The suicide of his father still concerns national coach Julian Nagelsmann to this day. “I think back to that day often,” said the 36-year-old in one Mirror-Interview and told how he found out about the news: “I was on a coaching course in Oberhaching near Munich and got my C license there. And suddenly the course leader said that I should please go out.” The next moment he stood in front of his father-in-law at the time, “who told me that my dad had killed himself.”
Nagelsmann was 20 when he lost his father. “That was difficult. My dad didn’t leave a farewell letter, there was no explanation. But the way he took his life made it clear that his decision was absolutely clear to him,” said Nagelsmann: “Feels for the family “It really sucks, but it helped me to know that he really wanted to die and it wasn’t a cry for help or a signal. I think I have to respect a decision like that.”
“He wasn’t allowed to talk about his job,” said Nagelsmann
The national coach talked about his strong bond, about an “excellent” relationship with his father, who worked for the Federal Intelligence Service but hardly talked about his job. “He wasn’t allowed to talk about his job,” said Nagelsmann: “That was also the reason why he often said that it was all too much for him. Sharing worries didn’t happen in his job. In the end it got to him very heavily burdened.”
He doesn’t know exactly what his father did at the BND. “In any case, he wasn’t in the administration,” said Nagelsmann. His father was “courageous,” “he had to make decisions again and again at work, knowing that the whole plan could go awry,” said Nagelsmann, who recognizes some characteristics in himself: “I think I have took over a lot from him.”
The time after the loss shaped him. “I was in my early twenties and suddenly had to take care of the family and sort out all the insurance policies. Everyday things that you don’t really give a thought to at that age,” said Nagelsmann: “I had to make serious decisions, including for my mother who suddenly lived in a big house without her partner. With all her memories.” Such decisions have a different dimension than questions about “whether one or the other striker will play from the start.” He grew up faster.
The Süddeutsche Zeitung only reports on suicides in exceptional cases and after careful examination. If your thoughts revolve around taking your own life, talk about it with friends and family. Telephone counseling also offers help, anonymously and free of charge on 0800/111 0 111 and 0800/111 0 222, and online advice is also available at www.telefonseelsorge.de. The website of the German Society for Suicide Prevention offers a list of nationwide help centers: www.suizizidprophylaxe.de