Bayern Munich: How Nagelsmann fought his arrogant charisma
How Nagelsmann fought against his arrogant charisma
Julian Nagelsmann is obsessed with success. The Bayern Munich coach hates losing. His confident appearances are often interpreted as arrogance. The 34-year-old fought against this with a very special method.
An Julian Nagelsmann does not lack self-confidence. At the age of 29, he took over as head coach of TSG Hoffenheim, then moved to Leipzig to take over FC Bayern Munich at the age of just 33. At Bayern, he performs confidently, not only as a coach, but also as a moderator. He has long since become the face of the club.
Not everyone liked this appearance of Nagelsmann in the course of his career so far. “I always had the problem that people who saw me for the first time always said he was extremely arrogant,” reported Nagelsmann in the club podcast published on Thursday. Based on these statements, he sought advice from a trainer who confronted executives with horses.
“Horses aren’t creatures that judge. Horses react to your aura,” Nagelsmann explained his decision at the time. “And if you come into a paddock and all the horses run away, then you’re obviously a bit too dominant in your demeanor.”
At the beginning of the seminar, Nagelsmann describes it, the horses tried to break through the fences when he appeared. Three days later, however, the animals all came to him. “And followed me in the paddock in the dark for two hours the whole time.”
“Absolutely can’t lose”
Through many conversations, Nagelsmann learned to appear differently to his counterpart. “Of course you try to take this effect into the dressing room,” said the Upper Bavarian. Body language and looks are more important than words.
After the international break, Nagelsmann can work again in the dressing room next Saturday. His Bayern play the top game in fifth place in the table in Freiburg. A defeat would be difficult for him to bear. Nagelsmann doesn’t think much of the character trait of being able to lose. “I absolutely can’t. If you can lose, then it’s a first step that you’re not a real winner anymore,” he said. “If you want to be a winner, defeats are there to accept and learn from. But you don’t have to be able to.”