André Schürrle won the soccer World Cup at 23.
You'd think that's the part where the story ends — trophy raised, confetti falling, career made. But for André, standing in Rio with that medal around his neck, all he could think was: “What is it really?”
Two years later, at 29, he walked away from professional football. Not because he was broken. Not because he couldn't compete. Because he realized he'd spent 20 years chasing something that never actually filled the space it was supposed to fill.
We sat down in Berlin — full circle for me, actually, in my old photographer's studio where I had my last shoot after retirement — and talked about what happens when you have everything and nothing at the same time. When 80,000 people are screaming your name, but you can't hear yourself think. When the external wins just highlight the internal questions you've been running from.
André's now doing 50K mountain runs shirtless in Polish snowstorms (yes, really), building a business, training MMA, and finally — finally — asking himself what he actually wants instead of what everyone expects him to want.
I really enjoyed this conversation and it goes deep. The tunnel moments before walking onto the pitch. The ego hits. The frozen mountain hut where he had to choose between comfort and seeing what he's made of. Why solitude gives you things a dressing room never can.
If you've ever wondered what's on the other side of achievement, or whether chasing the next goal is just delaying the real work — this one's for you.
Listen wherever you get your podcasts, or watch on YouTube.
Jan.
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