Thomas Tuchel‘s new bosses at the FA will be hoping the German’s ‘messy’ love life will not prove a distraction during his time as England manager.
The 51-year-old was revealed as Gareth Southgate‘s replacement last night, but while the ‘Waistcoat Wonder’ was famed for his straight-laced persona, his successor’s off-field activities have sometimes attracted unwanted attention.
Aside from a poor last season at Bayern Munich, Tuchel’s football acumen is largely unquestioned especially after steering Chelsea to the Champions League when the club was in near-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 confidence of the Chelsea squad due to his difficult characteristics and erratic behaviour, according to reports at the time in The Independent.
Thomas Tuchel was pictured with his new younger girlfriend Natalie Max in July 2022
He was previously marred to Sissi Tuchel, a former football journalist (they’re seen at the Paris Masters in 2018)
Tuchel was pictured relaxing with Ms Max on a boat in Sardinia before heading back 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.
That aside, the manager is known as something of a nerd and a details obsessive – whose original dream was to become a helicopter pilot rather than go into football.
A fan of English soul band Simply Red, he is known for his clean living lifestyle, following a largely vegetarian diet and preferring still warm water to alcohol.
Earlier today, German reporter Taufig Khalil suggested this approach didn’t always go down well with beer-drinking Bayern Munich fans.
‘In England they are saying Guten Morgen Tuchel but in Germany we are saying Auf Wiedersehen and no one will be crying a tear for him, at least not at Bayern Munich,’ he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
‘The way he left the club, they way things worked out while he was there, there will be no tears at Bayern for him.
‘People didn’t appreciate Tuchel because Munich is a city that stands for beer, eating hearty meaty meals while he likes salads, warm still water and eating vegan.
‘This is something that people didn’t have in mind for the manager of Bayern Munich.’
After leaving Chelsea, Tuchel managed Bayern Munich from March 2023 until June 2024 and of the 61 games they played under him won only 37.
It was also the first time in twelve years that Bayern didn’t win a title, a fact that still rankles with honorary president Uli Hoeness.
Bild said that at a meeting with club officials last week, he dubbed 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 win in 2021 – had been married for 13 years and have two children but decided to part ways
The family are seen posing next to the 2021 Champions League trophy in Porto
Tuchel left Chelsea under a cloud with talkSPORT presenter and Mail Sport columnist Simon Jordan claiming that 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 matches, losing just 18 times in his 20 months at the club while reaching both the FA Cup and Carabao Cup finals in the 2021/22 season.
Given Tuchel’s success, many Chelsea fans were upset with the head coach’s dismissal and wanted answers.
Bild reported that Sissi, a former journalist for Suddeutsche Zeitung, received a call from England in which she was given the alleged reasons that he was let go.
She was apparently told the 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 pitch, were given as the reasons for his dismissal.
Bild said they were unable to publish the wording of some of the claims in the email for legal reasons and neither Tuchel, who didn’t attend the hearing, or his ex-wife, who did, wished to comment.
Tuchel married his ex wife Sissi in 2009 and had two daughters together.
In April 2022, the couple announced they would be getting a divorce after 13 years of marriage, with friends saying they had ‘exhausted all avenues’ and that there was no hope of a reconciliation.
As a result, the couple filed for divorce and parted ways officially in May after a judge at London’s High Court accepted their request.
‘Sissi and Thomas have tried to avoid splitting but in the end there was no other way,’ said a source.
‘It is very sad and now it is all about making sure their daughters are the top priority. Papers were lodged last week to get the divorce under way.’
Tuchel – seen rowing with Antonio Content in August 2022 – previously managed the likes of Borussia Dortmund, PSG and Chelsea, famously lifting the Champions League with the Blues in 2021 – the year he also won the award for the world’s best club coach
The German manager also won the Club World Cup with Chelsea in 2022
Tuchel replaces Gareth Southgate following his resignation after the Euro 2024 final in July. Lee Carsley performed a caretaker role
Sissi, a former journalist, moved to Britain in August 2021, seven months after Tuchel joined Chelsea from the French team Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).
He initially stayed in a hotel before the family set up home in Cobham, Surrey, near Chelsea’s training ground.
Sissi gave up her job at the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung to bring up their family.
She was seen running across the pitch at Porto’s Estadio do Dragao before leaping into her then husband’s arms after Chelsea secured a 1-0 Champions League victory over Manchester City.
While manager of PSG, Tuchel and his family lived in the upmarket Hauts-de-Seine district of Paris.
Sissi was credited with helping Tuchel to excel during a managerial career that has seen him win a clutch of trophies in Germany, France and England.
‘Sissi is no fool, she isn’t your archetypal footballer’s wife, she is a clever woman,’ said the source.
But it didn’t take Tuchel long to get over his marriage as he was pictured with his new Brazilian girlfriend, Natalie Max, in July. The pair were seen relaxing on a boat in Sardinia before heading back to their £20,000-a-night private villa.
Tuchel and mother of two Natalie were said to be ‘smitten with each other’ with a source telling MailOnline at the time: ‘They’ve been dating since May and things are already getting serious between them.
‘Natalie flew to Sardinia to join Thomas on their first holiday and they’ve been spending a lot of quality 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’s definitely in this for the long haul.’
Football Association chiefs will be hoping the same can be said for his career with England.
