Babak Keyhanfar, a 41-year-old Iranian coach whose family roots trace back to Tabriz, joined the coaching staff of Bayern Munich's second team, the under-23 team of this club, this summer. Born in Mainz, he is stepping into this new role as the assistant to Brazilian head coach Christian Streich. Streich began his first head coaching experience at Bayern after finishing his playing career at Nice, and Keyhanfar, with his background as an assistant in various teams, is helping him on this journey.
Starting the Journey from Mainz
Keyhanfar started playing football at the age of five with Mainz Zollhafen and remained with the team until he was 16. He later spent a significant part of his playing career at Gonsenheim in the fourth tier of German football. However, he quickly entered the world of coaching and took charge of the under-19 team of Gonsenheim at the age of 24, while still being a player on the senior team. He explains that he always looked at the team and not just at his own game.
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Coaching Influences and Global Experiences
Throughout his professional career, Keyhanfar has benefited greatly from his time in Mainz. He has observed the activities of Jürgen Klopp and Thomas Tuchel, and these experiences have helped shape his coaching ideas. He emphasizes that although he has not taken direct influence from these coaches, watching their training sessions and matches has been an important part of his learning. Additionally, he has worked with Japanese players for 11 years, helping them find clubs and adapt to life in Germany.
In 2018, Keyhanfar met Bo Svensson and was selected as his assistant for the under-19 team of Mainz. Their collaboration soon turned into a close relationship, and the two were alongside each other in their professional football journeys. After some time, they moved to the Mainz senior team and then to Union Berlin. Currently, Keyhanfar is transferring his experiences to the coaching staff of Bayern and, alongside Dante and Streich, is involved in youth coaching.
In describing his football philosophy, Keyhanfar emphasizes the importance of taking the initiative and showcasing attacking football. He knows that implementing such ideas takes time and requires collaboration and brainstorming to achieve goals. Now that he has joined one of the biggest football clubs in the world, he is eager to learn and improve and wants to share his experiences with Bayern's young players.
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