Overview

• Lell says years of fear and instability culminated in depression that left him feeling very suicidal during his time as a professional.
• He describes growing up in a home marked by violence, alcohol and abuse, portraying football as his only safe refuge.
• Confronting his past off-field scandals, he acknowledges fights, alcohol and cocaine, and says one incident cost him a potential DFB call-up under Jürgen Klinsmann, a claim he presents as his recollection.
• He recounts that Uli Hoeneß, aware of his family situation, once offered to transfer money to his mother when Lell was a youth player at Bayern.
• The 41-year-old, who played 119 Bundesliga matches for Bayern, Hertha BSC and 1. FC Köln, also notes his sister’s death from cystic fibrosis in 2014 as part of his personal history.