Heynckes mourns longtime assistant Peter Hermann, dead at 74

The former Bayern Munich coach paid tribute to Peter Hermann, his assistant on the 2013 treble-winning side, after Hermann's death following a battle with ALS.

Peter Hermann, a longtime Bundesliga assistant coach who worked alongside Jupp Heynckes at Bayern Munich, has died at age 74. He passed away on Saturday after a prolonged struggle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a neurodegenerative illness.

Heynckes wrote a guest column for Kicker sports magazine published Monday evening, saying he and his wife Iris were unable to hold back their tears when they learned of the death. He said language falls short of conveying how deeply the loss has affected them.

Heynckes said he remained in contact with Hermann until the end and last visited him about three months ago. By that point Hermann could barely speak, and his son-in-law helped interpret the conversation. Heynckes said he cried on the drive home, and noted that Hermann never complained about his condition.

Hermann served as Heynckes's assistant when Bayern won the Champions League, Bundesliga and German Cup in 2013. Heynckes called him an eternal assistant coach, a loyal partner on equal footing, and a role model for coaches young and old.

Bayern said in a statement that Hermann was an indispensable part of the coaching staff during that treble season. He also held assistant roles at Schalke, SV Hamburg and Borussia Dortmund, but spent roughly three decades of his career at Bayer Leverkusen.