Dortmund vs Real Madrid, UCL 2023-24 final: Who is Edin Terzic, the life-long BVB fan looking to win the Champions League

Borussia Dortmund will have an uphill battle on its hands against Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League final at the Wembley Stadium on Saturday.

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The German side will rely on the tactical nous of its head coach Edin Terzic, who has had an unconventional rise to the upper echelons of the football managers.

 “We know they are by far the most successful team in this competition. We have had only two defeats this season, but we also see we are ready to compete on the highest level. If you break it down to one game, then everything is possible,” said Terzic ahead of the UCL final.

Who is Edin Terzic?

Unlike most of the modern day managers, Terzic has never played a top-level football game.

After winding up his playing career as an underwhelming forward — 23 goals in 188 games — in the fourth tier of German football, Terzic joined Dortmund as a scout, working under Jurgen Klopp.

The 41-year-old, a childhood Dortmund fan, then worked under Croatian coach Slaven Bilic at Besiktas and then West Ham United.

Terzic returned to Dortmund as an assistant coach to Lucien Favre. He then took up the mantle of interim manager after the latter was sacked.

The German inherited the permanent job in 2022, leading the side to a heartbreaking second place finish in the Bundesliga, losing the league title to Bayern Munich in the final day.

What is Terzic’s playing style?

Terzic usually sets his team up in the 4-2-3-1 and 4-3-3 formations, tending to prioritise possession.

But in the Champions League he has preferred a pragmatic approach, ceding a greater share of the ball to the opponents, while hitting them in quick transitions.