Stand: 14.05.2023
Jonas Hector is one of the few football professionals who is not represented on social media. The 1. FC Köln defender protects his private life. In an interview, the 32-year-old now gives rare insights into his emotional state. Hector also talks about his brother’s sudden death.
NAnother two games in the Bundesliga, then Jonas Hector ends his career as a professional soccer player. The 32-year-old 1. FC Köln defender is one of the few players who keeps their private lives almost completely out of the public eye.
Hector’s statements in an interview with the football magazine “11 Freund” are all the more astonishing. In the current issue, the former national player talks about the reasons for the end of his career and gives intimate insights into his inner life.
The defender has never made a secret of the fact that he has little use for many facets of professional football. When asked if he was ever a thoroughly happy professional, Hector said to “11Freunde”: “If I think back to everything, I have to say: No.” Then the Cologne native explained the dark side of football life. “Of course, professional life also has negative sides: the pressure in the relegation battle, the failures and the many phases that are associated with it that are nerve-wracking.”
Hector already has clear ideas for the time after his career. Above all, he wants to spend more time with his family and is looking forward to the time without the pressure to succeed. “At FC we have never found ourselves in calm waters in recent years. I don’t want to live with the feeling that I’m constantly struggling to survive, but instead devote myself to gardening on Saturdays, then stroll relaxed to the stadium and look at things from a neutral point of view.
Hector talks about brother’s death
In the interview, Hector also speaks for the first time about the most difficult time in his life. In the spring of 2020, his advisor Rainer Derber († 48) died, followed shortly afterwards by his brother Lucas († 31). “I knew I couldn’t do this alone. So I sought professional help. My brother and Rainer were among the people who were closest to me because they were very involved during the successful phase. I realized very quickly how great this loss was, which is why I tried to counteract it.”
Even today he is still looking for help to deal with the events. “To this day I don’t know if it was an intuitive decision, but it definitely helped me. To this day, I still seek psychological advice and I think that’s why I can talk about it so openly.” Hector had no thoughts of retiring during this difficult phase. “The thought of simply throwing it away didn’t exist. But during this time I resigned from the national team. I don’t want to deny that there is a connection.”
