Klinsmann to coach Bayern next season

By Kevin Fylan

BERLIN (Reuters) - Former Germany coach Juergen Klinsmann will end his self-imposed exile in California to take charge of Bayern Munich next season.

"There aren't many chances to coach at a club like Bayern," the 43-year-old told a news conference in Munich after flying in from the United States. "They are among the creme de la creme of world football."

Bayern surprised everyone on Friday morning when they announced their former player would replace Ottmar Hitzfeld on July 1, having agreed a two-year contract.

Hitzfeld had already said he would step down at the end of the season.

It will be a first taste of club management for Klinsmann, whose only previous coaching experience came when he led hosts Germany to third place at the 2006 World Cup.

It will also end a near decade-long stint in the United States where he has lived since retiring as a player in 1998.

Klinsmann controversially kept California as his base while he coached Germany from 2004 to 2006 but he confirmed on Friday that he would move to Munich with his family.

"I had other offers from clubs and national teams but this was the best opportunity," he said. "Bayern are one of the top six or eight clubs in the world."