Julian Nagelsmann has been national coach since September last year. The path there was not easy for him – his life was shaped by a serious event.
Julian Nagelsmann took over the job of national coach last September. He wants to attack with the German national team at the home European Championships in the summer. The 36-year-old’s career has been successful so far. In his private life, Nagelsmann had to learn to take responsibility early on. A stroke of fate in the family had a big impact on the ex-Bayern coach.
In an interview with “Spiegel” Nagelsmann spoke about his father. He took his own life when Nagelsmann was 20 years old. He was on a coaching course in Oberhaching at the time he found out about his father’s death. “I often think back to that day,” said Nagelsmann in an interview with the magazine.
“You grow up faster”
Accepting his father’s decision was “difficult.” Nagelsmann explained: “My dad didn’t leave a suicide note, there was no explanation. It feels really shitty for the family, but it helped me to know that he really wanted to die and it wasn’t about a cry for help or a signal. I think I have to respect such a decision.”
“This time shaped me,” says Nagelsmann. He explained: “I was in my early twenties and suddenly had to take care of the family and sort out all the insurance. Everyday things that you don’t really give a thought to at that age. And of course, such drastic phases of life shape you more as a personality when “You go through it so early. You grow up faster.”
“Don’t worry so much about what people think of me”
Nagelsmann’s father worked for the Federal Intelligence Service and, according to the national coach, was previously only able to talk to a very limited extent about his job. “You could tell he was under professional pressure,” Nagelsmann continued in the interview with “Spiegel”. He himself believed for a long time that his father was a professional soldier. Nagelsmann describes his father as “courageous”.
He himself took on characteristics from his father. The former coach of TSG Hoffenheim (2016 to 2019) describes this as follows: “As a coach, I don’t worry so much about what people think of me or my decisions. Especially at the beginning of my career, I just did things without Consideration of how they appear.”
Nagelsmann cited his first game as TSG’s Bundesliga coach as a specific example. Back then, he lined up four strikers against Werder Bremen in February 2016. “Everyone thought I was crazy, but we got an important point,” said Nagelsmann today. Nowadays, however, he weighs things up more and doesn’t try to copy the working methods of other trainers. “I have my own ideas and ideas about what my football should look like,” emphasizes Nagelsmann.