Germany boss Julian Nagelsmann reveals his dad was a spy who killed himself due to pressures of the job

Germany boss Julian Nagelsmann has revealed his father was a SPY – who killed himself due to pressures of his job.

Nagelsmann led Bayern Munich to the 2022 Bundesliga title, and was linked to the Chelsea and Tottenham manager’s jobs.

The 36-year-old became Germany’s second youngest-ever national coach last September when replacing Hansi Flick.

He is set to lead his country when they host the Euro 2024 finals this summer.

But Nagelsmann has now revealed his father used to work for the Federal Intelligence Service – the MI6 of Germany – before committing suicide 16 years ago.

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.”

Nagelsmann has achieved many great feats in management despite still being in his mid-30s.

During his first stint as head coach with Hoffenheim he was named German Manager of the Year in 2017 after guiding them to a fourth-place finish.

He then won the German Cup with RB Leipzig, before claiming the Bundesliga title and two German Super Cups with Bayern Munich.

Now the German national team boss, Nagelsmann also gave a fitting tribute to his late father.

He added: “He had been a fun-loving guy, who liked cracking jokes with his pals, playing the guitar and singing.

“We had been a happy family, with few rows or stresses, and we always had Sunday lunches together.

“That made it all the harder for me to understand why he did what he did.”

Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk