Inside Thomas Tuchel’s ‘messy’ love life: From divorce locker room talk to new relationship with younger girlfriend
The FA yesterday ended their search for Gareth Southgate’s successor after Thomas Tuchel agreed to become the next England manager.
The 51-year-old German’s appointment will be seen as controversial given England’s rivalry with his native country.
But FA bosses will hope this is the only controversy Tuchel will cause during his time as manager of the Three Lions after his ‘messy’ love life once became the center of dressing room gossip.
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 and his new younger girlfriend Natalie Guerriero Max.
The German manager is said to have lost the confidence of Chelsea’s squad due to his difficult character and erratic behaviour, The Independent reported at the time.
It was said that Tuchel’s private life contributed to his dismissal as it changed the players’ perception of him.
In April 2022, Thomas Tuchel and his now ex-wife Sissi (pictured together) announced that they would divorce
But it didn’t take long for Tuchel to get over his 13-year marriage after he was pictured with new younger girlfriend Natalie Max in July 2022.
While many Chelsea fans were upset at the decision to get rid of him, talkSPORT broadcaster and Mail Sport columnist Simon Jordan revealed he would have sacked him too.
‘There’s a lot more behind the scenes of Tuchel that would make most people’s eyes water as to why Todd Boehly made that decision and it wasn’t just a case of losing against Dinamo Zagreb, it was a case of a whole series of other things – that’s Todd Boehly’s gift of telling people what that is,” Jordan said on talkSPORT at the time.
“But it opened my eyes and I would have done exactly what Todd Boehly did, which was ‘you can go buddy.’”
In April 2022, Tuchel and his wife Sissi announced that they were divorcing after 13 years of marriage. Friends of the couple said they had “exhausted all options” and there was no hope of reconciliation.
As a result, the couple filed for divorce in May and officially separated after a London High Court judge accepted their request.
“Sissi and Thomas tried to avoid a rift, but in the end there was no other option,” a source said.
“It’s very sad and now it’s about making sure their daughters are the top priority. The papers were filed last week to initiate the divorce.”
Tuchel and his wife – pictured after the 2021 Champions League final victory – were married for 13 years and have two children, but decided to split
Tuchel as his now ex-wife Sissi pictured in 2018 watching the Rolex Paris Masters final between Novak Djokovic and Karen Khachanov
Friends of the couple said they had “exhausted all options” and there was no hope of reconciliation
Tuchel was pictured relaxing with his Brazilian girlfriend Natalie Max, on a boat in Sardinia before returning to their £20,000-a-night private villa
Former journalist Sissi 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 gave up her job at the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung to raise their family.
She was seen running around the pitch at Porto’s Estadio do Dragao before jumping 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 chic Hauts-de-Seine district of Paris.
Sissi was credited with helping Tuchel to excel during a managerial career that saw him win a string of trophies in Germany, France and England.
“Sissi is not crazy, she is not your archetypal footballer’s wife, she is a smart 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 pair were seen relaxing on a boat in Sardinia before returning to their £20,000-a-night private villa.
While he was reportedly in advanced talks with the FA about becoming England’s next manager, some fans expressed anger that the Three Lions’ next boss could be German.
Tuchel has been out of the game since leaving Bayern Munich at the end of last season as the country failed to win the Bundesliga.
The German has an impressive CV having previously won the Champions League as manager of Chelsea
He previously managed Borussia Dortmund, PSG and Chelsea, with whom he won the Champions League with the Blues in 2021 – the year in which he also won the award for the world’s best club coach.
Tuchel left Chelsea under a cloud with talkSPORT presenter and Mail Sport columnist Simon Jordan claiming the reasons would ‘make people’s eyes water’
He previously managed Borussia Dortmund, PSG and Chelsea, with whom he won the Champions League with the Blues in 2021 – the year in which he also won the award for the world’s best club coach.
But England fans were divided over whether the man to replace Gareth Southgate should be English.
One said: ‘No thanks. Give the job to someone who is ENGLISH,” another wrote: “Begging a German to lead us, embarrassing!” Another simply said: ‘A German ruling England? No!’ A fourth said: ‘A German manager for England is simply wrong.’