Christian Gross

Gross began his playing career at SV Höngg before moving to Grasshopper in 1965, which he left in 1976. After two years at Lausanne-Sport and two seasons at Neuchâtel Xamax, he moved to Germany in 1980 to play for VfL Bochum of the Bundesliga. In two seasons Gross made 29 appearances in the Bundesliga and scored four goals. He then returned to Switzerland and spent three years at St. Gallen, Lugano and Yverdon-Sport. Gross was capped once for Switzerland, making his debut on 8 March 1978 in a 3–1 friendly away defeat to East Germany.

Early career

Gross began his managerial career at Swiss side Wil in the 2. Liga (then the fourth-highest level), for whom he was active as player-manager. During his reign from 1988 to 1993, Wil climbed into the 1. Liga and then the Nationalliga B (now the Challenge League). While at Wil, Gross developed a reputation for an emphasis on fitness and hard work. He then joined Grasshopper as head coach in 1993. Under Gross, Grasshopper won two Swiss championships and the Swiss Cup. Gross's success with Grasshopper meant he was a very highly rated coach in his native Switzerland, but he was still little-known outside central Europe and it was a major shock when in November 1997 he was chosen to succeed Gerry Francis as manager of Tottenham Hotspur.

Tottenham Hotspur

Gross was hired on 19 November 1997, with Tottenham in the relegation zone. Swiss fitness coach Fritz Schmid, who had been an integral part of Gross' training plans at Grasshopper, was denied a work permit by the British government and so was unable to take up this role at Tottenham. Gross' initial fortunes were mixed; his debut was a 2–0 win over Everton at Goodison Park, followed by a heavy 6–1 home defeat at the hands of Chelsea. However, despite some signs of improvement, he was relentlessly ridiculed by the British tabloids. The ridicule was often linked to his poor grasp of English and first Spurs press conference, where he arrived late from Heathrow Airport brandishing a London Underground…

Player

Grasshopper

Swiss League Cup: 1974–75

Manager

Grasshopper

Swiss Super League: 1994–95, 1995–96 Swiss Cup: 1993–94 Basel

Swiss Super League: 2001–02, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2007–08 Swiss Cup: 2001–02, 2002–03, 2006–07, 2007–08 Al-Ahli

Saudi Crown Prince Cup: 2014–15 Saudi Professional League: 2015–16 King Cup: 2016 Zamalek

Saudi-Egyptian Super Cup: 2018 CAF Confederation Cup: 2018–19 Individual

Swiss Super League Coach of the Year: 1994, 1996, 1997, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2008