Ralph Hasenhüttl

Born in Graz, Hasenhüttl began his career with hometown club GAK, making his first team debut in the 1985–86 season. He transferred to Austria Wien in 1989, with whom he won three successive Bundesliga titles and two Austrian Cups. He moved to Austria Salzburg in 1994, where he won another Bundesliga title as well as an Austrian Super Cup. In 1996, Hasenhüttl moved abroad, with spells at Mechelen and Lierse in Belgium. In 1998–99 season, he signed for 1. FC Köln, for a fee equivalent to €200,000. In his two years in Cologne, however, he only scored three goals and in 2000 moved to Greuther Fürth. Hasenhüttl finished his career at Bayern Munich II, in the Regionalliga Süd. Hasenhüttl played eight times for the Austria national team, scoring three goals.

SpVgg Unterhaching

Between 2004 and 2005, Hasenhüttl was a youth-team coach at SpVgg Unterhaching. Following the sacking of Harry Deutinger in March 2007, he became caretaker manager until the appointment of Werner Lorant, under whom he worked as assistant coach. On 4 October 2007, Hasenhüttl became the new head coach. His first match was a 2–2 draw against SSV Reutlingen 05. Unterhaching finished in sixth place that season. In the 2008–09 season, in the newly formed 3. Liga, the team's performances earned them fourth place in the table, missing out on a play-off place by one point. Unterhaching were eliminated in the first round of the German Cup. In the 2009–10 season, they failed to build upon their success, achieving 31 points in 24 games, resulting in Hasenhüttl's sacking on 22 February 2010. His final match was a 1–1 draw against Borussia Dortmund II on 21 February 2010. He finished with a record of 40 wins, 20 draws, and 28 losses.

VfR Aalen

In January 2011, Hasenhüttl succeeded Rainer Scharinger as the coach of third division VfR Aalen, then in 16th place, one point above the relegation zone. His first match was a 1–1 draw against VfB Stuttgart II. Aalen's survival in the 3. Liga earned him a year's contract extension. In the 2011–12 season, he completely rebuilt the team, bringing in eight new players and releasing 14, with the aim of a mid-table finish. After a slow start to the season, the team found itself in sixth place at the winter break,…

Like Jürgen Klopp, Hasenhüttl is a notable proponent of Gegenpressing, a tactic in which the team, after losing possession of the ball, immediately attempts to win back possession, rather than falling back to regroup. This has seen him nicknamed "The Alpine Klopp". In his first season at Southampton, he initially used a 3-5-2, switching to his preferred 4-2-2-2 mid-way into his second season, as he had previously implemented at RB Leipzig. However, in the 2021–22 season he began sometimes using 3-5-2 and 3-4-3 formations in order to gain more tactical flexibility against different opponents. He outlined what he wants to see from his team as "Pressing. Hunting. Be hungry. When you have the ball, find a quick decision, quick transition to the front. It's about being emotional, being full of passion. Also, keep the tempo on a high level and don't slow down the game. That's what I think the people want to see."

His son Patrick was born in Mechelen in 1997, while Ralph was playing for K.V. Mechelen, playing as a forward before his retirement for health reasons in March 2024.