Josef Hickersberger is one of a handful of men to have played in and coached at the World Cup.
The Austrian has many memories from his career, but managing his national team in the 1990 World Cup remains his most cherished achievement, even though they exited at the group stage.
"Managing a team in the 1990 World Cup in Italy was the best moment in my life," says Hickersberger, 62, who last season lead Al Wahda to the Pro League title before leaving last month. "We went very close, losing the first game against the hosts Italy 1-0. We had a few chances to score first, but couldn't take advantage of those opportunities. We lost the next game to Czechoslovakia by a penalty and won the last match against the USA.
"They were all very close results and we had to wait for the outcome of other group games to see if we finished as one of the best third-placed teams, but we didn't.
"We had a very young team and it was a good experience for them. And the same team qualified eight years later in France. But in 1990, I thought that's the maximum we could have gone. To qualify ahead of Turkey and Russia was in itself a great achievement."
Austria have not made it back to the final stages since France '98, something Hickersberger attributes to the lack of youth development.
"In Austria we have not done enough to develop young players," he adds. "Players like Hans Krankl and Herbert Prohaska [who played in the strong Austrian sides of the 1970s] don't come out all the time. Such players come out once every two or four years from the talent grown up in the streets.
"We have to invest in the youth system and academies, which we have recently done, but this will take time. It will take a decade or two for the system to get results."
Hickersberger, who also saw his son, Thomas, capped by Austria in 2002, played in a game known as "The Miracle of Cordoba" at the 1978 World Cup in Argentina.
The unfancied Austrians beat West Germany, the world champions, 3-2 in the second group stage to prevent their rivals from advancing to the semi-finals. It was Austria's first victory over any German team pre or post-partition for 47 years, although they also failed to progress to the last four.
"It's more than 32 years ago. I was playing in the midfield and we were the first team to qualify from the group stage," he says. "Nobody expected us to qualify and that win over Germany made us heroes back home."
Hickersberger tips Brazil to emerge victorious in South Africa. "No African teams are mature enough to win the World Cup on their own soil. History rules out European teams as they have not won outside the continent. So that leaves teams from South America as the potential champions, and that's between Brazil and Argentina," opines the former Al Wasl coach.
"Argentina don't have a manager because Diego Maradona is still more of a player than a coach. So for me, Brazil are the hot favourites. For an outsider, I'll pick Serbia. They did very well in qualification and they have their players in the best leagues. I thought they would win in 2006 in Germany, but they disappointed."
Hickersberger is a big fan of Maradona the player, but insists the Argentine legend must do more to get the best our of his star-studded squad.
"It is very difficult to comment on something that's happening far away, but Argentina has similar quality as Brazil. But for me, it is a mystery how Lionel Messi plays for his country when compared to his performances for Barcelona," he says. "This is surely the task of the coach. Maybe he has to change his role, maybe he has to change the players around him, because Messi alone can win the World Cup for Argentina.
"But so far Maradona has not been able to achieve that. Now maybe he has enough time in the preparation for the World Cup. I'm one of the greatest fans of Maradona the player. And it would be hurting my own feelings if I say he is not experienced enough to be a coach. Or to say something against the football legend."
The former Bahrain national coach said he also felt that Asian teams have a long way to go before they perform on the same level as the major playing nations.
He says: "I don't think the football in Asia is so good that they can compete against the best. It will take more time. The level hasn't gone down. I have seen players in this area are beginning to get better. But the level of football is much higher in Europe and South America."
apassela@thenational.ae
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
England Test squad
Joe Root (captain), Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow (wicketkeeper), Stuart Broad, Jos Buttler, Alastair Cook, Sam Curran, Keaton Jennings, Dawid Malan, Jamie Porter, Adil Rashid, Ben Stokes.
Straightforward ways to reduce sugar in your family's diet
- Ban fruit juice and sodas
- Eat a hearty breakfast that contains fats and wholegrains, such as peanut butter on multigrain toast or full-fat plain yoghurt with whole fruit and nuts, to avoid the need for a 10am snack
- Give young children plain yoghurt with whole fruits mashed into it
- Reduce the number of cakes, biscuits and sweets. Reserve them for a treat
- Don’t eat dessert every day
- Make your own smoothies. Always use the whole fruit to maintain the benefit of its fibre content and don’t add any sweeteners
- Always go for natural whole foods over processed, packaged foods. Ask yourself would your grandmother have eaten it?
- Read food labels if you really do feel the need to buy processed food
- Eat everything in moderation
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Started: July 2016
Founders: Mukesh Bansal and Ankit Nagori
Based: Bangalore, India
Sector: Health & wellness
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Investors: Accel, Oaktree Capital (US); Chiratae Ventures, Epiq Capital, Innoven Capital, Kalaari Capital, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Piramal Group’s Anand Piramal, Pratithi Investment Trust, Ratan Tata (India); and Unilever Ventures (Unilever’s global venture capital arm)
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 194hp at 5,600rpm
Torque: 275Nm from 2,000-4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Price: from Dh155,000
On sale: now
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
The specs: 2018 Ducati SuperSport S
Price, base / as tested: Dh74,900 / Dh85,900
Engine: 937cc
Transmission: Six-speed gearbox
Power: 110hp @ 9,000rpm
Torque: 93Nm @ 6,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 5.9L / 100km
Company profile
Company name: Suraasa
Started: 2018
Founders: Rishabh Khanna, Ankit Khanna and Sahil Makker
Based: India, UAE and the UK
Industry: EdTech
Initial investment: More than $200,000 in seed funding
MATCH INFO
Azerbaijan 0
Wales 2 (Moore 10', Wilson 34')
COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: Blah
Started: 2018
Founder: Aliyah Al Abbar and Hend Al Marri
Based: Dubai
Industry: Technology and talent management
Initial investment: Dh20,000
Investors: Self-funded
Total customers: 40
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
Duterte Harry: Fire and Fury in the Philippines
Jonathan Miller, Scribe Publications
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Tickets
Tickets start at Dh100 for adults, while children can enter free on the opening day. For more information, visit www.mubadalawtc.com.
