Bernd Schuster, the in-coach of European football

He is successful in the Spanish Liga at the helm of a modest club, and the great teams of European football are knocking on his door - there is no question that Bernd Schuster is the in-coach on the Old Continent.

Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and even Barcelona are some of the clubs that the German trainer has been linked to, and he does not say no to any.

"How could I possibly not be interested if a great club calls me?" he said.

Schuster boomed this season, at Getafe.

The modest team, from a city of 158,000 people near Madrid, is currently playing in the top division for only the third season in its history and is making a great impression - it is seventh, four points away from the Champions League spots.

The most striking thing is that Schuster formed a team that likes offensive football and which does not stay back. Getafe is still the team that has conceded fewest goals, largely thanks to the arrival of Argentina goalkeeper Roberto Abbondanzieri.

Schuster, 47, had been until now a promising coach who had shown good ways without ever managing to really succeed. He was close to promotion to the first division with Germany's Cologne in 1998 and with Spain's Jerez between 2001 and 2003.

He coached Levante in 2004 and the team shone until Christmas and then crashed. Schuster was fired before relegation became a fact.

The German arrived in Getafe in 2005, and made the leap. The team did not burn out and actually finished ninth in the 2005-06 Liga.

This season it went up a step, because there is no sign of the classic Christmas crisis, a Schuster brand.

Indeed it is quite the opposite - Getafe is Spain's best team in 2007 so far, and it is one step away from the semi-finals of the King's Cup.

The German, who always spoke his mind as a player, draws strength from his players' attitude and appears defiant - "We can beat anyone".

In the meantime, he keeps scoring personal points and is in the "pole position" to occupy one of the key benches in the continent that could become vacant for next season.

Real Madrid has a three-year contract with Italian Fabio Capello, but bad results and above all the team's awful style have put him at odds with the fans, a situation that often anticipates a dismissal.

Bayern Munich already fired Felix Magath and went back to Ottmar Hitzfeld, but only, in principle, until June 30.

And many in Barcelona are thinking of a possible replacement for Frank Rijkaard. A few months ago there were rumours about a possible change of scene to Milan, and he is currently feeling the heat of changing-room conflicts.

The Catalan club, however, remains the only one not to have spoken of Schuster officially. Bayern Munich and Real Madrid already did.

Franz Beckenbauer spoke most clearly.

"Bernd Schuster is always an issue. He has developed very well in the past years. He has a very good reputation," the Bayern Munich president said.

Beckenbauer would also like to see a Bavarian back at the helm of a club that is a symbol of the region.

Real Madrid is not talking any more, but it is not necessary because it did so in the past.

Schuster was the current president Ramon Calderon's pick for coach when he was a candidate to the club's top spot in early 2006. Only the influence of sports manager Pedja Mijatovic made him change his mind in favour of Capello - a decision he may well have come to regret.

Leaving Getafe would not be hard for Schuster. As he himself confirmed, there is a clause in his contract, which would allow him to go without having to pay compensation in case it is a great club that calls him.

However, if Getafe keeps making history he may have other problems. Which team would he choose if he had the chance? For now he is not ruling out any options, although he says nothing of Barcelona.

"Bayern Munich and Real Madrid are equally interesting. And I have no problem with changing countries," said Schuster.

--DPA

(IANS)

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