-Kraemer Gymnasium in Krumbach and the lad took an intensive PE course in his last years at school.

READ MORE:

He described the youngster as a “sly fox” intent on winning, adding: “It was unbelievable to hear that he got the England job. But even at 16, I’d find he had changed the line-up of the teams he was playing with. I remember thinking, ‘It is my job to do that’. But he’d say, ‘But if we do this, we will win’.”

Tuchel, 51, was a towering centre-back and led the school team to the national schools title in a final in Berlin at the age of 14. By 16, he was a regular in FC Augsburg’s youth sides.

The report of the final in the school magazine described Tuchel as being “like a wall” as he stopped opposition attacks.

By sixth form, he was 6ft 4in and his loving mum Gabriele, 68, recalled how he was always the tallest player on the team. “We went to every game to see him and he did stand out,” she said.

“His dad was a football coach and trained him for three years before he turned pro. But he started playing when he was five, it was his great passion in life, even then.”

Hans, who retired after 30 years of teaching, said the young Tuchel always did extra training, never drank alcohol or smoked, and “set his goals” at a very early age.

He added: “He is an extraordinary talent. He has always loved English football and loves the English way of life. I do believe he will be successful. It doesn’t matter that he is a German leading the England team, not these days.

“As long as you support him, he will be fine; things go wrong when there is doubt about his methods and people interfere.

“If he is trusted with England, he will deliver. If he can get you to the World Cup final, I would support him against any team – except Germany.”

Hans joked that England v Germany would be the perfect 2026 World Cup final for him because even if Germany were to lose, his ex-pupil would be holding yet another trophy. And this time, the biggest prize of all.

READ MORE: