David Wagner says German football has “gone backwards” and must urgently reform its youth system, criticising rules that he believes prevent young players from developing.
The RB Leipzig academy manager, who previously managed Huddersfield Town in the Premier League, says Germany has failed to take the right steps over the past two decades. He returned to academy football after more than 10 years away, having begun his youth-coaching career at Hoffenheim.
“It feels like every month since I arrived in Leipzig I have thought, ‘Wow, what a stupid rule that is we have here in Germany,’” Wagner told Sky Sports.
He highlighted a rule under which a 15-year-old receiving a second yellow card is suspended for the next match.
“If he misses a game, how can he improve if he is not allowed to play football?” Wagner said. “This is a rule for senior football. It makes no sense.”
He also criticised restrictions on players moving between age groups and the possibility of teams featuring 14- and 15-year-olds being relegated. Wagner believes those conditions encourage coaches to prioritise results rather than development.
“These are not rules for youth football,” he said. “We have hundreds of rules like this where you think, what in hell are you doing here in German youth football?”
Wagner’s comments come after a poor World Cup for Germany and amid wider debate about the national team, with his close friend Jurgen Klopp having lost to Greece in his second game in charge.
“I do think it is a reflection of what is going on in our youth academies,” Wagner said.
England provides a model
Wagner says England has made better progress over the past 20 years, particularly after introducing the elite player performance plan. He described the approach as “German hardware with different software”, arguing that it retained useful structures while removing shortcomings.
One major difference, he said, is the number of competitive matches available to young players. Leipzig’s under-19 side played 30 games last season, whereas an English player of the same age could play about 50.
“Over the course of five years, this means a kid from England can play 100 games more,” he said. “You can predict which kid probably is better educated after playing 100 more competitive games.”
The German federation is adding tournaments, while Leipzig has created its own events. The RBL Cup has included Liverpool, Atletico Madrid and Porto.
Wagner has also recruited English coach Steve Weaver to help reshape Leipzig’s academy culture and structure.
Despite Leipzig’s facilities and success in developing young first-team players, the club has yet to produce an academy graduate who becomes an established star. Wagner says that is his central objective.
“What we miss is someone playing 50 games, 100 games for our club, who grew up in our academy,” he said. “This is the main target.”
He added that academies should be judged not by team success but by “how much value you can create through individuals”.
Although he admits the role is “super stressful”, Wagner says it is not the same as managerial pressure. He has no immediate desire to return to first-team football.
“I do not have time to miss it,” he said. “The truth is that I have so many things to do. It is not about me. It is about the academy.”
