The Bayern boss is married!
On Monday, sports director Max Eberl married his girlfriend Natascha Fruscella at Tegernsee. She is the love of his childhood. The two had lost touch for a long time and only got back together in 2022. Now the TV presenter (“Home Shopping Europe”) and the ex-professional sealed their love with the vows.
But what about other bosses from the 1st and 2nd leagues? BILD introduces their partners.
Leverkusen
Fernando Carro (l.) with Simon Rolfes and his wife Jenny and children Livia Marie (vr), Victoria Amelie and Charlotte Sophie
Foto: picture alliance / SvenSimon
Sports boss Simon Rolfes has been married to his wife Jenny since 2009. Robert Enke also attended the wedding at Kambach Castle in Eschweiler. The couple has three daughters (Livia Marie, Victoria Amelie, Charlotte Sophie). The former national player met the physiotherapist in Aachen in 2005.
Managing Director Fernando Carro (in office since 2018) married his wife Llanos in Madrid in September 1999. On Wednesday they celebrated their silver wedding anniversary. Guests from 50 countries attended their wedding. They met in 1993 and have been a couple since 1996. She studied business administration. They have three children together (Marta, Carlotta, Fernando).
Stuttgart
Alexander Wehrle (2nd from right) at the wedding with his husband Thomas. Left: Toni Schumacher, who was at the celebration with his wife Jasmin
Photo: private
At the beginning of August, VfB boss Alexander Wehrle married his long-time friend Thomas Kugler on the island of Mainau in Lake Constance. After 25 years of being together! The two met and fell in love at a student party in Konstanz, where Kugler still works as an administrative employee today.
Bayern
Oktoberfest 2023: Jan-Christian Dreesen with his wife Elke
Foto: picture alliance / ATP photo agency
CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen is married to Elke. They have two sons together. Michael Diederich’s wife is a doctor. The record champion’s CFO has two daughters with her.
Leipzig
Leipzig’s new managing director Marcel Schäfer with his wife Nadine
Photo: VfL Wolfsburg/X
New managing director Marcel Schäfer married his childhood sweetheart Nadine in 2012. The couple has two sons (Elia and Noah) and a daughter (Enna). Rouven Schröder is also married. The sports director has five children.
Dortmund
BVB boss Hans-Joachim Watzke has been married to Annette for over 35 years. They met while studying in Paderborn and have twins (André and Katharina). When he joined the team in Dortmund in 2005, his wife took over the management of Watex, his protective clothing company. His son has since moved up to the management team.
Watzke and his Annette at the 2016 Cup final in Berlin
Foto: picture alliance / dpa
New managing director Lars Ricken married Franziska in 2016. They have three children together. She is the sister of “The Lion’s Den” investor Tillman Schulz. Ricken was previously married to TV presenter Andrea Kaiser from 2010 to 2013.
Ricken with his wife Franziska
Photo: DeFodi
Frankfurt
Frankfurt’s CEO Axel Hellmann with his partner Claudia at the Sports Ball in February
Photo: picture alliance / Press and Business Service
The woman at the side of sports director Markus Krösche is Viktoria. They have been married for 15 years and have two daughters (15, 12). The family lives in Paderborn. Krösche often commutes to East Westphalia. The children are great horse lovers and also ride in tournaments. Wife Viktoria is a real estate agent.
Board spokesman Axel Hellmann separated from his wife Michaela in 2016 after eleven years of marriage. He is now in a relationship with Claudia Rost.
Hoffenheim
Dr. Markus Schütz is currently the CEO of Kraichgau. He is married and has two sons and a daughter.
Heidenheim
CEO Holger Sanwald is married to Jana. He has a daughter.
Werder
At the Bremen 125th anniversary celebration in February: Werder CEO Clemens Fritz with his wife Alena
Photo: IMAGO/Nordphoto
Baumann’s successor Clemens Fritz has been married to Alena (née Gerber) since 2017. Before that, she was in a relationship with former ski jumper Sven Hannawald. She is a model, presenter and actress (most recently in Manta Manta 2). Has 821,000 followers on Instagram. Has worked with the animal rights organization Peta for years. She and Fritz have a daughter (7).
Augsburg
Managing director Michael Ströll is together with employee Lena. The couple’s first child was born last week. They also have a dog (Franz Josef) with his own Insta page.
Wolfsburg
In the summer, Peter Christiansen took over the job of Managing Director of Sport. The Dane met his Camilla during his active football career at FC Copenhagen (2000 to 2005). They are now married and have four sons (Mads, Frederik, William, Alfred).
Mainz
Mainz sports director Christian Heidel with his Steffi
Foto: Getty Images
The partner of 05 sports director Christian Heidel is called Stefanie, with whom he has a daughter (Sanita/10). Another family member: dog Manfred. They live in Mallorca. However, Heidel spends most of the season in Mainz. He met his wife at the Christmas market under Mainz Cathedral. He also has two children from his first marriage, Janina and Patrick, who celebrated their 60th birthdays with him in New York last year.
Gladbach
October 2020: Rainer Bonhof and his “Mücke” at the 30th anniversary celebration of the 1990 World Champion title
Foto: German Select/Getty Images
President Rainer Bonhof has been with his wife Roswitha, almost a childhood sweetheart, for more than 50 years. Bonhof once said of the highlights of his life: “One thing I absolutely have to mention is that I met my wife Roswitha.” This happened in Gladbach’s old town. And when he became world champion in 1974 at just 22 years old, it was “Mücke” (that’s what Roswitha is called because of her birth name Mückner) who got Bonhof back on track. The Gladbach boss: “I was world champion and was floating in another sphere. Then my girlfriend said: ‘Become Rainer again.’ So I decided to become normal again. That was one of the most important victories.”
Union
Supporting Union President Dirk Zingler: his wife Martina
Photo: Matthias Koch
President Dirk Zingler has three children with his wife Martina. She once encouraged him to take on the role at the Iron Ones. Looking back, he once said: “My clever wife. She knew: I’m only doing well when the club is doing well.”
Managing Director Horst Heldt has been married for the second time since June 2003. He had previously been together for eight years with his wife Bettina, a lawyer who runs a law firm in Munich. The couple have a son (Paul), who is now 15 years old.
Bochum
Bochum boss Ilja Kaenzig with his wife Rebecca in 2014. They were married at the registry office in Isernhagen near Hanover
Foto: Bongarts/Getty Images
Managing director Ilja Kaenzig has been married to Rebecca since 2006. At the time, he was a manager in Hanover. They have three children together. Chairman Hans-Peter Villis’ heart belongs to his Rita.
Like
Steffen Schneekloth has been president of the Störche since 2017. The lawyer (formerly player agent) is married and has three children.
St. Pauli
President Oke Göttlich is married to Luisa. They met in Cologne and have two children (a daughter and a son). Göttlich, who comes from St. Peter-Ording, keeps his family largely out of the public eye, but recently he was with Luisa at BILD-Hamburg’s Red Night and celebrated with them.
Sports director Andreas Bornemann has been with his partner Nadja for years, whom he met during his time in Nuremberg. They have a son together (Luis/7). Bornemann also has a son (Jonas/23) from a previous relationship.
Köln
President Werner Wolf is married to his wife Monika – four children, three grandchildren. The couple lives in the Eifel. Financial director Philipp Türoff is married to Dr. med. Anke Türoff. She is the chief physician of the emergency room at the St. Nikolaus-Stiftshospital in Andernach. They have two children together.
Schalke
The Schalke boss and his strong wife: Marc Wilmots and Katrien in October 2012 at a first division match in Belgium
Foto: Photonews via Getty Images
Sporting director Marc Wilmots has been married to Katrien since June 1996. She is the daughter of Guy Lambeets, the former president of Belgian club St. Truiden. The couple have three children (Reno, Athena-Lena, Marten). Wilmots commutes every day from Belgium (near Liège) to Gelsenkirchen to be back with his family in the evening. Katrien works as a lawyer, at a food company called “BVBA Rema” of all places. She used to sit at the negotiating table with Wilmots because she knows the contracts. The Belgian newspaper “Le Soir” wrote about her: “The Belgian association is afraid of this merciless negotiator who has no desire at all to be reduced to the role of ‘wife of’.”
Hertha
Hertha boss Thomas Herrich with his wife Juliane, whom he has been married to since 2001
Foto: Getty Images
Managing director Thomas Herrich has been married to Juliane Ike-Herrich since 2001. He grew up in the Allgäu, she in Hanover – they both met and fell in love in Berlin. Juliane has been working as a freelance TV author, presenter and journalist for over 25 years (including RBB, SWR, RTLII, SAT.1, Pro7, N24, WDR). Since 2016 she has been a permanent member of the “Doc Esser – the health check” team. In 2022 she was awarded the Ludwig Demling Media Prize for this (episode: “Healthy digestion”). The Hertha boss and his wife live in the capital with their two daughters Helena (19) and Lilith (16).
