He won the German lottery: «I am a multimillionaire and I still live with my parents», here is the story of «Chico»

In 2022 Kürsat Yildirim, known as «Chico», won the German lottery jackpot of almost 10 million euros. In this interview, the former crane operator reveals how much of his winnings he has left and why he hasn’t left his parents’ house yet.

The former crane operator Kürsat Yildirimknown as “Chico», won 9.9 million euros (approximately 9.67 million francs) in the German lottery in the autumn of 2022. Since then, the whole of Germany has known the Dortmund native.

Instead of keeping the news to himself, as is always advised, the 43-year-old immediately turned to the press. But the man has never regretted having decided to make everything public: «Keeping it to myself would have been my death sentence», he tells blue News Chico.

In the TV series of the private television channel SAT.1 «Über Geld spricht man doch!» (airing Monday 29 April, 8.15pm), the lucky guy will once again offer a glimpse into his life as a multimillionaire.

Hand on heart: how much of your lottery win is left?

I still have over 7 million, but not all in cash. I have founded several companies, including in the social media sector, and now I make money this way too. I have become an influencer and often collaborate with large companies. I have also bought seven houses, five of which have already been paid for. Then there are my cars and half a million euros that I invested in jewellery. I spent it well.

However, she still lives with her parents in the Nordstadt district of Dortmund.

Yes! It’s amazing, right?! I’m a multimillionaire, but I still live with my parents. However, I must say that I recently bought a penthouse on Lake Phoenix (an artificial lake on the former site of the Phoenix-Ost steelworks in the Hörde district of Dortmund, ed.), but I will only be able to move there in June. I can not wait.

He won the lottery a year and a half ago. Why will she only move in June?

I just wanted to move to Lake Phoenix. I would never leave Dortmund, it’s my hometown, I grew up here. At every corner there is a memory, a story. I want to stay here for the rest of my life because I love this city. For this I visited many houses, but the prices were exorbitant! People thought they could raise it because I won the lottery.

So has your fame made it difficult for you to find an apartment?

At first yes. Many people have the wrong image of me: they think that I have no education, that I come from the ghetto, that I have been to prison, that I am a drug addict, and therefore that I can’t manage my money. I saw more than 40 houses, but the prices always went up: if on the internet it was written that a property cost 1.8 million euros, the sellers wanted 2.8 million from me. This is because they think that «Chico has money, but no ideas».

How did he protect himself from such a deception?

I asked an expert for help. I’m always on the safe side with him. However, I didn’t find anything for a long time.

How did you find your future home?

It belonged to an elderly multi-millionaire and he too initially wanted an exorbitant sum for the apartment. But I asked him to give me a good price and he replied: «I know you from films and TV, I did a bit of research. You’ve been through a lot of shit, you come from the streets, and so do I.” So he made me an offer that moved me to tears. He said to me, “You deserve it, boy.” It’s like this: if you do good it comes back to you, it’s karma.

Is it often recognized?

Certain! And I like the fact that all of Germany knows who I am. The children recognize me, the grandparents too. When I go to the stadium, the players know about me too. I’m welcome everywhere! Everyone likes me, everyone talks to me, everyone wants to take photos with me.

It seems that she also feels comfortable in front of the camera: she will soon appear in the SAT.1 program «Über Geld spricht man doch!».

I like it a lot, I think I’ve found my way. I want to take everything with me, except scandals. Life suddenly became so beautiful. I don’t even want to go to sleep anymore because I’m afraid of missing something.

So, in the end, money brings happiness?

Of course, money really makes you happy! Anyone who says otherwise simply hasn’t had enough. You obviously can’t buy love or time, but you know you can always be safe. You no longer have to worry about being able to buy groceries or pay the rent.

But she also knows the other side, that is, a life full of worries.

It’s true, before I was in really bad shape. I had so many addictions. I once came home barefoot after five days, during which I didn’t sleep, but abused alcohol and drugs. I didn’t even know where my shoes went. Sometimes I slept in parks or begged. Today I often cry thinking about what I went through. I only made my lottery win public because if I had kept it to myself it would have been my death sentence. Without the public’s attention, I would never have stopped doing those things.

Has he made a leap forward in the meantime?

The thrill of attention is a million times stronger than drugs. I’ll be honest: I’ve had a relapse or two since I won. It’s an ongoing battle, but I’m optimistic. I am also a role model for many young people and I want to continue to be one. But the best thing is that I can give something back to my parents, even if they usually don’t let me.

In what sense?

My parents still live in the Nordstadt district of Dortmund. I can’t convince them to move somewhere else. I wanted to buy them a nice house, but my mother doesn’t want to. She says that there she has everything she needs: her friends, her market, her mosque. So she wants to stay where she is. After winning, I bought her a 40,000 euro watch: when she found out how much it had cost me, she made me return it. She doesn’t want anything material, she just wants to see her son do well. The fact that she is happy makes me happy too.

How important is it for you to share some of your wealth with others?

When I was still deep in addiction, I prayed to God to get rich. I promised him that I would help many people. So when I pray now, I hear God say, “Boy, I did everything you wanted. Now it’s your turn!”. And so it is. I helped the food bank, supported the homeless and built a well in Africa. I repaid those I owed money to three times over. My karma is now absolutely clean. I took a huge weight off myself and today I feel light, as if I could fly.

Have you ever regretted making your winnings public?

Not even for a second. If I hadn’t, I would never have met Thomas Gottschalk nor would I have been a guest on «Late Night Berlin». I also recently met Christian Lindner. And I also have the blue tick on Instagram! What I’m experiencing is truly indescribable. People love me and my greatest wish is for it to stay that way.

Do you still play the lottery?

Yes, I spend more than 2,500 euros a month on the lottery. Before there were more. The first time after winning I gambled everything. Unfortunately it’s an addiction and I can’t stop. But at least with the game it was worth it (laughs).