Munich, January 11:

Juergen Klinsmann, who guided Germany to a third-place finish at the 2006 World Cup, will become Bayern Munich’s coach, replacing Ottmar Hitzfeld on July 1.

Klinsmann, 43, quit the German job after the World Cup and has not coached since. He turned down an offer to coach the United States, and has been linked to various other coaching positions, including at Liverpool.

Bayern made the announcement on their Web site on Friday. Klinsmann played for Bayern Munich between 1995-97, but was not believed to have a close relationship with Bayern’s management. Bayern officials, including president Franz Beckenbauer and chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, had criticised Klinsmann when he was in charge of Germany. While playing for Bayern, Klinsmann won a Bundesliga title and the UEFA Cup. He also played for Stuttgart, Inter Milan, Tottenham and Monaco, and scored 47 goals in 108 games for Germany.

Hitzfeld took over as Bayern coach on February 1, his second stint at Germany’s top club. During his first stint between 1998-2004, Hitzfeld won the 2001 Champions League title, four Bundesliga titles and the German Cup. He also won the Champions League with Borussia Dortmund in 1997, matching the achievement of Ernst Happel, who won the European Cup with Feyenoord in 1970 and Hamburger SV in 1983.