Eike Immel in need
Ex-national player lives on 563 euros
October 14, 2025 – 11:24 a.mReading time: 2 minutes
Eike Immel once earned millions as a national goalkeeper – today he lives on citizen’s money. In a TV documentary, the 64-year-old speaks openly about his deep fall and financial mistakes.
534 Bundesliga games, 19 appearances for the German national team, nominations for two World Cups and two European Championships: Eike Immel was a fixture in German football for almost two decades. The former goalkeeper earned millions – but today he has to get by on citizen’s money.
In the RTLzwei report “Poor Germany,” the 64-year-old provides unusually open insights into his life. Immel says: The state supports people who need help. That is “sensational”.
Immel continues: “After earning millions in the past, I now live on 563 euros of citizen’s money.” According to his own statement, Immel lost “at least ten million” euros. The ex-goalkeeper remembers his time as a professional footballer: You used to be in demand, got the best table in restaurants and received big discounts when buying a car.
At the age of 18 he was already collecting 300,000 marks a year, and later at Manchester City it was said to have been almost two million marks a year. “The money could have been enough for a lifetime,” says Immel looking back.
But things turned out differently. A divorce, expensive child care, risky investments and a lavish lifestyle left him financially unbalanced. “We never skimped on anything,” says Immel.
His active career ended due to injury in 1997, and eleven years later he filed for personal bankruptcy. In August 2025, the ex-professional was sentenced to two years and two months in prison for fraud in 107 cases – the verdict is not yet final.