World Cup champion Christoph Kramer wants to finally leave the limelight

In the harsh light of the talk show “3nach9” sits the 35‑year‑old Christoph Kramer, World Cup champion, and looks forward. He speaks openly about the problem, the constant spotlight that has accompanied him since his active career. His goal: to eventually leave public applause behind.

Calm Farewell from the Spotlight

In 2024 Kramer ended his professional career, but the media presence remained. Despite the end of his active career, he continues to be in the public eye, a situation he does not want to accept permanently.

During an appearance on the talk show “3nach9” he explained that the “sweet fruit of the public” is simultaneously toxic and addictive. “I have realized throughout my whole life – and I’m not terribly old yet – that this sweet fruit of the public … is very toxic and yet unfortunately truly addictive,” he said.

He observed many celebrities who seemed to have made the jump to a more peaceful life, only to return. As examples he named Thomas Gottschalk and Stefan Raab and added: “There is no explanation for that, because they don’t need money anymore. It’s simply that external validation that somehow becomes addictive.”

Kramer wants to make the leap himself and plans to eventually have no contact with the public at all. “I have enjoyed it, I love it … but I want to eventually achieve a truly happy, peaceful peace with everything and no longer feel that I need applause,” he emphasized.

He is aware that this is a long process, because his whole life has been validated from the outside. After each weekend he reads the newspaper to find out how he played and what rating he received. “Therefore, it doesn’t happen overnight,” he explained, comparing the weaning off of validation to athletic heart training.

Author and TV Expert

Parallel to his TV work at ZDF, Kramer remains present in public life. During his active career he began working as a book author; his first novel “Life Began in Summer” immediately made the Spiegel bestseller list.

Now his second work “Wolkenberührpunkt” is being published. However, the literary attempts met with little enthusiasm from his teammates. “Unfortunately it wasn’t even glanced at … just left on the left,” he recalled, and added that he was proud and announced at breakfast in the morning: “Yeah folks, didn’t sleep much again, wrote all night again.”