Eight months after retiring from football at the age of 27, Sebastian Deisler claims he is finally growing up as a person away from the sport.
The former Germany international called it a day after a series of injuries and a bout of depression, taking a step back from the world of football to concentrate on having a normal life.
He has practically gone into hiding and not been seen in footballing circles, and in his first interview since quitting Bayern Munich in January, he spoke of his new life.
"The business (football) took over me," Deisler said. "I never had time to grow, never the time to become an adult.
"I did not even have time to make errors in life.
"I came to the realisation that I was not made for this business."
Deisler put his Munich villa up for sale recently and has been living back in his native Berlin in more modest surroundings in a city centre flat.
A more normal life away from the public glare has allowed Deisler to recharge his batteries and recover completely from a knee problem which had troubled him throughout his prosperous career.
"In the end, I was totally empty," he told the Tagesspiegel am Sonntag newspaper. "I was old, I was tired and I had run so much that my legs could not carry me anymore. I could not do anything more."
