{{Short description|German footballer and executive (born 1969)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2021}} {{Infobox football biography | name = Horst Heldt | image = 2016-02-01 Horst Heldt.jpg | caption = Heldt in 2016 | fullname = | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1969|12|9|df=y}} | birth_place = Königswinter, West Germany | height = {{height|m=1.69|precision=0}}<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.kicker.de/news/fussball/bundesliga/vereine/111/nationalspieler_horst-heldt.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121010001244/http://www.kicker.de/news/fussball/bundesliga/vereine/111/nationalspieler_horst-heldt.html | url-status = dead | archive-date = 10 October 2012 | title = Heldt, Horst | publisher = Kicker | language = German | access-date = 9 December 2009}}</ref> | position = Midfielder | currentclub = | clubnumber = | youthyears1 = 1975–1986 | youthclubs1 = SV Königswinter | youthyears2 = 1986–1987 | youthclubs2 = FV Bad Honnef | youthyears3 = 1987–1990 | youthclubs3 = 1. FC Köln | years1 = 1990–1995 | clubs1 = 1. FC Köln | caps1 = 130 | goals1 = 13 | years2 = 1995–1999 | clubs2 = 1860 Munich | caps2 = 111 | goals2 = 11 | years3 = 1999–2001 | clubs3 = Eintracht Frankfurt | caps3 = 64 | goals3 = 9 | years4 = 2001–2002 | clubs4 = Sturm Graz | caps4 = 33 | goals4 = 1 | years5 = 2002–2006 | clubs5 = VfB Stuttgart | caps5 = 54 | goals5 = 3 | years6 = 2005 | clubs6 = VfB Stuttgart II | caps6 = 1 | goals6 = 0 | totalcaps = 393 | totalgoals = 37 | nationalyears1 = 1999 | nationalteam1 = Germany | nationalcaps1 = 2 | nationalgoals1 = 0 }}
'''Horst Heldt''' (born 9 December 1969) is a German football executive and former player who played as a midfielder. He is the former general manager of 1. FC Köln.
==Playing career== Heldt was born in Königswinter. He played at 1. FC Köln from 1990 until 1995, before transferring to TSV 1860 Munich. After four years there, he went to Eintracht Frankfurt in 1999. After the club was relegated in 2001, he played for Austrian side Sturm Graz. In January 2003, Heldt returned to Germany, to VfB Stuttgart.
He always played as a midfielder. His tally of Bundesliga matches is 359.<ref>{{Cite web | url = https://www.rsssf.org/players/hheldtdata.html | title = Horst Heldt - Matches and Goals in Bundesliga | first = Matthias | last = Arnhold | date = 12 April 2018 | accessdate = 12 April 2018 | publisher = RSSSF}}</ref> Heldt also played for the Germany national team twice in 1999.<ref>{{Cite web | url = https://www.rsssf.org/miscellaneous/hheldt-intl.html | title = Horst Heldt - International Appearances | first = Matthias | last = Arnhold | date = 12 April 2018 | accessdate = 12 April 2018 | publisher = RSSSF}}</ref>
==Managerial career== After only being a substitute and not getting any playing time at VfB Stuttgart in the first half of the 2005–06 season under coach Giovanni Trapattoni, Heldt decided to end his active career on 3 January 2006 to take over the post of general manager of the club.
As manager, Heldt supported the sacking of Trapattoni and the hiring of new coach Armin Veh. Due to Heldt, Veh's initial stop-gap contract was extended into the 2006–07 season which became Stuttgart's most successful ever, winning the championship and qualifying for the German Cup final.
On 3 July 2010, he moved to Schalke 04.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.vfb.de/archiv/en/aktuell/news/2010/37209.php | title = Agreement on Heldt transfer | date = 3 July 2010 | accessdate = 3 July 2010 | work = vfb.de | url-status = dead | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20110719112253/http://www.vfb.de/archiv/en/aktuell/news/2010/37209.php | archivedate = 19 July 2011 }}</ref> After the sacking of Felix Magath, Heldt became responsible for sport and communications on the managing board of Schalke.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.schalke04.com/news/single-view/artikel/schalke-part-company-with-felix-magath.html|title=Schalke part company with Felix Magath|publisher=Schalke 04|date=16 March 2011|accessdate=16 March 2011}}</ref> Heldt decided to step down at the end of the 2015–16 season.
Heldt worked for Hannover 96 from March 2017 to April 2019. In summer, Hannover was promoted to the Bundesliga.
On 9 April 2019, Hannover 96 announced the release of Heldt.<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.sport.de/fussball/te951/hannover-96/spiele-und-ergebnisse/|title = H96 trennt sich von Manager Heldt - wann fliegt Doll (English: H96 release Manager Heldt - when is Doll leaving)|publisher=sport.de|date=9 April 2019|accessdate=9 April 2019}}</ref>
On 19 November 2019, 1. FC Köln announced Heldt as new general manager alongside new head coach Markus Gisdol.
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * {{Worldfootball.net|horst-heldt|new_id=pe40695}} * {{Fussballdaten|id=horst-heldt}} * {{NFT player|pid=10524}}
{{Germany squad 1999 FIFA Confederations Cup}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Heldt, Horst}} Category:1969 births Category:Living people Category:People from Königswinter Category:Footballers from Cologne (region) Category:German men's footballers Category:Men's association football midfielders Category:Bundesliga players Category:Austrian Football Bundesliga players Category:1. FC Köln players Category:TSV 1860 Munich players Category:Eintracht Frankfurt players Category:SK Sturm Graz players Category:VfB Stuttgart players Category:VfB Stuttgart II players Category:Germany men's international footballers Category:Germany men's under-21 international footballers Category:1999 FIFA Confederations Cup players Category:West German men's footballers