LONDON — Thomas Tuchel was hired as England coach on Wednesday and tasked with the challenge of ending the national team's decades-long wait for a trophy.
The German, who previously managed Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Bayern Munich, has signed an 18-month contract that begins in January and runs through to the 2026 World Cup in the United States.
''This is a really exciting day for the English game. We we've appointed one of the very best coaches in the world,'' said English Football Association chief Mark Bullingham at Tuchel's Wembley Stadium unveiling. ''Our aim is always to win a major tournament and we believe Thomas gives us the best possible chance to do that at the next men's World Cup."
By then it will be 60 years since England won its only major trophy - the World Cup in 1966.
Fourteen different managers have failed to break that run, with Gareth Southgate coming closest by leading the nation to back-to-back European Championship finals before stepping down in July.
Champions League-winner Tuchel has delivered silverware across Europe and laid out his intention to emulate that success with England.
''I understood very quickly that it's a big job,'' he said - adding that he wanted to push England "over the line and try to put a second star on the shirt.''
The 51-year-old Tuchel becomes the national team's third foreign coach after the late Sven-Goran Eriksson and Fabio Capello. That has led to criticism in some of the British media, with the Daily Mail publishing a back page headline declaring it a ''dark day for England.''
