At the age of 36, Julian Nagelsmann stepped into the position of Germany’s second-youngest national coach back in September, succeeding Hansi Flick.
He is now gearing up to lead his country during the Euro 2024 finals, which are scheduled to take place this summer. However, Nagelsmann recently opened up about a deeply personal aspect of his life: his father’s involvement with the Federal Intelligence Service, akin to Germany’s MI6, before tragically taking his own life 16 years ago.
This revelation sheds light on the complexities and challenges Nagelsmann has faced beyond the realm of football.
He told Der Spiegel: “I’m not allowed to say what role he had, and don’t know for sure what he did – but I know it was not the admin side.
“I knew little about where he really worked, but he told me when I was around 15 years old.
“We would talk in his car when he drove me to training, but he was not allowed to speak much about his job.
“He often said it was all too much for him. In his profession you couldn’t share your concerns, and in the end it weighed too heavily on him.
“When people asked me what my father did I told them he was a soldier. Even my grandad believed his son was in the army.
“I was doing a coaching course near Munich when the tutor asked me to leave the room. Straightaway there was my stepfather, who told me that my dad had committed suicide.
“My dad never left a farewell note, but the way he took his life made it clear his decision had been firm.
“It felt like s*** for my family, but at least it helped me to know that he definitely wanted to die and it was not just a cry for help. I had to respect his decision.
“I think it was combination of his workload and his general condition. He changed a lot near the end of his life – we noticed the professional pressures on him.”
