Career
He commenced his professional playing career with lowly SG Düren 99 and later joined Borussia Mönchengladbach and Football Club Niederau. In 1990 he moved to Japan to work as a coach. His first stop was in Ibaraki with Prima Aseno Football Club, the club that later became Mito HollyHock.
Shortly before the Flugels folded and were partly absorbed into today"s Yokohama F. Marinos - some of the players joined Yokohama Marinos, and the F was added in remembrance of Flugels - he was made manager there for a brief period.
He held that position also briefly with JEF United Ichihara Chiba before taking over the reins at Kyoto Purple Sanga. After three years there he was fired when the club started poorly into the new season.
At the start of 2004 he was assistant coach with Urawa Red Diamonds, initially under head coach Guido Buchwald and later Holger Osieck, winning the AFC Champions League in 2007. When Osieck was sacked after only two matches of the new J.League season on March 16, 2008, Engels was appointed his successor.
He was fired by Urawa Reds on 26 November 2008.
Since October 12, 2011, he is the new manager for the Mozambique national team
