Jürgen Klopp
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Jürgen Norbert Klopp (; born 16 June 1967) is a German football executive and former
manager Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...
and
player Player may refer to: Role or adjective * Player (game), a participant in a game or sport ** Gamer, a player in video and tabletop games ** Athlete, a player in sports ** Player character, a character in a video game or role playing game who i ...
. He is widely regarded as one of the best football managers in the world. Klopp has been Head of Global Soccer for
Red Bull GmbH Red Bull GmbH () is an Austrian multinational private conglomerate company that created the Red Bull range of energy drinks. It is also known for its sponsorship, wide range of sporting events and Works team, teams. The headquarters of Red Bull ...
since January 2025. Klopp spent most of his playing career at
Mainz 05 1. Fußball- und Sport-Verein Mainz 05 e. V., usually shortened to 1. FSV Mainz 05 or simply Mainz 05 (), is a German professional sports club, founded in 1905 and based in Mainz, Rhineland-Palatinate. Mainz 05 play in the Bundesliga, the top tie ...
. He was initially deployed as a striker, but was later moved to
defence Defense or defence may refer to: Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups * Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare * Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks * Defense indust ...
. Upon retiring in 2001, Klopp became the club's manager, and secured
Bundesliga The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany and the highest level of the German football league system. The Bundesliga comprises 18 teams ...
promotion in
2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...
. After suffering relegation in the 2006–07 season and unable to achieve promotion, Klopp resigned in 2008 as the club's longest-serving manager. He then became manager of
Borussia Dortmund Ballspielverein Borussia 09 e. V. Dortmund, often known simply as Borussia Dortmund () or by its initialism BVB (), or just Dortmund by International fans, is a German professional sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is ...
, guiding them to the Bundesliga title in
2010–11 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...
, before winning Dortmund's first-ever
domestic double The Double, in association football, is the achievement of winning a country's top tier division and its primary domestic cup competition in the same season. The lists in this article examine this definition of a double, while derivative sectio ...
during a record-breaking season. Klopp also guided Dortmund to a runner-up finish in the
2012–13 UEFA Champions League The 2012–13 UEFA Champions League was the 58th season of Europe's premier club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the 21st season since it was renamed from the European Champion Clubs' Cup to the UEFA Champions League. The final was p ...
before leaving in 2015 as their longest-serving manager. Klopp was appointed manager of Liverpool in 2015. He guided the club to
UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...
finals in
2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...
and
2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...
, and won the trophy in
2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...
to secure his first – and Liverpool's sixth – title in the competition. Klopp's side finished second in the
2018–19 Premier League The 2018–19 Premier League was the 27th season of the Premier League, the top English professional league for association football clubs, since its establishment in 1992, and the 120th season of top-flight English football overall. The season ...
, registering 97 points; the then third-highest total in the history of the English top division, and the most by a team without winning the title. The following season, Klopp won the
UEFA Super Cup The UEFA Super Cup is an annual super cup Association football, football match organised by UEFA and contested by the winners of the two main European club competitions: the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League. The competition's offic ...
and Liverpool's first
FIFA Club World Cup The FIFA Club World Cup (FIFA CWC) is an international men's association football competition organised by the ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' (FIFA), the sport's global sports governing body, governing body. The compe ...
, before delivering Liverpool's first
Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
title, amassing a club record 99 points and breaking a number of top-flight records. These achievements won him back-to-back FIFA Coach of the Year awards in 2019 and 2020. Klopp won a cup double of the
EFL Cup The English Football League Cup, often referred to as the League Cup and currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout competition in men's domestic football in England. Orga ...
and
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
in
2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...
. He won another EFL Cup in
2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...
, departing that same year. Klopp is a notable proponent of ''
Gegenpressing Team tactics as well as individual skills are integral for playing association football. In theory, association football is a very simple game, as illustrated by Kevin Keegan's namely assertion that his tactics for winning a match were to "score ...
'', whereby the team, after losing possession, immediately attempts to win back possession, rather than falling back to regroup. He has described his sides as playing " heavy metal" football, in reference to their pressing and high attacking output. Klopp has cited his main influences as Italian coach
Arrigo Sacchi Arrigo Sacchi (born 1 April 1946) is an Italian former professional football coach, best known for having twice managed AC Milan. Sacchi is regarded as one of the greatest managers of all time, and his Milan side (1987–1991) is widely regarded ...
, and former Mainz coach
Wolfgang Frank Wolfgang Frank (21 February 1951 – 7 September 2013) was a German football manager and player. Frank was born in Reichenbach an der Fils, and made 215 appearances in the Bundesliga during his playing career, scoring 89 goals. For the Germany ...
. The importance of emotion is something Klopp has underlined throughout his managerial career, and he has gained both admiration and notoriety for his enthusiastic
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celebrations.


Early life and playing career

Jürgen Norbert Klopp was born on 16 June 1967 in
Stuttgart Stuttgart (; ; Swabian German, Swabian: ; Alemannic German, Alemannic: ; Italian language, Italian: ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, largest city of the States of Germany, German state of ...
, the state capital of
Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg ( ; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a states of Germany, German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million i ...
, to Elisabeth (1939–2021) and Norbert Klopp (1932–2000) a travelling salesman and a former goalkeeper. Klopp grew up in the countryside in the
Black Forest The Black Forest ( ) is a large forested mountain range in the States of Germany, state of Baden-Württemberg in southwest Germany, bounded by the Rhine Valley to the west and south and close to the borders with France and Switzerland. It is th ...
village of
Glatten Glatten is a municipality in the district of Freudenstadt in Baden-Württemberg in Germany. Geography Geographical location The state-approved health resort Glatten is located about ten kilometers southeast of the county town of Freudenstadt, ...
near
Freudenstadt Freudenstadt (, Swabian: ''Fraidestadt'') is a town in Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. It is the capital of the district Freudenstadt. The closest population centres are Offenburg to the west (approx. 36 km away) and Tübingen to ...
with two older sisters. He started playing for local club SV Glatten and later TuS Ergenzingen as a junior player, with the next stint at 1. FC Pforzheim and then at three
Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...
clubs,
Eintracht Frankfurt II Eintracht Frankfurt II is the reserve team of Eintracht Frankfurt. Formerly known as ''Eintracht Frankfurt Amateure'' (Amateurs) until 2005 the team played as U23 (Under 23) to emphasize the character of the team as a link between youth academy a ...
, Viktoria Sindlingen and
Rot-Weiss Frankfurt SG Rot-Weiss Frankfurt 01 is a German association football club from Frankfurt am Main. The association was founded on 11 November 1901 as FV Amicitia 1901 Bockenheim in what is today the city district of Bockenheim. History Early years The Fr ...
during his adolescence. Introduced to football through his father, Klopp was a supporter of
VfB Stuttgart Verein für Bewegungsspiele Stuttgart 1893 e. V. (), commonly known as VfB Stuttgart (), is a German professional sports club based in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg. The club's Association football, football team is currently part of Germany's f ...
in his youth. As a young boy, Klopp aspired to become a doctor, but he did not believe he "was ever smart enough for a medical career," saying "when they were handing out our A-Level certificates, my headmaster said to me, 'I hope it works out with football, otherwise it's not looking too good for you.'" While playing as an amateur footballer, Klopp worked a number of part-time jobs including working at a local video rental store and loading heavy items onto lorries. In 1988, while attending the
Goethe University Frankfurt Goethe University Frankfurt () is a public research university located in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. It was founded in 1914 as a citizens' university, which means it was founded and funded by the wealthy and active liberal citizenry of Frankfurt ...
, as well as playing for Eintracht Frankfurt's reserves, Klopp managed the Frankfurt D-Juniors. In the summer of 1990, Klopp was signed by
Mainz 05 1. Fußball- und Sport-Verein Mainz 05 e. V., usually shortened to 1. FSV Mainz 05 or simply Mainz 05 (), is a German professional sports club, founded in 1905 and based in Mainz, Rhineland-Palatinate. Mainz 05 play in the Bundesliga, the top tie ...
. He spent most of his professional career in Mainz, from 1990 to 2001, with his attitude and commitment making him a fan-favourite. Originally a striker, Klopp began playing as a defender in 1995. That same year, Klopp obtained a diploma in
sports science Sports science is a discipline that studies how the healthy human body works during exercise, and how sports and physical activity promote health and performance from cellular to whole body perspectives. The study of sports science traditionally i ...
at the Goethe University of Frankfurt (MSc equivalent), writing his thesis about
walking Walking (also known as ambulation) is one of the main gaits of terrestrial locomotion among legged animals. Walking is typically slower than running and other gaits. Walking is defined as an " inverted pendulum" gait in which the body vaults o ...
. He retired as Mainz 05's record goal scorer, registering 56 goals in total, including 52 league goals. Klopp confessed that as a player he felt more suited to a managerial role, describing himself by saying "I had fourth-division feet and a first-division head." Recalling his trial at
Eintracht Frankfurt Eintracht Frankfurt e.V. () is a German professional sports club based in Frankfurt, Hesse. It is best known for its football club, which was founded on 8 March 1899. The club currently plays in the Bundesliga, the top tier of the German footb ...
where he played alongside
Andreas Möller Andreas Möller (born 2 September 1967) is a German former professional Association football, footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. He is the head of the youth department at Eintracht Frankfurt. From 1985 to 2004 Möller played in ...
, Klopp described how his 19-year-old self thought, "if that's football, I'm playing a completely different game. He was world-class. I was not even class." As a player, Klopp closely followed his manager's methods on the training field as well as making weekly trips to
Cologne Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...
to study under
Erich Rutemöller Erich Rutemöller (born 8 February 1945) is a German retired football manager and player. Coaching career Rutemöller has headed 1. FC Köln, Hansa Rostock and Bonner SC during his coaching career. He was an assistant coach for the Germany nati ...
to obtain his Football Coaching Licence.


Managerial career


Mainz 05

Upon his retirement from playing for Mainz 05 in 2. Bundesliga, Klopp was appointed as the club's manager on 27 February 2001 following the dismissal of
Eckhard Krautzun Eckhard Krautzun (born 13 January 1941) is a German football coach and former player. Managerial career As a player, Krautzun turned out for Union Solingen, Rheydter SV, 1. FC Kaiserslautern, Young Fellows Zürich and TeBe Berlin. In 1968, ...
. The day after, Klopp took charge of their first match, which saw Mainz 05 secure a 1–0 home win over
MSV Duisburg Meidericher Spielverein 02 e. V. Duisburg, commonly known as simply MSV Duisburg (), is a Football in Germany, German association football club based in Duisburg, North Rhine-Westphalia. Nicknamed ''Die Zebras'' for their traditional striped jer ...
. Klopp went on to win six out of his first seven games in charge, eventually finishing in 14th place, avoiding relegation with one game to spare. In his first full season in charge in 2001–02, Klopp guided Mainz to finish 4th in the league as he implemented his favoured pressing and counter-pressing tactics, narrowly missing promotion. Mainz again finished 4th in 2002–03, denied promotion again on the final day on goal difference. After two seasons of disappointment, Klopp led Mainz to a third-place finish in the 2003–04 season, securing promotion to the
Bundesliga The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany and the highest level of the German football league system. The Bundesliga comprises 18 teams ...
for the first time in the club's history. Despite having the smallest budget and the smallest stadium in the league, Mainz finished 11th in their first top-flight season in 2004–05. Klopp's side finished 11th again in 2005–06 as well as securing qualification for the
2005–06 UEFA Cup The 2005–06 UEFA Cup, the 35th edition of the UEFA Cup, was won by Sevilla, beating Middlesbrough in the final. It was the first victory for Sevilla in a European competition, and the first appearance by Middlesbrough in a European final. The ...
, although they were knocked out in the first round by eventual champions
Sevilla Seville ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula. Seville ...
. At the end of the 2006–07 season, Mainz 05 were relegated, but Klopp chose to remain with the club. However, unable to achieve promotion the next year, Klopp resigned at the end of the 2007–08 season. He finished with a record of 109 wins, 78 draws, and 83 losses.


Borussia Dortmund


2008–2013: Consecutive league titles; first European final

In May 2008, Klopp was approached to become the new manager of
Borussia Dortmund Ballspielverein Borussia 09 e. V. Dortmund, often known simply as Borussia Dortmund () or by its initialism BVB (), or just Dortmund by International fans, is a German professional sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is ...
. Despite having interest from German champions Bayern Munich, Klopp eventually signed a two-year contract at the club, which had finished in a disappointing 13th place under previous manager
Thomas Doll Thomas Jens Uwe Doll (born 9 April 1966) is a German professional Association football, football manager and a former Association football, football player. As a player, he played as an attacking midfielder for F.C. Hansa Rostock, BFC Dynamo, Ha ...
. Klopp's opening game as manager was on 9 August in a 3–1
DFB-Pokal The DFB-Pokal (), also known as the German Cup in English language, English, is a German knockout Association football, football cup competition held annually by the German Football Association (DFB). Sixty-four teams participate in the competiti ...
victory away to
Rot-Weiss Essen Rot-Weiss Essen is a German association football club based in Essen, North Rhine-Westphalia. The club plays in the 3. Liga, at the Stadion an der Hafenstraße. The team won the DFB-Pokal in 1953, and the German championship in 1955. The latt ...
. In his first season, Klopp won his first trophy with the club after defeating German champions
Bayern Munich Fußball-Club Bayern München e. V. (FCB, ), commonly known as Bayern Munich (), FC Bayern () or simply Bayern, is a German professional sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. They are most known for their men's professional football team, ...
to claim the
2008 German Supercup The 2008 German Supercup, known as the T-Home Supercup for sponsorship reasons, was an unofficial edition of the DFL-Supercup, German Supercup, a Association football, football match contested by the winners of the previous season's Bundesliga and ...
. He led the club to a sixth-place finish in his first season in charge. The next season Klopp secured European football as he led Dortmund to a fifth-place finish, despite having one of the youngest squads in the league. After losing 2–0 to
Bayer Leverkusen Bayer 04 Leverkusen, officially known as Bayer 04 Leverkusen Fußball GmbH () and commonly known as Bayer Leverkusen or simply Leverkusen, is a German professional football club based in Leverkusen, North Rhine-Westphalia. It competes in the B ...
on the opening day of the
2010–11 Bundesliga The 2010–11 Bundesliga was the 48th season of the Bundesliga, Germany's premier football league. It began on 20 August 2010 and concluded on 14 May 2011. The winter break was in effect between weekends around 18 December 2010 and 15 January 20 ...
, Klopp's Dortmund side won fourteen of their next fifteen matches to secure the top spot in the league for Christmas. They clinched the 2010–11 Bundesliga title, their seventh league title, with two games to spare on 30 April 2011, beating 1. FC Nürnberg 2–0 at home. Klopp's side were the youngest ever side to win the Bundesliga. Klopp and his team successfully defended their title, winning the
2011–12 Bundesliga The 2011–12 Bundesliga was the 49th season of the Bundesliga, Germany's premier football league. The season started on 5 August 2011 with the opening match involving defending champions Borussia Dortmund and ended with the last games on 5 May ...
. Their total of 81 points that season was the greatest total points in Bundesliga history and the 47 points earned in the second half of the season also set a new record. Their 25 league wins equalled Bayern Munich's record, while their 28-league match unbeaten run was the best ever recorded in a single German top-flight season. Dortmund lost the
2011 DFL-Supercup The 2011 DFL-Supercup was the second DFL-Supercup, an annual football match contested by the winners of the previous season's Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal competitions. It was a Revierderby between 2010–11 Bundesliga winners Borussia Dortmund, and 20 ...
against
rivals A rivalry is the state of two people or Social group, groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each ...
Schalke 04 Fußballclub Gelsenkirchen-Schalke 04 e. V., commonly known as Schalke 04 (), and abbreviated as S04 (), is a professional sports club from the Schalke district of Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is best known for its football team, w ...
. On 12 May 2012, Klopp sealed the club's first ever
domestic double The Double, in association football, is the achievement of winning a country's top tier division and its primary domestic cup competition in the same season. The lists in this article examine this definition of a double, while derivative sectio ...
, by defeating Bayern Munich 5–2 to win the 2012 DFB-Pokal final, which he described as being "better than ecould have imagined". Dortmund's league form during the
2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...
season was not as impressive as in the previous campaign, with Klopp insisting that his team would focus on the
UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...
to make up for their disappointing run in that competition in the previous season. Klopp's team were drawn against
Manchester City Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...
,
Real Madrid Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional Football club (association football), football club based in Madrid. The club competes in La Liga, th ...
and
Ajax Ajax may refer to: Greek mythology and tragedy * Ajax the Great, a Greek mythological hero, son of King Telamon and Periboea * Ajax the Lesser, a Greek mythological hero, son of Oileus, the king of Locris * Ajax (play), ''Ajax'' (play), by the an ...
in what was described as the competition's "
group of death A group of death in a multi-stage tournament is a group which is unusually competitive, because the number of strong competitors in the group is greater than the number of qualifying places available for the next phase of the tournament. Thus, in ...
". However, they did not lose a game, topping the group with some impressive performances. Dortmund faced
José Mourinho José Mário dos Santos Mourinho Félix (; born 26 January 1963) is a Portuguese professional Association football, football Manager (association football), manager and former player, who is currently the head coach of Süper Lig club Fenerba ...
's Real Madrid again, this time in the semi-finals. After an excellent result against them at home in the first leg, a 4–1 victory, a 2–0 loss meant Dortmund narrowly progressed to the final. On 23 April 2013, it was announced that Dortmund's crucial playmaker
Mario Götze Mario Götze (; born 3 June 1992) is a German professional Association football, footballer who plays for club Eintracht Frankfurt. Although his favoured position is that of an attacking or central midfielder, he has also played as a Winger (f ...
was moving on 1 July to rivals Bayern Munich after they had triggered Götze's release clause of €37 million. Klopp admitted his annoyance at the timing of the announcement of Götze's move, as it was barely 36 hours before Dortmund's Champions League semi-final with Real Madrid. Klopp later said that Dortmund had no chance of convincing Götze to stay with Dortmund, saying, "He is a
Pep Guardiola Josep "Pep" Guardiola Sala (; born 18 January 1971) is a Catalans, Catalan professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Football player, player from Spain who has been the manager of club Manchester City F.C., Ma ...
favourite". Dortmund lost the
final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...
2–1 to Bayern, with an 89th-minute goal from
Arjen Robben Arjen Robben (; born 23 January 1984) is a Dutch former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Winger (association football), winger. Known for his Dribbling#Association football, dribbling skills, speed, and long-range s ...
. Dortmund finished in second place in the Bundesliga. They also lost the
2012 DFL-Supercup The 2012 DFL-Supercup was the third DFL-Supercup The Franz Beckenbauer Supercup or ''German Super Cup'' is a one-off association football, football match in Germany that features the winners of the Bundesliga championship and the DFB-Pokal. The ...
, and were knocked out of the
DFB-Pokal The DFB-Pokal (), also known as the German Cup in English language, English, is a German knockout Association football, football cup competition held annually by the German Football Association (DFB). Sixty-four teams participate in the competiti ...
in the round of 16.


2013–2015: Final years at Dortmund

At the beginning of the 2013–14 season, Klopp extended his contract until June 2018. Klopp received a fine of €10,000 on 17 March 2014 after getting
sent off In sports, an ejection (also known as dismissal, sending-off, disqualification, or early shower) is the removal of a participant from a contest due to a violation of the sport's rules. The exact violations that lead to an ejection vary depending ...
from a Bundesliga match against
Borussia Mönchengladbach Borussia Verein für Leibesübungen 1900 e.V. Mönchengladbach, better known as Borussia Mönchengladbach () and colloquially known as just Gladbach, is a professional Association football, football club based in Mönchengladbach, North Rhine-W ...
. The ejection was a result of "verbal attack" on the referee,
Deniz Aytekin Deniz Aytekin (born 21 July 1978) is a German football referee. He referees for TSV Altenberg of the Bavarian Football Association. Aytekin is a former FIFA referee, and was ranked as a UEFA elite category referee. Refereeing career Aytekin re ...
, who stated that Klopp's behaviour was "rude on more than one occasion". Borussia Dortmund
Vorstand In German corporate governance, a ''Vorstand'' is the executive board of a corporation (public limited company). It is hierarchically subordinate to the supervisory board (''Aufsichtsrat''), as German company law imposes a two-tier board of d ...
chairman
Hans-Joachim Watzke Hans-Joachim "Aki" Watzke (born 21 June 1959, Marsberg, North Rhine-Westphalia) is a German businessman and football official. He served as the CEO of Borussia Dortmund. Background Hans-Joachim Watzke watched his first games at the Rote Erde as ...
stated that "I have to support Jürgen Klopp 100 percent in this case" because he saw no reason for a fine and denied that Klopp insulted the fourth official. Dortmund finished the 2013–14 season in second place. On 4 January 2014, it was announced that Dortmund striker
Robert Lewandowski Robert Lewandowski (; born 21 August 1988) is a Polish professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Striker (association football), striker for club FC Barcelona, Barcelona. Widely regarded as one of the greatest strikers of a ...
signed a pre-contract agreement to join Bayern Munich at the end of the season, becoming the second key player after Götze to leave the club within a year. Also during the 2013–14 season, Dortmund won the
2013 DFL-Supercup The 2013 DFL-Supercup was the fourth DFL-Supercup, an annual football match contested by the winners of the previous season's Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal competitions. It featured FC Bayern Munich, Bayern Munich, winners of the 2012–13 Bundesliga ...
, but were knocked out of the Champions League in the quarter-finals by eventual champions Real Madrid. Dortmund started the 2014–15 season by winning the
2014 DFL-Supercup The 2014 DFL-Supercup was the fifth edition of the German Super Cup under the name DFL-Supercup, an annual football match contested by the winners of the previous season's Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal competitions. It featured Bayern Munich, winners o ...
. After a disappointing beginning of the season, Klopp announced in April that he would leave the club at the end of the season, saying "I really think the decision is the right one. This club deserves to be coached from the 100% right manager" as well as adding "I chose this time to announce it because in the last few years some player decisions were made late and there was no time to react", referring to the departures of Götze and Lewandowski in the seasons prior. He denied speculation that he was tired of the role, saying, "It's not that I'm tired, I've not had contact with another club but don't plan to take a sabbatical". Confronted with the thesis that Dortmund's form immediately improved after the announcement, he joked, "If I'd known, I would have announced it at the beginning of the season". His final match in charge of the team was the
2015 DFB-Pokal final The 2015 DFB-Pokal Final decided the winner of the 2014–15 DFB-Pokal, the 72nd season of Germany's premier football cup. It was played on 30 May 2015 at the Olympiastadion in Berlin. Borussia Dortmund, runners-up in the previous final, faced ...
, which Dortmund lost 3–1 against
VfL Wolfsburg Verein für Leibesübungen Wolfsburg e. V., commonly known as VfL Wolfsburg (), is a German professional sports club based in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony. The club grew out of a multi-sports club for Volkswagen workers in the city of Wolfsburg. I ...
. Dortmund finished in the league in seventh place and were knocked out of Champions League in the round of 16 by
Juventus Juventus Football Club (; from , ), commonly known as Juventus or colloquially as Juve (), is an Italian professional Association football, football List of football clubs in Italy, club based in Turin, Piedmont, who compete in Serie A, the ...
. He finished with a record of 180 wins, 69 draws, and 70 losses.


Liverpool


2015–2017: European runners-up and return to Champions League

On 8 October 2015, Klopp agreed a three-year deal to become
Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
manager, replacing
Brendan Rodgers Brendan Rodgers (born 26 January 1973) is a Northern Irish professional football manager and former player who is manager of Scottish Premiership club Celtic. Rodgers began his career as a defender at Ballymena United, where he stayed until h ...
. According to ''El País'', Liverpool co-owner
John W. Henry John William Henry II (born September 13, 1949) is an American businessman and the founder of John W. Henry & Company, an investment management firm. He is the principal owner of Liverpool Football Club, the Boston Red Sox, the Pittsburgh Pengu ...
did not trust public opinion so he looked for a mathematical method similar to ''
Moneyball Moneyball or money ball may refer to: * '' Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game'', 2003 book by Michael Lewis ** ''Moneyball'' (film), 2011 film adaptation of the book * ''Moneyball'' (album), 2025 album by Dutch Interior * Sabermetrics ...
'', the approach that Henry used for
Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
's
Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...
in guiding them to three
World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB). It has been contested since between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winning team, determined through a best- ...
wins, which he also owns via
Fenway Sports Group Fenway Sports Group Holdings, LLC (FSG), is an American multinational sports holding conglomerate which owns Major League Baseball's Boston Red Sox, Premier League’s Liverpool F.C., Liverpool, National Hockey League's Pittsburgh Penguins, NAS ...
. The mathematical model turned out to be that of Cambridge physicist Ian Graham, which was used to select the manager, Klopp, and players essential for Liverpool to win the Champions League. In his first press conference, Klopp described his new side saying "it is not a normal club, it is a special club. I had two very special clubs with Mainz and Dortmund. It is the perfect next step for me to be here and try and help" and stating his intention to deliver trophies within four years. During his first conference, Klopp dubbed himself 'The Normal One' in a parody of José Mourinho's famous 'The Special One' statement in 2004. Klopp's debut was a 0–0 away draw with
Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as simply Tottenham (, , , ) or Spurs, is a professional Association football, football club based in Tottenham, North London, England. The club itself has stated that it should always ...
on 17 October. On 28 October, Klopp secured his first win as Liverpool manager against
AFC Bournemouth AFC Bournemouth ( ) is a professional association football club based in Kings Park, Boscombe, a suburb of Bournemouth, Dorset, England. The club compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. ...
in the League Cup to proceed to the quarter-finals. His first
Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
win came three days later, a 3–1 away victory against Chelsea. After three 1–1 draws in the opening matches of the
UEFA Europa League The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...
, Liverpool defeated
Rubin Kazan FC Rubin Kazan (; ) is a Russian professional football club based in the city of Kazan. They play in the Russian Premier League. Founded in 1958, Rubin played its first-ever top flight season in 2003. It has remained there through the 2021–2 ...
1–0 in Klopp's first win in Europe as Liverpool manager. On 6 February 2016, he missed a league match to have an
appendectomy An appendectomy (American English) or appendicectomy (British English) is a Surgery, surgical operation in which the vermiform appendix (a portion of the intestine) is removed. Appendectomy is normally performed as an urgent or emergency procedur ...
after suffering suspected
appendicitis Appendicitis is inflammation of the Appendix (anatomy), appendix. Symptoms commonly include right lower abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, fever and anorexia (symptom), decreased appetite. However, approximately 40% of people do not have these t ...
. On 28 February, Liverpool lost the 2016 League Cup final at
Wembley Wembley () is a large suburbIn British English, "suburb" often refers to the secondary urban centres of a city. Wembley is not a suburb in the American sense, i.e. a single-family residential area outside of the city itself. in the London Borou ...
to Manchester City on penalties. On 17 March, Liverpool progressed to the quarter-final of the Europa League by defeating
Manchester United Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...
3–1 on aggregate. On 14 April, Liverpool fought back from a 3–1 second half deficit in the second leg of their quarter-final match against his former club Dortmund to win 4–3, advancing to the semi-finals 5–4 on aggregate. On 5 May, Klopp guided Liverpool to their first European final since
2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...
by beating
Villarreal Villarreal (officially, in ) is a city and municipality in the province of Castellón which is part of the Valencian Community in the east of Spain. The town is located at 42 m above sea level, 7 km to the south of the province's capital ( ...
3–1 on aggregate in the semi-finals of the Europa League. In the
final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...
, Liverpool faced Sevilla, losing 3–1 with
Daniel Sturridge Daniel Andre Sturridge Johnson (born 1 September 1989) is an English former professional footballer who played as a striker. Since 2023, he has worked as a television pundit for Sky Sports. Sturridge was scouted by Aston Villa and played for ...
scoring the opening goal for Liverpool in the first half. Liverpool finished the 2015–16 season in eighth place. On 8 July 2016, Klopp and his coaching staff signed six-year extensions to their deals keeping them at Liverpool until 2022. Liverpool qualified for the Champions League for the first time since 2014–15 on 21 May 2017, after winning 3–0 at home against
Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ), colloquially known as Boro, is a port town in the Borough of Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England. Lying to the south of the River Tees, Middlesbrough forms part of the Teesside Built up area, built-up area and the Tees Va ...
and finishing fourth in the
2016–17 Premier League The 2016–17 Premier League was the 25th season of the Premier League, the top English professional league for association football clubs, since its establishment in 1992, and the 118th season of top-flight English football overall. The season ...
season.


2017–2019: First Champions League title

Klopp's side finished fourth in the
2017–18 Premier League The 2017–18 Premier League was the 26th season of the Premier League, the top English professional league for association football clubs, since its establishment in 1992, and the 119th season of top-flight English football overall. The season ...
, securing qualification for the Champions League for a second consecutive season. Along with the emergence of
Andrew Robertson Andrew Henry Robertson (born 11 March 1994) is a Scottish professional footballer who plays at left-back for club Liverpool and captains the Scotland national team. He is regarded as one of the best left-backs of his generation and one of th ...
and
Trent Alexander-Arnold Trent John Alexander-Arnold (born 7 October 1998), also known mononym, mononymously as Trent, is an English professional Association football, footballer who plays as a right-back or midfielder for La Liga club Real Madrid CF, Real Madrid and ...
as regular starters at fullback,
Virgil van Dijk Virgil van Dijk (; born 8 July 1991) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for and captains both club Liverpool and the Netherlands national team. Widely regarded as one of the best defenders of his generation and ...
and
Dejan Lovren Dejan Lovren (; born 5 July 1989) is a Croatian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Super League Greece club PAOK. Lovren began his career at Dinamo Zagreb before moving to Lyon in January 2010. He spent three and a half seas ...
built a strong partnership at the heart of Liverpool's defence, with the Dutchman being credited for improving Liverpool's previous defensive issues. Klopp guided Liverpool to their first Champions League final since 2007 in 2018 after a 5–1 aggregate quarter-final win against eventual Premier League champions, Manchester City and a 7–6 aggregate win over
Roma Roma or ROMA may refer to: People, characters, figures, names * Roma or Romani people, an ethnic group living mostly in Europe and the Americas. * Roma called Roy, ancient Egyptian High Priest of Amun * Roma (footballer, born 1979), born ''Paul ...
in the semi-final. However, Liverpool went on to lose in the
final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...
3–1 to Real Madrid. This was Klopp's sixth defeat in seven major finals. Despite their attacking prowess, Klopp's side had been criticised for their relatively high number of goals conceded, something which Klopp sought to improve by signing defender Virgil van Dijk in the January transfer window, for a reported fee of £75 million, a world record transfer fee for a defender. In the summer transfer window, Klopp made a number of high-profile signings including midfielders
Naby Keïta Naby Laye Keïta (born 10 February 1995) is a Guinean professional association football, footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Nemzeti Bajnokság I, NB I club Ferencvárosi TC, Ferencváros, on loan from club SV Werder Bremen, Werde ...
and Fabinho, forward
Xherdan Shaqiri Xherdan Shaqiri (; born 10 October 1991) is a Swiss professional footballer who plays as a winger for Swiss Super League club Basel. Shaqiri rose through the youth ranks at Basel. In his three years playing for the Basel first-team, he was an ...
and goalkeeper
Alisson Álisson Ramsés Becker (born 2 October 1992), better known as Alisson Becker or simply Alisson, is a Brazilian professional association football, footballer who plays as a Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper for club Liverpool F.C. ...
. Liverpool started the 2018–19 season with the best league start in the club's history, winning their first six matches. On 2 December 2018, Klopp was charged with misconduct after running onto the pitch during the
Merseyside derby The Merseyside derby is an association football match between Everton F.C., Everton and Liverpool F.C., Liverpool, two clubs based in Liverpool, Merseyside, England. It is the longest running top-flight local derby, derby in England, with its fi ...
to celebrate
Divock Origi Divock Okoth Origi (born 18 April 1995) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a striker for club AC Milan. Following 8 July 2024, he is no longer part of their first team squad, and currently trains with and is listed in the squad ...
's 96th-minute winning goal with goalkeeper Alisson. Following a 2–0 win against
Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club ( ), commonly referred to as Wolves, is a professional association football, football club based in Wolverhampton, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league s ...
, Liverpool ended Christmas Day four points clear at the top of the league. A 4–0 win against
Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. Since th ...
on Boxing Day saw Klopp's side extend their lead in the league to six points at the half-way point of the season, as well as becoming only the fourth Premier League team to be unbeaten at this stage. It was Klopp's 100th win in 181 matches as Liverpool manager. Klopp's defensive additions proved to be effective as his side equalled the all-time record for the fewest goals conceded at this stage of a top-flight season, conceding just 7 goals and keeping 12 clean sheets in 19 matches. On 29 December, Klopp's side thrashed
Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
5–1 at Anfield, extending their unbeaten home run in the league to 31 matches, matching their best such run in the competition. The result saw them move nine points clear at the top of the league, and meant Liverpool won all 8 of their matches in December. Klopp subsequently received the
Premier League Manager of the Month The Premier League Manager of the Month is an association football award that recognises the best adjudged Premier League manager each month of the season. The winner is chosen by a combination of an online public vote, which contributes to ...
award for
December December is the twelfth and final month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days. December's name derives from the Latin word ''decem'' (meaning ten) because it was originally the tenth month of the year in t ...
. Klopp's side finished the season as runners-up to Manchester City, to whom they suffered their only league defeat of the season. Winning all of their last nine matches, Klopp's Liverpool scored 97 points, the third-highest total in the history of the English top-division and the most points scored by a team without winning the title, and remained unbeaten at home for the second season running. Their thirty league wins matched the club record for wins in a season. Success eluded Klopp's Liverpool side in domestic cup competitions in 2018–19. On 26 September 2018, Klopp's side were knocked out in the third round of the League Cup after losing 2–1 to Chelsea, their first defeat of the season in all competitions, and were knocked out of the
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
after losing 2–1 to Wolves in the
third round Third or 3rd may refer to: Numbers * 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3 * , a fraction of one third * 1⁄60 of a ''second'', i.e., the third in a series of fractional parts in a sexagesimal number system Places * 3rd Street (di ...
. Despite a lack of success in domestic cup competitions, Liverpool enjoyed a vintage run in the
2018–19 UEFA Champions League The 2018–19 UEFA Champions League was the 64th season of Europe's premier club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the 27th season since it was renamed from the European Champion Clubs' Cup to the UEFA Champions League. For the first ti ...
. Klopp's side finished second in their group by virtue of goals scored to qualify for the
knockout phase A single-elimination knockout, or sudden-death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of a match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final match-up, w ...
, before drawing German champions Bayern Munich in the round of 16. A scoreless draw in the first leg, followed by 3–1 victory in the second leg at the
Allianz Arena Allianz Arena (; known as Munich Football Arena for UEFA competitions) is a Association football, football stadium in Munich, Bavaria, Germany, with a 70,000 seating capacity for international matches and 75,000 for domestic matches. Widely kno ...
saw Liverpool qualify for the quarter-finals. Liverpool won their quarter-final tie against
Porto Porto (), also known in English language, English as Oporto, is the List of cities in Portugal, second largest city in Portugal, after Lisbon. It is the capital of the Porto District and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto c ...
with an aggregate score of 6–1 to advance to the semi-finals, where Klopp's Liverpool faced tournament favourites
Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...
. After suffering a 3–0 defeat at the
Nou Camp Camp Nou (), meaning ''New Field'' and often referred to in English as the Nou Camp, is a stadium in Barcelona and the home of La Liga club FC Barcelona since its opening in 1957. It is currently undergoing renovation, and with a planned increa ...
, Klopp reportedly asked his players to "just try" or "fail in the most beautiful way" in the second leg of the tie at
Anfield Anfield is a Association football, football stadium in the area of Anfield (suburb), Anfield, Liverpool, England, which has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since its formation in 1892. The stadium has a seating capacity of 61,276, making it the ...
. In the second leg, Klopp's side overturned the deficit with a 4–0 win, advancing to the final 4–3 on aggregate, despite
Mohamed Salah Mohamed Salah Hamed Mahrous Ghaly (, ; born 15 June 1992), also known as Mo Salah, is an Egyptian professional Association football, footballer who plays as a right winger or Forward (association football), forward for club Liverpool F.C., L ...
and
Roberto Firmino Roberto Firmino Barbosa de Oliveira (born 2 October 1991) is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a forward or attacking midfielder for Saudi Pro League club Al-Ahli, which he captains. After starting his career with Figueiren ...
being absent with injuries, in what was described as one of the greatest comebacks in Champions League history. In the final at the
Metropolitano Stadium Metropolitano Stadium (Spanish language, Spanish: ), also referred to as Riyadh Air Metropolitano Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a stadium in Madrid, Spain. It has been the home stadium of Atlético Madrid since the 2017–18 Atlético Madri ...
in Madrid against Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool won 2–0 with goals from Salah and Divock Origi, despite only having 39% possession over the course of the game, giving Klopp his first trophy with Liverpool, his first Champions League title, and the club's sixth European Cup/Champions League title overall.


2019–2020: Premier League title

Klopp's side started the 2019–20 season by playing Manchester City in the
2019 FA Community Shield The 2019 FA Community Shield (also known as The FA Community Shield supported by McDonald's for sponsorship reasons) was the 97th FA Community Shield, an annual football match played between the winners of the previous season's Premier League and ...
, against whom they lost 5–4 on penalties. Having qualified as winners of the Champions League, Klopp's side played
Europa League The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...
champions Chelsea in the
Super Cup A super cup is a competition, in association football, basketball, handball, volleyball and rugby union which often forms the 'curtain raiser' to a season, and typically involves only two teams who have qualified through success in other competi ...
. With the scores level after extra-time, Klopp's side won 5–4 on penalties, giving Klopp his second trophy with the club. It was Liverpool's fourth triumph in the tournament, placing them behind only Barcelona and
AC Milan (), commonly referred to as Milan or AC Milan () mainly outside of Italy, is an Italian professional Football club (association football), football club based in Milan, Lombardy. Founded in 1899, the club competes in the Serie A, the top tie ...
with five titles apiece. In the
2019–20 Premier League The 2019–20 Premier League was the 28th season of the Premier League, the top English professional association football, football league, since its establishment in 1992, and the 121st season of top-flight English football overall. The season ...
, Klopp's Liverpool won their first six matches to move five points clear at the top of the table. After the fourth match week, Klopp was named Premier League Manager of the Month for August, his fourth award of the monthly prize. Their 2–1 away victory over Chelsea set a club-record seven successive away league wins and made Liverpool the first Premier League club to win their first six games in successive seasons. On 23 September, Klopp was named as The Best FIFA Men's Coach for 2019, ahead of Pep Guardiola and Mauricio Pochettino. At the awards ceremony, Klopp revealed that he had signed up to the Common Goal movement, donating 1% of his salary to a charity which funds organisations around the world using football to tackle social issues. On 11 October, it was announced that Klopp had been named Manager of the Month for September, winning the award for the second consecutive month. On 30 November, following a 2–1 win over
Brighton & Hove Albion Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club, commonly referred to as Brighton, is a professional football club based in Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. Their home gr ...
, Klopp saw Liverpool equal an all-time club record of 31 consecutive league matches without defeat, since the club's last defeat to Manchester City on 3 January, dating back to 1988. His side broke the record a week later following a 5–2 win over Everton. Following a victory against Red Bull Salzburg on 10 December that saw Liverpool top their Champions League
group A group is a number of persons or things that are located, gathered, or classed together. Groups of people * Cultural group, a group whose members share the same cultural identity * Ethnic group, a group whose members share the same ethnic iden ...
, Klopp signed a contract extension that will keep him at the club until 2024. In December, Klopp won his third Premier League Manager of the month award for November, after winning all four league matches with Liverpool. On 21 December, he led Liverpool to their first
FIFA Club World Cup The FIFA Club World Cup (FIFA CWC) is an international men's association football competition organised by the ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' (FIFA), the sport's global sports governing body, governing body. The compe ...
trophy, with victory over
Flamengo Clube de Regatas do Flamengo (; ), more commonly referred to as simply Flamengo, is a Brazilian multi sports club based in Rio de Janeiro, in the neighborhood of Gávea. It was founded and named after the Flamengo, Rio de Janeiro, Flamengo n ...
in the
final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...
, making his team the first English side to win the international treble of the Champions League, Super Cup and Club World Cup. His side ended 2019 with a 1–0 home win against Wolves. The result extended Liverpool's unbeaten home run to 50 matches and gave Klopp's Reds a 13-point lead at the top of the table with a game-in-hand. Klopp was subsequently named as the Premier League Manager of the Month for December, winning the award for the fourth time that season. A 1–0 away win against Tottenham Hotspur on 11 January 2020 extended Liverpool's unbeaten run to 38 league games – a club record – totalling 61 points from 21 games, the most ever at that stage of the season by a side in Europe's top five leagues. On 1 February, Klopp's side won 4–0 at home against Southampton to go 22 points clear at the top of the Premier League; the biggest end-of-day lead in English top-flight history, and following second-place Manchester City's defeat to Spurs the next day, the largest gap ever between first and second in top-flight history. Klopp was subsequently named as the Premier League Manager of the Month for January – his fifth of the season so far – breaking the record for the most wins of the award in a single season. A 3–2 home victory against
West Ham United West Ham United Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Stratford, London, Stratford, East London, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English f ...
on 24 February 2020 saw Klopp's side equal the English top-flight records for the most consecutive wins (18) and the most consecutive home wins (21, set by Bill Shankly's Liverpool side in the 1972–73 season); the latter setting a record for the Premier League era. Klopp said after the game that he "never thought anchester City's win recordwould be broken or equalled." A 2–1 win against Bournemouth at Anfield on 7 March saw Liverpool set an English top-flight record of 22 consecutive home wins. On 25 June, Klopp's side clinched the title with 7 games left to spare; it was the club's nineteenth league title, its first since 1989–90 and its first during the Premier League era. In the season, Liverpool set a number of English-top flight records including the most consecutive home wins (23), the largest point lead at the end of a matchweek (22), and upon winning the league claimed the unusual achievement of winning the Premier League earlier than any other team by games played (with seven remaining) and later than any other team by date (being the only team to clinch the title in June). Beginning the season prior, Liverpool also enjoyed a 44 match unbeaten run in the league – the second-longest streak in top-flight history – ended by
Watford Watford () is a town and non-metropolitan district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Hertfordshire, England, northwest of Central London, on the banks of the River Colne, Hertfordshire, River Colne. Initially a smal ...
on 29 February. Liverpool finished the season on a club record 99 points, the second-highest points tally in top-flight history; finishing 18 points clear of second place. At the end of the season, Klopp was named LMA Manager of the Year as well as
Premier League Manager of the Season The Premier League Manager of the Season is an annual association football award presented to managers in England. It recognises the most outstanding manager in the Premier League each season. The recipient is chosen by a panel assembled by the le ...
.


2020–2022: Domestic and international success

After winning the opening three league games of the 2020–21 season against
Leeds United Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The team compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league system. Leeds United have won the League Championship th ...
, Chelsea and Arsenal, on 4 October 2020, Klopp's side lost 7–2 away to
Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club (commonly referred to as simply Villa) is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club, founded in 1874, compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The team have p ...
. It was the first time Liverpool conceded seven goals in a league match since 1963. However, following a controversial draw in the first Merseyside derby of the season, in which defender Virgil van Dijk was injured for the rest of the season, they then bounced back with wins against
Sheffield United Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The club competes in the Championship, the second tier of English football. They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history ...
and West Ham United. They went into the international break third in the league and top of their group in the Champions League after a 5–0 win against
Atalanta Atalanta (; ) is a heroine in Greek mythology. There are two versions of the huntress Atalanta: one from Arcadia (region), Arcadia, whose parents were Iasus and Clymene (mythology), Clymene and who is primarily known from the tales of the Caly ...
. On 22 November, Klopp led Liverpool to a club record 64th consecutive league match unbeaten at Anfield – surpassing the previous record of 63 games under
Bob Paisley Robert Paisley (23 January 1919 – 14 February 1996) was an English professional football manager and player who played as a wing-half. He spent almost 50 years with Liverpool and is regarded as one of the greatest managers of all time. ...
between 1978 and 1981 – with a 3–0 win over
Leicester City Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...
. On 17 December, Klopp was named the Best FIFA Men's Coach for the second successive year having guided the club to their first league title triumph in 30 years. On 20 December, Klopp won the BBC's Sports Coach of the Year. A poor run of form in the early part of 2021 – which coincided with Liverpool being without their three senior central defenders who were out injured for the remainder of the season – saw Liverpool as low as eighth in March. The club then rallied to go undefeated in their last ten league games, with eight wins and two draws, which saw Liverpool finish 3rd in the league. This run of form saw Klopp rely on a new defensive partnership of Nat Phillips and
Rhys Williams Rhys or Reece Williams may refer to: Sportspeople * R. H. Williams (rugby union) (1930–1993), Welsh rugby union player; full name Rhys Haydn Williams * Rhys Williams (rugby union, born 1979), Welsh rugby union hooker * Rhys Williams (rugby union, ...
, both of whom had no prior experience in the Premier League, and included Klopp's first win at
Old Trafford Old Trafford () is a football stadium in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, and is the home of Manchester United. With a capacity of 74,197, it is the largest club football stadium (and second-largest football stadium overall after W ...
, home of
arch rivals ''Arch Rivals'' is a basketball video game released by Midway for arcades in 1989. Billed by Midway as "A Basket Brawl", the game features two-on-two full court basketball games in which players are encouraged to punch opposing players and st ...
Manchester United, with Liverpool winning 4–2. The five league wins in May saw Klopp named
Premier League Manager of the Month The Premier League Manager of the Month is an association football award that recognises the best adjudged Premier League manager each month of the season. The winner is chosen by a combination of an online public vote, which contributes to ...
, the ninth time he has received the award. Having started the 2021–22 season with five wins and three draws from the first eight league fixtures, on 24 October 2021, Liverpool beat Manchester United 5–0 at Old Trafford. This was Klopp's 200th victory in 331 games in charge of Liverpool, making him the fastest manager in the club's history to reach that milestone. On 1 December, Klopp led Liverpool to a 4–1 away win against Everton in the Premier League as the club became the first team in English top-flight history to score at least two goals in 18 successive games in all competitions. On 7 December, Liverpool won 2–1 away against Milan to became the first English club to win all six Champions League group games in the competition's history. On 16 December, Klopp became the fastest manager in Liverpool history to record 150 league wins with a 3–1 home win against Newcastle United in what was Liverpool's 2,000th top-flight win. On 27 February 2022, he led Liverpool to their first domestic final since 2016, the 2022 EFL Cup final, in which they beat
Thomas Tuchel Thomas Tuchel (; born 29 August 1973) is a German professional Manager (association football), football manager and former player who is the manager of the England national football team, England national team. Widely regarded as a forward-think ...
's Chelsea 11–10 on penalties after a 0–0 draw that went to extra time. It was a record-breaking ninth victory for Liverpool, and the first time they had won the competition since 2012. Following
Sean Dyche Sean Mark Dyche (; born 28 June 1971) is an English professional football manager and former footballer who was most recently the manager of Premier League club Everton. During his playing career, Dyche played as a centre-back, making his pro ...
's dismissal by Burnley on 15 April, Klopp became the longest serving manager in the Premier League. On 28 April, Klopp signed a two-year contract extension, extending his stay at Liverpool until 2026. In the 2022 FA Cup final on 14 May, Liverpool won their first FA Cup since the 2006 final when they again defeated Chelsea, this time 6–5 on penalties, with Klopp becoming the first German manager to win the trophy. Liverpool would finish second in the Premier League by one point before losing 1–0 to Real Madrid in the
2022 UEFA Champions League final The 2022 UEFA Champions League final was the final match of the 2021–22 UEFA Champions League, the 67th season of Europe's premier club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the 30th season since it was renamed from the European Champion ...
.


2022–2024: Complete set of trophies and departure

On 30 July 2022, Liverpool opened the 2022–23 season by winning the
2022 FA Community Shield The 2022 FA Community Shield was the 100th FA Community Shield, an annual football match played between the winners of the previous season's Premier League and the winners of the previous season's FA Cup. It was played on 30 July 2022, with Liv ...
with a 3–1 win over Manchester City, in what was Klopp's first
FA Community Shield The Football Association Community Shield (formerly the Charity Shield) is Football in England, English football's annual match contested at Wembley Stadium between the champions of the previous Premier League season and the holders of the FA ...
. On 27 August, Klopp led Liverpool to a 9–0 win over Bournemouth, which was the joint-largest win in the history of the Premier League. On 12 October, Klopp led Liverpool to a 7–1 away victory over
Rangers A ranger is typically someone in a law enforcement or military/paramilitary role specializing in patrolling a given territory, called "ranging" or "scouting". The term most often refers to: * Park ranger or forest ranger, a person charged with prot ...
in the
2022–23 UEFA Champions League The 2022–23 UEFA Champions League was the 68th season of Europe's premier club Association football, football tournament organised by UEFA, and the 31st season since it was renamed from the European Champion Clubs' Cup to the UEFA Champions ...
, with
Mohamed Salah Mohamed Salah Hamed Mahrous Ghaly (, ; born 15 June 1992), also known as Mo Salah, is an Egyptian professional Association football, footballer who plays as a right winger or Forward (association football), forward for club Liverpool F.C., L ...
breaking
Bafétimbi Gomis Bafétimbi Gomis (born 6 August 1985) is a French former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Striker (association football), striker. Gomis played youth football with AS Saint-Étienne, Saint-Étienne before making his ...
' record for the fastest Champions League hat-trick of all time. On 5 March 2023, Liverpool recorded their biggest competitive win against
Manchester United Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...
with a 7–0 victory at Anfield. This surpassed Liverpool's previous record set in October 1895, a 7–1 victory in the
Second Division In sport, the Second Division, also called Division 2 or Division II is usually the second highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Following the rise of Premier League style compet ...
. Long-term injuries to players such as
Thiago Alcântara Thiago Alcântara do Nascimento (; born 11 April 1991), known as Thiago Alcântara or mononymously as Thiago (; ), is a former professional Association football, footballer who played as a midfielder. Born in Italy to Brazilian parents and rai ...
throughout the season led to the emergence of academy player Curtis Jones as a regular presence in Liverpool's starting line-up towards the end of the
season A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's axial tilt, tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperat ...
. At the end of the 2022–23 season, Liverpool narrowly missed out on
UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...
qualification. It was suggested that reasons for this failure to qualify for the Champions League included the declining form of key members of the team and the vast amount of injuries suffered by Liverpool players. On 21 May 2023, addressing the reality of being in the
Europa League The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...
next
season A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's axial tilt, tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperat ...
, Klopp stated that Liverpool would "make he Europa Leagueour competition". On 26 January 2024, Klopp announced that he would depart his role as Liverpool manager after the conclusion of the 2023–24 season, and take a break from football management. He explained that he was "running out of energy" and that he "cannot do the job again and again and again and again". Klopp also mentioned he "wouldn't manage another team in England apart from Liverpool". Klopp led Liverpool to victory in the
2024 EFL Cup final The 2024 EFL Cup final was the final match of the 2023–24 EFL Cup. It was played between Chelsea F.C., Chelsea and Liverpool F.C., Liverpool, in a repeat of the 2022 EFL Cup final, 2022 final, at Wembley Stadium in London, England, on 25 Februa ...
, defeating Chelsea 1–0 to win his second League Cup. The week approaching Klopp's final game for the club consisted of numerous media outlets releasing interviews and tributes surrounding his departure; Klopp describing it as "the most intense week". On 17 May 2024,
Sky Sports Sky Sports is a group of British broadcasting of sports events, subscription sports channels operated by the satellite television, satellite pay television company Sky Group (a division of Comcast), and is the dominant subscription television ...
Premier League released a YouTube video where past and present Liverpool players paid homage to Klopp with club legend
Steven Gerrard Steven George Gerrard MBE (born 30 May 1980) is an English professional football manager and a former player. Widely regarded as one of the greatest midfielders of all time and one of Liverpool's greatest ever players,Jamie Carragher James Lee Duncan Carragher ( ; born 28 January 1978) is an English football analyst and former player who played as a defender for Premier League club Liverpool during a career which spanned 17 years. A one-club man, he was Liverpool's vice ...
stating that "Klopp is the Shankly of this era". His last match was a 2–0 win against
Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club ( ), commonly referred to as Wolves, is a professional association football, football club based in Wolverhampton, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league s ...
at Anfield. At the start of the match fans banners and postered were seen across the Kop with a notable one saying: "Doubters. Believers. Conquerors." After the full-time whistle, an on-pitch appreciation award ceremony ensued with
John W. Henry John William Henry II (born September 13, 1949) is an American businessman and the founder of John W. Henry & Company, an investment management firm. He is the principal owner of Liverpool Football Club, the Boston Red Sox, the Pittsburgh Pengu ...
presenting awards to Klopp and his coaching team,
Thiago Alcântara Thiago Alcântara do Nascimento (; born 11 April 1991), known as Thiago Alcântara or mononymously as Thiago (; ), is a former professional Association football, footballer who played as a midfielder. Born in Italy to Brazilian parents and rai ...
and Joël Matip. Klopp and his coaching team wore a red jumper with 'I'll Never Walk Alone Again' on the rear and 'Thank You Luv' on the front – a phrase he closely associates with the city of Liverpool. Klopp was showered with honoured and presented with replicas of all the trophies he has won in nearly nine years at the club before making a speech to the fans. During his speech he encouraged the fans to welcome and embrace the new manager,
Arne Slot Arend Martijn "Arne" Slot (; born 17 September 1978) is a Dutch professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Football player, player who is the head coach of club Liverpool F.C., Liverpool. He is regarded as one of t ...
with belief; Klopp stating: "You welcome the new manager like you welcomed me. You go all-in from the first day. And you keep believing and you push the team. Change is good." He proceeded to chant "Arne Slot, La La La La La" (in the rhythm of Austrian band
Opus Opus (: opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera ...
's song "
Live Is Life "Live Is Life" is a song by Austrian pop rock band Opus, released in 1984 by labels Polydor and OK as the first single from their first live album, '' Live Is Life'' (1984). It was written by the band and produced by Peter Müller, and also inc ...
") and ignited the fans chanting. To end the ceremony, a rendition of "
You'll Never Walk Alone "You'll Never Walk Alone" is a show tune from the 1945 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical '' Carousel''. In the second act of the musical, Nettie Fowler, the cousin of the protagonist Julie Jordan, sings "You'll Never Walk Alone" to comfort and e ...
" was sung by fans and the players whilst tears flowed throughout the stadium. The farewell celebrations were concluded with an event held M&S Bank Arena called "An evening with Jurgen Klopp", hosted by comedian John Bishop on 28 May 2024. Whilst Klopp is no longer the manager of Liverpool, he remains connected to the club after becoming an ambassador of the LFC Foundation, the club's charity. In his post-match press conference following his final game in charge, he was quoted as saying "I don't imagine that the club will need my help in the future, but if the city needs me, I'm there." On 31 July 2024, Klopp spoke to ESPN, publicly announcing his retirement, and stating he was "done" as a coach.


Manager profile


Tactics

Klopp is a notable proponent of ''Gegenpressing'', a tactic in which the team immediately attempts to win back possession after losing the ball, rather than falling back to regroup. Klopp has stated that a well-executed counter-pressing system can be more effective than any playmaker when it comes to creating chances. Commenting on his pressing tactics, Klopp said that "The best moment to win the ball is immediately after your team just lost it. The opponent is still looking for orientation where to pass the ball. He will have taken his eyes off the game to make his tackle or interception and he will have expended energy. Both make him vulnerable". The tactic requires great amounts of speed, organisation and stamina, with the idea of regaining possession of the ball as far up the pitch as possible to counter possible counter-attacks. It also requires high levels of discipline: The team must be compact to close down spaces for the opponent to thread passes through, and must learn when to stop pressing to avoid exhaustion and protect from long balls passed into the space behind the pressing defence. Despite Klopp's pressing tactics resulting in a high attacking output, his Liverpool side was criticised at times for its inability to control games and tendency to concede goals as well as score them. However, Klopp developed his tactics to incorporate more possession based football and more defensive and midfield organisation, as well as overseeing the transfers of Alisson Becker, Virgil Van Dijk, Naby Keïta and Fabinho ahead of the 2018–19 season which saw Liverpool achieve their best league start in the club's history, and equal the all-time record for the fewest goals conceded at the mid-point of a top-flight season, conceding just 7 goals and keeping 12 clean sheets. One of Klopp's main influences is Italian coach
Arrigo Sacchi Arrigo Sacchi (born 1 April 1946) is an Italian former professional football coach, best known for having twice managed AC Milan. Sacchi is regarded as one of the greatest managers of all time, and his Milan side (1987–1991) is widely regarded ...
, whose ideas about the closing down of space in defence and the use of zones and reference points inspired the basis of Klopp's counter-pressing tactics, as well as
Wolfgang Frank Wolfgang Frank (21 February 1951 – 7 September 2013) was a German football manager and player. Frank was born in Reichenbach an der Fils, and made 215 appearances in the Bundesliga during his playing career, scoring 89 goals. For the Germany ...
, his former coach during his time as a player for Mainz from 1995 to 1997 and then 1998 to 2000. Klopp himself said "I've never met Sacchi, but I learned everything I am as a coach from him and my former coach
rank A rank is a position in a hierarchy. It can be formally recognized—for example, cardinal, chief executive officer, general, professor—or unofficial. People Formal ranks * Academic rank * Corporate title * Diplomatic rank * Hierarchy ...
who took it from Sacchi". The importance of emotion is something Klopp has underlined throughout his managerial career, saying "Tactical things are so important, you cannot win without tactical things, but the emotion makes the difference". He believes that the players should embrace their emotions, describing how " ootball isthe only sport where emotion has this big of an influence". Ahead of the Merseyside derby in 2016, Klopp said "The best football is always about expression of emotion". In his first two full seasons at Liverpool, Klopp almost exclusively employed a 4–3–3 formation, using a front three of wingers Mohamed Salah and
Sadio Mané Sadio Mané (born 10 April 1992) is a Senegalese professional footballer who plays as a forward or left winger for Saudi Pro League club Al-Nassr and the Senegal national team. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest African players o ...
surrounding false-9 Roberto Firmino, supported by
Philippe Coutinho Philippe Coutinho Correia (born 12 June 1992) is a Brazilian professional Association football, footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or left winger for Campeonato Brasileiro Série A club CR Vasco da Gama, Vasco da Gama, on loan fr ...
in midfield. The foursome earned the moniker of the 'Fab Four' as they supplied the majority of the team's goals over this period of time. Roberto Firmino's exceptionally high number of tackles for a striker under Klopp's management encapsulates his style of play, demanding a high-press from all his players and having his striker defend from the front. Following Coutinho's departure in January 2018, the remaining front three increased their attacking output and continued to create chances as Salah won the
Premier League Golden Boot The Premier League Golden Boot is an annual association football award presented to the leading goalscorer in the Premier League. For sponsorship purposes, it was called the Carling Golden Boot from 1994 to 2001, the Barclaycard Golden Boot from ...
in 2018, before sharing the award with his team-mate, Mané, in 2019. In the early part of the 2018–19 season Klopp, at times, used the
4–2–3–1 In association football, the formation of a team refers to the position players take in relation to each other on a pitch. As association football is a fluid and fast-moving game, a player's position (with the exception of the goalkeeper) in a ...
formation, which he had previously used at Dortmund. While this was partially to account for a number of injuries to key players, it also allowed Klopp to accommodate new signing Xherdan Shaqiri, playing Roberto Firmino in a more creative role and allowing Salah to play in a more central offensive position. However, for the remainder of the season, the 4–3–3 formation, as with the previous two seasons, became Klopp's preferred setup as his side finished as runners-up in the Premier League and reached a second consecutive Champions League final, where Klopp won his first Champions League title as a manager.


Reception

Klopp is often credited with pioneering the resurgence of ''Gegenpressing'' in modern football, and is regarded by fellow professional managers and players as one of the best managers in the world. In 2016, Guardiola suggested that Klopp could be "the best manager in the world at creating teams who attack". Klopp has also received praise for building competitive teams without spending as much as many direct rivals, placing emphasis on sustainability over purely short-term success. As well as receiving plaudits for his tactics, Klopp is also highly regarded as a motivator, with Liverpool forward Roberto Firmino saying: "He motivates us in a different way every day", and being praised by Guardiola as a "huge motivator". In 2019, the chief executive of the
League Managers Association The League Managers Association (LMA) is the trade union for Premier League, EFL and national team managers in English association football. The LMA awards the LMA Manager of the Year award annually. History The union was founded in 1919 as ...
(LMA) said that Klopp had 'redefined man-management' in the modern era, and highlighted his consistency in European competitions; in Klopp's first three European campaigns with Liverpool he was undefeated over two-legged knockout ties. Klopp was described by Jonathan Wilson of ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' as "a hugely charismatic figure who inspires players with his personality", while Vincent Hogan of the ''
Irish Independent The ''Irish Independent'' is an Irish daily newspaper A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray backgrou ...
'' writes, "Not since
Bill Shankly William Shankly (2 September 1913 – 29 September 1981) was a Scottish association football, football player and Manager (association football), manager who is best known for his time as manager of Liverpool F.C., Liverpool. Shankly brought su ...
have Liverpool had a manager of such charisma". Klopp has gained notoriety for his enthusiastic touchline celebrations. He received criticism in 2018 for taking things 'too far' when running on to the pitch to embrace Alisson Becker to celebrate an added time winner in the Merseyside derby. Pep Guardiola spoke in defence of Klopp, saying: "I did it against Southampton. There are a lot of emotions there in those moments". In June 2020, Manchester United's record goalscorer
Wayne Rooney Wayne Mark Rooney (born 24 October 1985) is an English professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Association football, player who was most recently the head coach of EFL Championship club Plymouth Argyle F.C., Pl ...
responded to Klopp's dismissal of the suggestion that he could emulate
Alex Ferguson Sir Alexander Chapman Ferguson (born 31 December 1941) is a Scottish former professional football manager and player, best known for managing Manchester United from 1986 to 2013. He is widely regarded as the greatest manager of all time and ...
's success at Manchester United, saying "Klopp says it's impossible for any club to dominate like United once did, but he is wrong. ..I think if Klopp, who is only 53, stayed at Anfield for the next ten years, Liverpool would win at least five Premier League titles. He could keep building great sides because, as I mentioned, players join clubs to work with managers as good as him."


Colleagues

Klopp worked closely with
Željko Buvač Željko Buvač ( sr-cyrl, Жељко Бувач; born 13 September 1961) is a Bosnian football manager and former professional player who is the sporting director of Dynamo Moscow. He is the former assistant manager of Premier League club Liverpo ...
as his assistant manager, from 2001 until 2018. This 17-year collaboration spanned Klopp's tenures at German football clubs
Mainz 05 1. Fußball- und Sport-Verein Mainz 05 e. V., usually shortened to 1. FSV Mainz 05 or simply Mainz 05 (), is a German professional sports club, founded in 1905 and based in Mainz, Rhineland-Palatinate. Mainz 05 play in the Bundesliga, the top tie ...
,
Borussia Dortmund Ballspielverein Borussia 09 e. V. Dortmund, often known simply as Borussia Dortmund () or by its initialism BVB (), or just Dortmund by International fans, is a German professional sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is ...
, and
Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
. Buvač, a Bosnian former professional player, was often referred to as Klopp's right-hand man, and Klopp reportedly affectionately nicknamed Buvač as "the brain", to indicate his importance in the coaching setup. Buvač left Liverpool in 2018. The reason given by the club at the time was that he was going to spend time away from the club for "personal reasons". However, there were rumours even at the time that Buvač had fallen out with Klopp, and these seemed to be confirmed shortly after with reports that Buvač had taken issue with the increasing influence of Pep Lijnders on the coaching setup. Another member of Klopp's inner circle is Peter Krawietz, who was assistant manager at Liverpool. Krawietz has effectively worked with Klopp since he joined his local club Mainz 05 as a video analyst in 1996. Klopp was still a Mainz 05 player at the time, and Krawietz would have been responsible for analysing players' performances. Krawietz was promoted to the role of chief
scout Scout may refer to: Youth movement *Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement ** Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom ** Scouts BSA, sect ...
in 2001 under Klopp's managerial tenure, and followed him to Borussia Dortmund in 2008, and then Liverpool in 2015. If Buvač was "the brain" of Klopp's operation, Krawietz is described as Klopp's "eyes". His role has been reported to be more behind the scenes, with a focus on analysis, scouting and set-pieces. Liverpool has confirmed that Krawietz would leave Liverpool at the same time as Klopp, at the end of the 2023/24 season.
Pepijn Lijnders Pepijn Lijnders (born 24 January 1983) is a Dutch football manager who is assistant coach at Premier League club Manchester City. Lijnders has predominantly worked as a backroom staff coach, most notably spending two spells as Jurgen Klopp's ...
, known as 'Pep' for short, is another of Klopp's assistant managers. Lijnders was already at Liverpool when Klopp arrived in 2015, having joined the club the year before under Brendan Rogers as under-16s coach, and then been named first-team development coach in the summer of 2015. A Dutchman himself, he left for the
Eerste Divisie The Eerste Divisie (; ) is the second-highest tier of football in the Netherlands. It is linked with the top-level Eredivisie via promotion/relegation systems. It is also known as the Keuken Kampioen Divisie due to sponsorship reasons, while ...
in January 2018, having accepted to manage Dutch club
NEC Nijmegen NEC Nijmegen (''Nijmegen Eendracht Combinatie''), commonly known as NEC (), is a professional Dutch association football club based in Nijmegen. The club currently competes in the Eredivisie, the top tier of Dutch football, following promotion ...
. He rejoined Klopp's coaching staff at Liverpool in May 2018, as assistant manager. Lijnders is more hands-on, taking an active role in training sessions and being a vocal figure on the touchline. Klopp describes him as being "a real energiser". Lijnders has also confirmed he would leave Liverpool at the same time as Klopp, to pursue his own managerial career. Other members of Klopp's coaching team include Vitor Matos who replaced Pep Lijnders as elite development coach, as well as first-team goalkeeping coach John Achterberg, assistant goalkeeping coaches Jack Robinson and former Brazilian international goalkeeper and
World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the name is ...
winner Claudio Taffarel.


Post-managerial career

In October 2024, Klopp signed with
Red Bull Red Bull is a brand of energy drinks created and owned by the Austrian company Red Bull GmbH. With a market share of 43%, it is the most popular energy drink brand as of 2020, and the third most valuable soft drink brand, behind Coca-Cola and ...
as their new Head of Global Football. He started his new role on 1 January 2025 on a four-year contract. It was also reported his contract has an exit clause that allows him to apply for the German national job, if and when
Julian Nagelsmann Julian Nagelsmann (born 23 July 1987) is a German professional football coach who is currently the manager of the Germany national team. He has previously managed TSG Hoffenheim, RB Leipzig and Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga. Born in Bavaria ...
steps down. The move received widespread condemnation in Germany. Fans and journalists alike have criticized Klopp for joining an organisation that uses the multi-club model, something he has been critical of in the past. On 1 October 2024, Klopp received the Federal Order of Merit from President
Frank-Walter Steinmeier Frank-Walter Steinmeier (; born 5 January 1956) is a German politician who has served as President of Germany since 2017. He was previously Minister for Foreign Affairs (Germany), federal minister for foreign affairs from 2005 to 2009 and again f ...
at Bellevue Palace in Berlin, for his contribution to democracy and his impact on the football world and more.


Outside football


Personal life

Klopp has been married twice. He was previously wedded to Sabine, and they have a son, Marc (born 1988), who has played for a number of German clubs including
FSV Frankfurt Fußballsportverein Frankfurt 1899 e.V., commonly known as simply FSV Frankfurt and known as simply Frankfurt, is a German association football club based in the Bornheim district of Frankfurt am Main, Hessen and founded in 1899. FSV Frankfurt ...
under-19s,
KSV Klein-Karben KSV Klein-Karben is a German association football club from Karben, Hesse, and is part of a larger sports club founded in 1890. The association also has departments for dance, gymnastics, model airplanes, skat, tennis, table tennis, volleyba ...
,
SV Darmstadt 98 Sportverein Darmstadt 1898 e.V., commonly known as Darmstadt 98 (), is a German professional association football club based in Darmstadt, Hesse. The club was founded on 22 May 1898 as FC Olympia Darmstadt. Early in 1919, the association was bri ...
,
Borussia Dortmund II Borussia Dortmund II are the reserve team of Borussia Dortmund, currently playing in the 3. Liga, at Stadion Rote Erde. Until 2005, the team played as Borussia Dortmund Amateure. The team won the Regionalliga West in 2009 and became the second ...
and the
Kreisliga The Kreisliga (), along with the ''Kreisoberliga'' () and the ''Kreisklasse'' (), are the lowest set of divisions in the German football league system, set at step 8 and below. Structure Whereas the top amateur divisions are organised by the 21 ...
side VfL Kemminghausen 1925. On 5 December 2005, Klopp married
social worker Social work is an academic discipline and practice-based profession concerned with meeting the basic needs of individuals, families, groups, communities, and society as a whole to enhance their individual and collective well-being. Social wo ...
and children's writer Ulla Sandrock. They met at a pub during an
Oktoberfest Oktoberfest (; ) is the world's largest , featuring a beer festival and a travelling carnival, and is held annually in Munich, Bavaria, from mid- or late-September to the first Sunday in October. The annual event attracts more than seven milli ...
celebration that same year. She has a son, Dennis, from a previous marriage. On 10 February 2021, Klopp confirmed that his mother, Elisabeth, had died; he was unable to attend her funeral in Germany due to
COVID-19 travel restrictions During the COVID-19 pandemic, COVID-19 pandemic, many countries and territories imposed quarantines, entry bans, or other travel restrictions for citizens of or recent travelers to the most affected areas. Some countries and territories impo ...
. Klopp is close friends with fellow manager David Wagner, having first met him during their playing days at Mainz. Wagner served as
best man A groomsman or usher is one of the male attendants to the groom in a wedding ceremony. Usually, the groom selects close friends and relatives to serve as groomsmen, and it is considered an honor to be selected. From his groomsmen, the groom usuall ...
at Klopp's 2005 wedding. Klopp said of their relationship: "In 1991 someone stuck us in a room together and that was the beginning of a life-long friendship!" Klopp is a
Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...
who has referred to his religious faith in media interviews, stressing its importance. He said that he turned to religion more seriously after the death of his father, who was a Catholic, from liver cancer in 1998.


Media career

In 2005, Klopp was a regular expert commentator on the German television network
ZDF ZDF (), short for (; ), is a German public-service television broadcaster based in Mainz, Rhineland-Palatinate. Launched on 1 April 1963, it is run as an independent nonprofit institution, and was founded by all federal states of Germany ( ...
, analysing the Germany national team. He worked as a match analyst during the
2006 FIFA World Cup The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international Association football, football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which had won the right to FIFA World Cup hosts ...
, for which he received the
Deutscher Fernsehpreis The Deutscher Fernsehpreis (''German Television Award'') is an annual German award for television programming, created in 1999, by German television channels Das Erste, ZDF, RTL (German TV channel), RTL and Sat.1. It was created to be an equivalen ...
for "Best Sports Show" in October 2006, as well as
Euro 2008 The 2008 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2008 or simply Euro 2008, was the 13th UEFA European Championship, a quadrennial football tournament contested by the member nations of UEFA (the Union of European ...
. Klopp's term came to an end after the latter competition and he was succeeded by
Oliver Kahn Oliver Rolf Kahn (; born 15 June 1969) is a German football executive and former professional player who played as a goalkeeper. He started his career in the Karlsruher SC Junior team in 1975. Twelve years later, Kahn made his debut match in t ...
. During the
2010 World Cup The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for List of men's national association football teams, men's national Association football, football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010. ...
, Klopp worked with
RTL RTL may refer to: Media * RTL Group, a European TV, radio, and production company *** List of RTL Group's television stations (including part-owned channels) *** List of RTL Group's radio stations ** RTL Lëtzebuerg, usually referred to simply a ...
alongside
Günther Jauch Günther Johannes Jauch (; born 13 July 1956) is a German television presenter, television producer, and journalist, best known as the longtime host of ''Wer wird Millionär?'', the German version of ''Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?'' Career ...
, for which Klopp again won the award for the same category. Klopp has also appeared in the documentary films '' Trainer!'' (2013) and ''Und vorne hilft der liebe Gott'' (2016).


Political views

In an interview for ''The Guardian'' in April 2018, Klopp expressed his opposition to
Brexit Brexit (, a portmanteau of "Britain" and "Exit") was the Withdrawal from the European Union, withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU). Brexit officially took place at 23:00 GMT on 31 January 2020 (00:00 1 February ...
, saying that it "makes no sense" and advocating a second referendum. Politically, Klopp considers himself to be
left-wing Left-wing politics describes the range of Ideology#Political ideologies, political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy either as a whole or of certain social ...
. He told journalist
Raphael Honigstein Raphael Honigstein (born 1973) is a German journalist and author. Early life Honigstein was born in Bavaria to a Jewish family. In 1993, Honigstein moved from Munich to London. He studied law before becoming a journalist. Journalism career In the ...
:


Endorsements

Klopp's popularity is used in advertisements by, among others, Puma,
Opel Opel Automobile GmbH (), usually shortened to Opel, is a German automobile manufacturer which has been a subsidiary of Stellantis since 16 January 2021. It was owned by the American automaker General Motors from 1929 until 2017 and the PSA Gr ...
and the German cooperative banking group Volksbanken-Raiffeisenbanken. According to ''Horizont'', trade magazine for the German advertising industry, and the business weekly ''
Wirtschaftswoche ''Wirtschaftswoche'' is a German weekly business news magazine published in Germany. ''Wirtschaft'' means “economy” (including business), and ''Woche'' is “week”. History and profile For many years, ''Wirtschaftswoche'' was published ...
'', Klopp's role as "brand ambassador" for Opel successfully helped the struggling carmaker to increase sales. He is also an ambassador for the German
anti-racism Anti-racism encompasses a range of ideas and political actions which are meant to counter racial prejudice, systemic racism, and the oppression of specific racial groups. Anti-racism is usually structured around conscious efforts and deliberate ...
campaign ''"Respekt! Kein Platz für Rassismus"'' ("Respect! No room for racism") and featured in a video for the song ''Komm hol die Pille raus'' by children's song author Volker Rosin to encourage young football talents. Starting in 2019, Klopp became an ambassador for
Erdinger The Privatbrauerei Erdinger Weißbräu Werner Brombach GmbH (also known as Erdinger Weißbräu) is a brewery in Erding, Germany. Its best-known products are its namesake Weißbiers (wheat beer). History Erdinger is the world's largest wheat ...
, a German brewery best known for its wheat beers. Klopp featured in an advertising campaign for the beer, telling bartenders to "Never skim an Erdinger." After Liverpool's title win in 2020, the Brewery also produced a special limited edition series of cans featuring Klopp's face and autograph, which sold out quickly online. In 2020, he signed a personal endorsement deal with
Adidas Adidas AG (; stylized in all lowercase since 1949) is a German athletic apparel and footwear corporation headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, Germany. It is the largest sportswear manufacturer in Europe, and the second largest in the ...
, agreeing to become a brand ambassador and wearing their footwear in training sessions and future advertisements. In 2021 he appeared in an ad for
Snickers Snickers (stylized in all caps) is a chocolate bar consisting of nougat topped with Caramel#Candy, caramel and peanuts, all encased in milk chocolate. The bars are made by the American company Mars Inc. The annual global sales of Snickers is ...
. In October 2024, Trivago named Klopp as the face of their new global marketing campaign.


Career statistics


Managerial statistics


Honours

Mainz 05 *2. Bundesliga third-place promotion: 2003–04 2. Bundesliga, 2003–04 Borussia Dortmund *
Bundesliga The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany and the highest level of the German football league system. The Bundesliga comprises 18 teams ...
:
2010–11 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...
, 2011–12 Bundesliga, 2011–12 *
DFB-Pokal The DFB-Pokal (), also known as the German Cup in English language, English, is a German knockout Association football, football cup competition held annually by the German Football Association (DFB). Sixty-four teams participate in the competiti ...
: 2011–12 DFB-Pokal, 2011–12; runner-up: 2013–14 DFB-Pokal, 2013–14, 2014–15 DFB-Pokal, 2014–15 *DFL-Supercup: 2013 DFL-Supercup, 2013, 2014 DFL-Supercup, 2014 *
UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...
runner-up: 2012–13 UEFA Champions League, 2012–13 Liverpool *
Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
: 2019–20 Premier League, 2019–20 *
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
: 2021–22 FA Cup, 2021–22 *EFL Cup, Football League Cup/EFL Cup: 2021–22 EFL Cup, 2021–22, 2023–24 EFL Cup, 2023–24; runner-up: 2015–16 Football League Cup, 2015–16 *
FA Community Shield The Football Association Community Shield (formerly the Charity Shield) is Football in England, English football's annual match contested at Wembley Stadium between the champions of the previous Premier League season and the holders of the FA ...
: 2022 FA Community Shield, 2022 *UEFA Champions League: 2018–19 UEFA Champions League, 2018–19; runner-up: 2017–18 UEFA Champions League, 2017–18, 2021–22 UEFA Champions League, 2021–22 *UEFA Super Cup: 2019 UEFA Super Cup, 2019 *
FIFA Club World Cup The FIFA Club World Cup (FIFA CWC) is an international men's association football competition organised by the ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' (FIFA), the sport's global sports governing body, governing body. The compe ...
: 2019 FIFA Club World Cup, 2019 *
UEFA Europa League The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...
runner-up: 2015–16 UEFA Europa League, 2015–16 Individual *German Football Manager of the Year: 2011, 2012, 2019 *Vereinigung der Vertragsfußballspieler#Coach of the Season (2010–present), VDV Bundesliga Coach of the Season:
2010–11 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...
*
Deutscher Fernsehpreis The Deutscher Fernsehpreis (''German Television Award'') is an annual German award for television programming, created in 1999, by German television channels Das Erste, ZDF, RTL (German TV channel), RTL and Sat.1. It was created to be an equivalen ...
: 2006, 2010 *Onze d'Or#Coach of the Year, Onze d'Or Coach of the Year: 2019 *The Best FIFA Football Coach, The Best FIFA Men's Coach: The Best FIFA Football Awards 2019#The Best FIFA Men's Coach, 2019, The Best FIFA Football Awards 2020#The Best FIFA Men's Coach, 2020 *IFFHS World's Best Club Coach: 2019 *International Federation of Football History & Statistics, IFFHS Men's World Team: 2019 *World Soccer (magazine), World Soccer Awards World Manager of the Year: 2019 *Globe Soccer Awards#Best Player of the Year Award, Globe Soccer Awards Best Coach of the Year: 2019 *League Managers Association, LMA Hall of Fame: 2019 *League Managers Association Awards#LMA Manager of the Year, LMA Manager of the Year: 2019–20 Premier League#Annual awards, 2019–20, 2021–22 Premier League#Annual awards, 2021–22 *
Premier League Manager of the Season The Premier League Manager of the Season is an annual association football award presented to managers in England. It recognises the most outstanding manager in the Premier League each season. The recipient is chosen by a panel assembled by the le ...
: 2019–20 Premier League#Annual awards, 2019–20, 2021–22 Premier League#Annual awards, 2021–22 *
Premier League Manager of the Month The Premier League Manager of the Month is an association football award that recognises the best adjudged Premier League manager each month of the season. The winner is chosen by a combination of an online public vote, which contributes to ...
: 2016–17 Premier League#Monthly awards, September 2016, 2018–19 Premier League#Monthly awards, December 2018, March 2019, 2019–20 Premier League#Monthly awards, August 2019, September 2019, November 2019, December 2019, January 2020, 2020–21 Premier League#Monthly awards, May 2021, 2023–24 Premier League#Monthly awards, January 2024 *BBC Sports Personality of the Year Coach Award: 2020 *List of Freemen of the City of Liverpool, Freedom of the City of Liverpool: 2022 *Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany: 2024


See also

*List of English football championship-winning managers *List of European Cup and UEFA Champions League winning managers *List of UEFA Super Cup winning managers *List of FIFA Club World Cup winning managers *List of DFB-Pokal winning managers * List of FA Cup winning managers


Notes


References


External links


Profile
at the Liverpool F.C. website * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Klopp, Jurgen 1967 births Living people People from Freudenstadt (district) Footballers from Karlsruhe (region) Footballers from Stuttgart West German men's footballers German men's footballers Men's association football defenders Men's association football forwards 1. FC Pforzheim players Eintracht Frankfurt II players Rot-Weiss Frankfurt players 1. FSV Mainz 05 players Oberliga (football) players 2. Bundesliga players German football managers 1. FSV Mainz 05 managers Borussia Dortmund managers Liverpool F.C. managers 2. Bundesliga managers Bundesliga managers Premier League managers UEFA Champions League–winning managers German expatriate football managers Expatriate football managers in England German expatriate sportspeople in England German Protestants German Lutherans