Show notes
Thomas Hitzlsperger: I Had to Retire Before Coming Out | After The Final Whistle
Welcome to After The Final Whistle where we talk about the person, not the player, and ask what happens when the football stops.
Thomas Hitzlsperger played at the highest level for Germany, Aston Villa, Stuttgart, West Ham and Everton, and won the Bundesliga with Stuttgart.
But his football career also came with a secret.
Thomas came out as gay after retiring from football and in this conversation, he talks openly about why he couldn't come out while he was still playing, the pressure of the dressing room, masculinity in football, and why not a single gay player reached out to him when he came out.
We also talk about life after football; from becoming a CEO and working in football, to dealing with failure, fear, criticism and finding a new identity when you're no longer a player.
Thomas explains why he wishes he'd won more trophies, why footballers need interests and passions outside the game, and why he believes you shouldn't wait for everyone else's approval to be yourself.
And, as always on After The Final Whistle, I ask AI to analyse Thomas's personality and read the results back to him.
In this episode:
00:00 The decision that took Thomas Hitzlsperger to Aston Villa
03:30 Leaving Germany at 18
05:44 Why Thomas couldn't wait to retire
08:09 Why he didn't come out while playing
11:13 Telling his family he was gay
14:11 Why representation in football matters
16:16 Why aren't more footballers coming out?
20:30 “Not a single gay player reached out to me”
21:25 From footballer to CEO
25:47 Imposter syndrome after football
28:21 Failure, fear and mental health
31:38 “Playing football just harms me more”
33:01 Becoming an entrepreneur
37:38 Which version of Thomas is the real Thomas?
39:14 Why footballers need a life beyond football
41:36 Breaking the dressing room mentality
43:03 Would he come out earlier?
43:52 AI analyses Thomas Hitzlsperger
45:42 “I wish I had one more trophy”
48:05 Why he still speaks up for the LGBTQ+ community
This episode is supported by Football Safety App, helping people report abuse, racism, misogyny, harassment and violence around football anonymously and safely. Download on your phone so you have it when you need it.
If you enjoy the conversation, please subscribe, like and share — and let me know which footballer you'd like me to speak to next.
After the final whistle, because when the whistle blows, they are people, not footballers.
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