Following his retirement from playing professional football, Hitzlsperger became the head of sport at VfB Stuttgart, before retiring from that role in 2022 to focus on his television career. He continues to use his voice to promote inclusivity in football, engaging in LGBT+ activism.

Hitzlsperger is the only Premier League footballer to date to come out as gay, doing so just a few months after his retirement. Many of his former colleagues in the German national team supported his decision, being described by teammate Lukas Podolski as ‘brave’ and ‘an important sign of our times’

Thanks goodness. They totally ruin the football season!