LEVERKUSEN, Germany — In most leagues, in most countries, Heiko Herrlich might have been considered too much of a risk for a club like Bayer Leverkusen.
He might have been deemed too young to run a big team, for a start — 45 when Rudi Völler, the Bundesliga side’s general manager, visited him this year to chew over the prospect of Herrlich’s becoming the club’s next coach. Coaching is a profession, after all, traditionally dominated by men in their 50s and 60s, particularly at teams of Leverkusen’s stature.
By most standards, Herrlich might have looked inexperienced, too.