Julian Nagelsmann on the death of his father

Life Lessons from Julian Nagelsmann: Navigating Adversity, Compassion, and Resilience

I recently read a story about Julian Nagelsmann, a football coach who is currently the manager of the Germany national team. This story shows me many good points about life.

In case you don't know, he had been appointed as head coach of Bayern Munich football team on a five-year deal , effective from 1 July 2021. This transfer was also a world record managerial transfer fee of €25 million.

However, on 24 March 2023, during the international break after a 2–1 defeat against Bayer Leverkusen, Nagelsmann, who was on a skiing holiday in Austria, was sacked by Bayern. There was only 18 months for his job at Bayern. Despite the fact that his tenure at Bayern has a 71.4% win rate, with only Pep Guardiola, Hansi Flick and Carlo Ancelotti averaging more Bundesliga points than him.

And now is the story about the death of his father in an interview with Der Spiegel. You can read more about the article in the link commented below.

“(In school) I said what I always believed he was earlier: a professional soldier. Even my grandfather believed his son was a soldier,” Nagelsmann told the German publication.

It wasn’t until the former Bayern Munich manager was 15 or 16 that he learned his father worked for the secret service, he said.

“Before that, I didn’t really think about it. But after he told me where he really worked, I was the one he talked about it with the most,” he said.

“He explained a bit, but only in microscopic detail. He wasn’t allowed to talk about his job. That was also the reason why he often said that it was all too much for him. Sharing your worries is not something that happened in his job. In the end, that put a lot of strain on him,” Nagelsmann said.

He recalled finding out that his father had committed suicide while on a coaching course near Munich and grappling with the “difficult” aftermath.

“My dad did not leave a suicide note, there was no explanation. But the way in which he took his life made it clear that the decision for him was firm. … For me it was helpful to know, that he definitely wanted to die and it wasn’t about a cry for help or a signal. I find, that I must then respect such a decision,” he said.

This story has a sad ending, however, it shows many good points about life

👉 Life is tough, people don't know how much efforts you did to keep them safe. So don't bother.

👉 There is no easy decision to make. Be prepare for it.

👉 Whenever life is not easy on you. Keep smiling and move forward because you don't know other people's life.

👉 You don't know the context or the full picture. Respect other people's decision without judgement.

In essence, Nagelsmann's journey is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the profound lessons that can be gleaned from life's trials and tribulations.

Link to the article https://edition.cnn.com/2024/02/24/sport/julian-nagelsmann-germany-father-spy-spt-intl/index.html