Jurgen Klopp — Legendary German football manager who led Mainz, Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool to major success, winning the Premier League and Champions League with Liverpool. Now Head of Global Soccer at Red Bull.
The gist
Klopp traces his philosophy back to his confident, demanding father and caring mother, and explains why he treats every player as an individual rather than applying identical rules to all. He breaks down how he turned dysfunctional clubs around at Mainz, Dortmund and Liverpool by building belief, stability and a culture of total effort ('heavy metal football'). He discusses turning down Manchester United twice, why he chose Liverpool's 'football project', dealing with near-misses and defeats, and the emotional toll of losing Diogo Jota. He closes on why he left Liverpool (energy and the need for a break), his faith, his mother's dementia, and why he does not currently miss coaching.
Big reveals
- Says it is 'possible' he could return to manage Liverpool again one day, though only Liverpool in England.
- Reveals he turned down Manchester United, not the other way around, because it 'wasn't my project' and the conversation centered on buying big names like Pogba/Ronaldo.
- Says he wanted to be Mike Gordon's friend after their first talk, which sealed the Liverpool move over United.
- Implies Diogo Jota's death was the 'one specific moment' that changed Liverpool's entire 450m transfer window.
- Explains he left Liverpool because he no longer had the energy to be the 'energy giver' the job demands, not because the team needed rebuilding.
- Admits that as a player he told a manager (Krautzun) to his face the squad no longer trusted him, leading to the sacking.
- Reveals he could not attend his mother's funeral due to pandemic travel restrictions and attended online, one of the saddest experiences of his life.
Things worth remembering
- Klopp became a father in December 1988 at age 20, which he calls the night he became an adult.
- In his first seven games as Mainz manager he won six and drew one, keeping the club in the league.
- Bartlett reveals his own first podcast episode had fewer than 100 listeners (around 40).
- Research from Liverpool University claims wearing Vivobarefoot shoes for six months can increase foot strength by up to 60%.
- Klopp notes he has lost more Champions League finals than most people ever play in.
- Credits Arne Slot's title win to the wisdom of 'not changing much' after inheriting a strong squad.
- Stresses Liverpool also built three stands and a training ground during his tenure, not just spent on transfers.
- Says respect for the gardeners and kitchen staff was the foundation of the team's togetherness and success.
- Quit going to Sunday church as a boy after one game because it clashed with football, deciding 'God cannot be that hard'.
- Now 58, says he is 'halfway through 116' and wants to travel and do well for Red Bull rather than rush back to coaching.