Thomas Tuchel’s new bosses at the FA hope the German’s ‘messy’ love life will not prove a distraction during his time as England manager.
The 51-year-old was revealed last night as Gareth Southgate’s replacement, but while the ‘Waistcoat Wonder’ was famous for his strict personality, his successor’s off-field activities have sometimes attracted unwanted attention.
Apart from a poor season last at Bayern Munich, Tuchel’s footballing acumen is largely unquestionable, especially after leading Chelsea to the Champions League when the club was on the brink of turmoil in 2021.
But Tuchel’s private life was a hot topic for Chelsea players in his final days at Stamford Bridge in 2022, with players discussing his failed marriage to his wife Sissi and his new younger Brazilian girlfriend, Natalie Max, 37. .
The German manager was said to have lost the trust of the Chelsea team due to his difficult characteristics and erratic behaviour, The Independent reported at the time.
Thomas Tuchel was photographed with his new younger girlfriend, Natalie Max, in July 2022.
He was previously married to Sissi Tuchel, a former football journalist (they are seen at the Paris Masters in 2018).
Tuchel was pictured relaxing with Ms Max on a boat in Sardinia before returning to their £20,000-a-night private villa.
Tuchel’s private life was said to be a contributing factor to his dismissal as it changed the players’ perception of him.
Aside from that, the coach is known as a nerd and detail-obsessive whose original dream was to become a helicopter pilot instead of pursuing football.
A fan of the English soul band Simply Red, he is known for his clean lifestyle, following a mainly vegetarian diet and preferring warm water to alcohol.
Earlier today, German journalist Taufig Khalil suggested that this approach was not always well received by beer-drinking Bayern Munich fans.
“In England they say Guten Morgen Tuchel, but in Germany we say Auf Wiedersehen and no one will cry a tear for him, at least not at Bayern Munich,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
“Because of the way he left the club, because of the way things were while he was there, there will be no tears in Bayern for him.
“People did not appreciate Tuchel because Munich is a city that relies on beer, eats abundant and meaty meals, while he likes salads, warm still water and eating vegan food.
“This is something that people didn’t have in mind for the Bayern Munich coach.”
After leaving Chelsea, Tuchel led Bayern Munich from March 2023 to June 2024 and of the 61 games he played with him he only won 37.
It was also the first time in twelve years that Bayern did not win a title, something that still bothers honorary president Uli Hoeness.
Bild said that in a meeting with club officials last week, he called Tuchel a “catastrophe” for the legendary German club and that he had “killed their entertainment value.”
But any controversy over his departure from Bayern pales in comparison to the cloud that continues to hang over the end of his time at Chelsea.
Tuchel and his ex-wife, pictured after the Champions League final in 2021, had been married for 13 years and had two children, but decided to separate.
The family is seen posing next to the 2021 Champions League trophy in Porto
Tuchel left Chelsea under a cloud and talkSPORT presenter and Mail Sport columnist Simon Jordan claimed the reasons would “make people’s eyes water”.
Tuchel, who had previously managed Borussia Dortmund and PSG, led the Blues to 62 wins in 99 games, losing just 18 times in his 20 months at the club and reaching the FA Cup and Carabao Cup finals in the season. 2021/22.
Given Tuchel’s success, many Chelsea fans were upset by the manager’s dismissal and wanted answers.
Bild reported that Sissi, a former Suddeutsche Zeitung journalist, received a call from England explaining the alleged reasons why he had been fired.
He was apparently told that Chelsea players had lost respect for the manager who led them to Champions League success in 2021. Mysterious “off-field reasons” were also cited.
At the time, differences of opinion between Tuchel and the new Chelsea ownership led by Todd Boehly, as well as poor results on the field, were the reasons for his dismissal.
Bild said they could not publish the text of some of the claims in the email for legal reasons and that neither Tuchel, who did not attend the hearing, nor his ex-wife, who did, wanted to comment.
Tuchel married his ex-wife Sissi in 2009 and they had two daughters together.
In April 2022, the couple announced they were divorcing after 13 years of marriage, with friends saying they had “exhausted all avenues” and there was no hope of reconciliation.
As a result, the couple filed for divorce and officially separated in May after a High Court judge in London accepted their request.
“Sissi and Thomas tried to avoid the separation, but in the end there was no other way,” said a source.
‘It’s very sad and now it’s about making sure his daughters are the top priority. Last week the papers were filed to initiate the divorce.
Tuchel, seen rowing with Antonio Content in August 2022, previously managed teams such as Borussia Dortmund, PSG and Chelsea, and famously lifted the Champions League with the Blues in 2021, the year he also won the best coach of clubs around the world.
The German coach also won the Club World Cup with Chelsea in 2022
Tuchel replaces Gareth Southgate following his resignation following the Euro 2024 final in July. Lee Carsley played a caretaker role
Sissi, a former journalist, moved to Britain in August 2021, seven months after Tuchel joined Chelsea from French team Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).
He initially stayed in a hotel before the family settled in Cobham, Surrey, near Chelsea’s training ground.
Sissi left her job at the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung to raise her family.
She was seen running across the pitch at Porto’s Estadio do Dragao before jumping into her then-husband’s arms after Chelsea claimed a 1-0 Champions League victory over Manchester City.
While he was PSG coach, Tuchel and his family lived in the exclusive Hauts-de-Seine district of Paris.
Sissi is credited with helping Tuchel excel during a managerial career that has seen him win numerous trophies in Germany, France and England.
“Sissi is no fool, she is not the archetypal wife of a footballer, she is an intelligent woman,” the source said.
But it didn’t take long for Tuchel to get over his marriage, as he was pictured with his new Brazilian girlfriend, Natalie Max, in July. The couple were seen relaxing on a boat in Sardinia before returning to their £20,000-a-night private villa.
Tuchel and mother-of-two Natalie were said to be “in love with each other” and a source told MailOnline at the time: “They have been dating since May and things are already getting serious between them.”
‘Natalie flew to Sardinia to accompany Thomas on his first holiday and they have spent a lot of time together in west London, where she lives with her two children and dog.
“Tuchel is really lovely and has made Natalie’s friends feel welcome – he will definitely be in this for the long haul.”
Football Association bosses hope the same can be said for his England career.