Timo Hildebrand: From the Peak to the Valley.
Timo Hildebrand achieved the German championship with VfB Stuttgart, secured the Copa del Rey title with Valencia FC, and earned a World Cup bronze medal on home ground. Despite these successes, there were times in his professional career when he nearly retired.
Topics Covered in Timo Hildebrand’s Lectures
- Victory & defeat: The thin line between hero and failure
- Timo Hildebrand: Beyond the Game – Life after Football
- From the top to the bottom – Stories of triumph, loss, championships, relegation, and recovery
- Teamwork & Motivation
- The green lifestyle: healthy and vegan eating habits
Born in Worms and raised in Hofheim im Ried, Hesse, Timo Hildebrand began playing football at the local club FV Hofheim/Ried. At 15, he received offers from professional clubs such as Cologne, Darmstadt, and Mannheim. He chose VfB Stuttgart, where he stayed from 1994 to 2007, initially playing in the reserve team before joining the Bundesliga squad in the 1999/00 season. With VfB Stuttgart, Hildebrand finished as runner-up in the 2002/03 season, securing direct qualification for the Champions League. During the 2002/03 and 2003/04 seasons, he set a Bundesliga record by going 884 minutes without conceding a goal, surpassing Oliver Kahn’s previous record—a mark that still stands.
On December 19, 2006, VfB Stuttgart withdrew their contract extension offer, which was set to expire in June 2007, after Hildebrand hesitated to make a decision. In his final season with Stuttgart, he won the German championship as vice-captain in 2006/07 and reached the DFB Cup final.
Throughout his career, Hildebrand also played for FC Valencia, TSG Hoffenheim, Sporting Lisbon, FC Schalke 04, and Eintracht Frankfurt. He officially retired from professional football in March 2016 following his time at Eintracht Frankfurt.
World Cup 2006 – The Summer Tale
In May 2002, Timo Hildebrand realized his dream of joining the German national team. Ahead of the 2002 World Cup, coach Rudi Völler called him up to gain initial experience. Hildebrand made his national team debut on April 28, 2004, in Bucharest against Romania.
He represented Germany at the 2004 European Championship in Portugal. The pinnacle of his international career was participating in the 2006 World Cup held in Germany, a memorable summer event.
Life After Football
Timo Hildebrand has a son born in 2012, for whom he wrote the book Noja in 2014. Since March 2014, he has been a shareholder and brand ambassador for the vegan supermarket chain Veganz. From 2015 onward, he has lived “predominantly vegan,” according to his own words. Since 2016, he has been active with the Vegetarierbund Deutschland. In March 2016, he began a coaching course and expressed his intention to establish himself in marketing and sponsorship.
In 2020, together with two partners, he founded the vegan restaurant “Vhy!” which is set to open in Stuttgart after the lockdown. He is also a co-owner of “YEZ.Yoga,” which organizes yoga events for companies, venues, and festivals.
Timo Hildebrand is committed to social causes and serves on the extended board of the Stuttgart-based aid organization Stelp e.V.
