Ralf Schumacher reveals a man next to him
Before the kickoff of the EURO Finals in Germany, a former professional athlete makes headlines. Not a footballer, but a race car driver. Ralf Schumacher shares a picture with the man he calls his "true partner." Sharing everything with him is the best thing in the world.
Ralf Schumacher makes his sexuality public - and comes out as not-heterosexual: "The best thing in life is when you have the right partner by your side, with whom you can share everything," writes the former Formula 1 driver in an Instagram post. The picture accompanying the post shows him with a man, arm in arm - looking at the sunset.
Schumacher also shares stories, in which the happy man at his side is also tagged. His name is Etienne. He mentions living in the French Riviera and Cape Town. A conspicuous acquaintance of Schumacher writes in her story "So happy for both of you!!!!!" and adds a heart. Ralf Schumacher also shares a post from Carmen Geiss. She writes in it: "Today, he has come out about his homosexuality." This step is "not only a personal triumph, but also a sign that he is finally able to live and love his true identity without fear or shame." Ralf Schumacher was married from 2001 to 2015, to his ex-wife Cora, with whom he has been separated since 2009. They have a son: David, born in 2001, who is also a race car driver.
Carmen Geiss: "You have the best partner"
In a comment under Ralf's coming-out, Geiss reveals more: "You have the best partner Etienne, whom one can only imagine. After two years, you can finally show your love to the world."
In the story of another acquaintance of the couple, Etienne is also tagged. Both wear blue shirts with dark collars. The stories and posts of all parties involved were removed shortly before the kickoff of the football EURO Finals in Germany. Immediately, there were thousands of reactions, with the post collecting nearly 100,000 likes within the first hours.
Etienne himself has not posted anything yet, but also shared the post of the acquaintance in which he is tagged. On his profile, he is shown traveling and doing sports. He appears a few years younger than Ralf.
Schumacher, who raced in 180 Formula 1 races and won six of them, is one of the few former or current German top athletes who have come out publicly. The most prominent among them is the former football national player Thomas Hitzlsperger. The World Championship third-place finisher from 2006 came out publicly in 2014, a year after his career ended.
With Lucas Krzikalla, captain of the Handball Bundesliga team SC DHfK Leipzig, an active athlete in a national top league in one of the major sports came out for the first time at the end of 2022. Neither Hitzlsperger nor Krzikalla is an active professional in football or handball.
Ralf Schumacher's loving 'love life' with Etienne is celebrated in the sports community, with Carmen Geiss commenting, "You have the best partner Etienne, whom one can only imagine." Homosexuality in sports is not limited to Ralf, as Thomas Hitzlsperger, a former football national player, and Lucas Krzikalla, captain of the Handball Bundesliga team, have also publicly come out.
