Max Eberl talks about a healthier relationship with work

Bayern Munich's sporting director Max Eberl says he has a healthier relationship with his work than before. In January 2022, Eberl voluntarily resigned as Managing Director of Sport at Borussia Mönchengladbach due to exhaustion and took a longer break and sought psychological help. "Football is still very important to me, but no longer more important than my health and my personal and mental peace. In a way, I've been given a new lease of life," said Eberl in an interview with the magazine "11Freunde".

When asked what that meant in concrete terms, the 51-year-old said: "That I live much more in the moment these days." Eberl, who has been sporting director at FC Bayern since March, explained: "When we reached the Champions League in Gladbach, everyone around me was in my arms. But all I could think about was: 'Oh God, are we even competitive with this squad? What transfers do I have to make now?" Today I can sit in the garden with my partner and the dog - and I'm completely at peace with myself. I am simply: me! I never felt that way forty years ago."

Eberl: "Don't make decisions in my life because of money"

Eberl also talks about the specific work with his therapist. "In the acute phase, I had talk therapy very often, then once or twice a week. But I've dealt with it every day since then."

The former Bundesliga professional returned to the soccer business around ten months after his time in Mönchengladbach as sporting director at RB Leipzig. At the time, Eberl was confronted with fierce accusations and fan hostility. "I was aware that RB was a contrast to my previous employer in terms of content, and I have no problem with factual criticism, but some of the reactions went way too far," he said.

He countered possible accusations that Eberl had acted for financial reasons at the time. "I earn very well, no question, but I don't make decisions in my life because of money," he said.

"I earned more in Gladbach than in Leipzig, and in Munich I get less than at RB. In professional soccer, it is sometimes common for protagonists to sit out their dismissal in order to collect a severance payment. I can say with a clear conscience: I terminated the two best-paid contracts of my life of my own free will and gave up a lot of money."