Bayern Munich coach Thomas Tuchel talks helping Julian Nagelsmann kickstart his coaching career in 2008

Julian Nagelsmann has just released his first ever German national team squad involving the usual suspects and some debutants. At age 36, Nagelsmann is just older than most players and younger than some (such as his former captain Manuel Neuer). Bayern Munich coach Thomas Tuchel, who replaced Nagelsmann in March 2023, talks about how he helped Nagelsmann begin his coaching career:

Tuchel on Nagelsmann’s start of coaching career under him in Augsburg: “He was actually supposed to be a reserves player back then but unfortunately got injured and didn’t come back from it. Because the coaching teams at Augsburg weren’t very big, we invited Julian to analyse the opposition. The reports were very good and detailed and showed that he did it with passion. At the end of the season, he decided to join 1860 Munich as a youth coach and went his way”.

– As captured by Twitter account @iMiaSanMia

Nagelsmann ended his playing career at age 20 following a series of injuries and instead focused on becoming a coach. Since then, he has coached Hoffenheim, RB Leipzig (whom he led to the Champions League semifinals), and of course Bayern. One can wonder what Nagelsmann would be like if his playing career hadn’t ended so soon.