Benjamin Weber helped Thomas Tuchel's Chelsea lift the UEFA Champions League in 2021. He was the analyst in the background, quietly contributing to one of the great European nights. "For sure," he jokes when asked about his role in that famous final. "I told Mason to turn and to play the pass" — a reference to Mason Mount's assist for Kai Havertz's winner against Manchester City.

Five years on, Weber is no longer in the shadows. The 43-year-old is now sporting director of FC Augsburg, and he is making a name for himself on his own terms.

A deliberate step into the unknown

Weber had spent his career as an analyst alongside Tuchel at Mainz, Borussia Dortmund, and Chelsea. He describes the time at Stamford Bridge as the best of his life — but winning the biggest prize in European club football left him searching for a new challenge.

"When you are fighting for the Champions League and finally you win it, what else is there to come? You always need an objective," he says.

Rather than follow Tuchel to Bayern Munich, Weber moved into management at Paderborn as managing director. "I told Thomas. It was tough." In 2025, he joined Augsburg as sporting director. "I don't work just to work. I was curious enough to do something different."

Augsburg's quiet rise

Augsburg are hardly a glamour club, but their consistency is remarkable. They have now spent 16 consecutive seasons in the Bundesliga — a feat only five other clubs can match. Yet last season, Weber's first in charge of recruitment, was their best in a decade: a ninth-place finish and their first top-half result in ten years.

That outcome owed much to a bold mid-season decision. Weber replaced head coach Sandro Wagner with Manuel Baum, an internal candidate who had been serving as director of development. It was an emotionally difficult call for a man who spent years as a backroom figure himself.

"It would be easy to hide but I am there to make decisions even if it is tough," Weber says. "We needed something different to get back on track."

Baum, initially appointed on a temporary basis, eventually became the permanent head coach. "Plans can change," Weber reflects. "It is human to change your perspective."

From the hidden guy to the man in front

Weber is candid about how different this role feels compared to his years alongside Tuchel. "On the one hand, there was a lot of pressure at the bigger clubs. On the other, for me personally, it was always Thomas. I could hide," he admits.

Life at Augsburg carries a different kind of weight. "When you sign a player and you know that the club will only survive if it is the right player, that is pressure," he says. "There is more focus on me personally now. I was always a little bit the hidden guy in football. Now I came a little bit into the light."

Building something lasting

Weber believes his analytical background gives him an edge in recruitment and in working with coaches. This summer, Augsburg have moved to reinforce that identity: Rodrigo Ribeiro's loan from Sporting has been made permanent, Hennes Behrens has arrived from Hoffenheim, and Sima Suso has joined from Fortuna Düsseldorf. All three are 21 years old.

The vision is to become a destination for developing talent — a club with stability, a strong youth academy connection, and a clear identity. Weber draws inspiration from outside Germany when imagining what Augsburg could become.

"In England, you will know the Sunderland story, the Brentford story, so many good stories," he says. "We have to want to hunt together and be good hunters. Then we can maybe go step by step."

For a man who once worked quietly in the background while others claimed the spotlight, Weber appears to have found exactly the kind of challenge he was looking for. "In the end, I have the feeling it was a good decision."