Bundesliga fan favourite Kevin Kampl has spoken for the first time since ending his playing career due to the sudden death of his brother.
The former Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Dortmund attacker called time on his playing career at the start of 2026 with RB Leipzig annulling his contract.
Speaking to BILD about what has happened, he said: “I visit my brother’s grave every day and somehow I still can’t quite grasp it.
“Sometimes I still think he’s going to come around the corner.
“I was in the physio room with Timo Werner shortly before training. Then I got a call from my other brother’s wife. She said they couldn’t reach Seki. So I went straight to the airport.
“I went to the hospital, where 100 old friends were standing, and was able to say goodbye to Seki. It was a heart attack.”
Just a week earlier he’d been celebrating his 35th birthday with his brother in Mallorca.
“Then everything collapses beneath your feet. The last two and a half months have been the worst of my life so far,” he added.
“My brother, he was everything to me. My dad, my best friend, my mentor who showed me the way.
“We’ve done everything together for the last ten years. We understood each other telepathically.”
Sadly, Kampl’s father is also very ill.
“He was in intensive care just before my brother’s death because he had lost a third of his blood,” he explained.
“He had already suffered several strokes and much more.
“But he doesn’t want to go back to the hospital. My mother is taking care of him now; Seki always did that before.
“It’s a difficult situation for her too. She feels like she’s aged ten years in the last few months.”
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