Dieter-Klaus Hecking (pronounced [ˈdiːtɐ ˈhɛkɪŋ]; born 12 September 1964) is a German football manager and former professional player who is the head coach of Bundesliga club VfL Bochum.

[3] However, Hecking's proclamations that he was seeking a new position irked the club to such an extent they fired him after just 20 games in charge.

[4] Hecking wasn't free for long as another Regionalliga Nord side, VfB Lübeck, came calling on 27 March 2001.

[6] Hecking achieved a solid job in the remaining games, leaving the club in third place, just one short of promotion.

Hecking led the club to the semi-finals of the DFB-Pokal, where they were eliminated by eventual double winners SV Werder Bremen after extra-time.

[20] Ironically, the final straw for Neururer was a 0–3 home defeat to Hecking's Alemannia Aachen.

The team also achieved a good run through to the quarter finals of the cup,[26] and finished comfortably in 11th place in the Bundesliga.

[29] In the summer, Hecking suggested that the team would aim for a UEFA Cup place in the following league season.

[54] This victory was the first time Bayern had conceded four goals in a league game since Wolfsburg beat them 5–1 in 2009 on the way to the 2008–09 Bundesliga title.

[62] Hecking was praised for developing De Bruyne and Wolfsburg's other key players Bas Dost and Ricardo Rodriguez.

[63] Wolfsburg started the 2015–16 season by defeating Bayern Munich in a shootout to win the German Super Cup.

[65] Wolfsburg beat Gent to reach the quarter-finals, where they lost to eventual winners Real Madrid despite 'stunning' the Spanish side with a 2–0 win in the first leg.

[66][67] However, the team struggled in the Bundesliga, producing the second-worst away record in the league and missed out on European football, finishing only eighth.

[73] On 21 December 2016, Hecking was appointed as the new head coach by Borussia Mönchengladbach on a contract until 2019, with the short-term goal of ensuring the club's Bundesliga survival.

[74][75] Hecking led Gladbach to a famous comeback victory against ACF Fiorentina in the Europa League, but were then eliminated by Schalke, and also lost the semi-final of the 2016–17 DFB-Pokal to Eintracht Frankfurt.

[77] On 2 April 2019, Gladbach's sporting director Max Eberl announced that Hecking's term would not be extended beyond the end of the 2018–19 season.

[78] His final game was a 2–0 loss to Borussia Dortmund, which caused the club to drop outside the Champions League qualification places.

[80] On 29 May 2019, Hecking signed a one-year contract to be the new manager of Hamburger SV, replacing Hannes Wolf.

[82] The season ended with a 5–1 home loss to SV Sandhausen, which was described as one of the lowest points in the club's history.

[85] In February 2023, he took the head coaching spot on interim until the end of the 2022–23 season after firing Markus Weinzierl.