Jonas Hector talks to the magazine “11 Freunde” for the first time about how he deals with the death of his advisor and his brother. In the summer, the player from 1. FC Köln ended his career as a professional soccer player.
This article first appeared on RTL.de
Soccer professional Jonas Hector (32) from 1. FC Köln speaks for the first time in an interview about the most difficult time in his life. In the spring of 2020, the former national player had to deal with two serious blows of fate: First, his advisor Rainer Derber died at the age of 48 as a result of a heart attack. Then a short time later brother Lucas († 31) died.
Jonas Hector “is still using psychological counseling today”
It’s hard for Hector to take. He now admitted to the magazine “11Freunde”: “I knew that I couldn’t do it alone. So I looked for professional help. My brother and Rainer were among the people who were closest to me because they were completely in the successful phase were intense. I realized very quickly how big this loss was, which is why I tried to counteract it.” And further: “To this day I don’t know if it was an intuitive decision, but it definitely helped me. I still seek psychological advice today and I think that’s exactly why I can talk about it so openly.”
In his first newspaper interview in many years, Hector from 1. FC Köln also explained the reasons for his unusually early retirement from professional football at the age of 33. When asked if he was “ever a thoroughly happy professional,” Hector replied, “Looking back on it all, I have to say no.”
Football professional ends his career in the summer
Now he no longer feels like “the public that you inevitably have to face as a professional, the constant pressure”. At FC, the team has “never been in calm waters in recent years”. “I don’t want to live with the feeling that I’m always struggling to survive, but instead dedicate myself to gardening on Saturdays, then stroll into the stadium and look at things from a neutral point of view,” he says.
Hector, who has been playing for 1. FC Köln since 2010, will play his last professional game on his 33rd birthday on May 27 against FC Bayern Munich. After that he looks forward to “free weekends”, he said: “I see myself as a father watching his child on the sports field – a nice thought”.
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A comeback is unlikely, but cannot be ruled out: “I can’t imagine it, but in football you should never say ‘never’.” This sentence gives the fans at least a little hope.
Source: Stern
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