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Tue 29 December 2020 | 12:30

Jurgen Klopp Biography

As one of the best football coaches in the world, the charismatic German manager of Liverpool club has an exciting life story. Stay tuned to read the article of Jurgen Klopp Biography.

Born on 16 June 1967, Jurgen Klopp is a former football player and a current professional football coach, who serves at Liverpool, a great club in the English Premier League. In his career, the German has been tried out at different positions like Right back, but most of the times he has played as a striker. Klopp retired as the record holder of goal scoring in the history of Mainz 05. Jurgen Klopp did not find the opportunity of playing for the Germany national team at all. However, as a manager, almost every German individual hopes to see him sitting on the Mannschaft bench to manage their national team.

Jurgen Klopp began playing for local club SV Glatten as a junior player. Then he played for TuS Ergenzingen, 1. FC Pforzheim, Eintracht Frankfurt II, Viktoria Sindlingen, and Rot-Weiss Frankfurt. While playing as an amateur footballer, Klopp worked a number of part-time jobs. He also spent some periods in his life, doing several works altogether at a same time.

In 1990, Jurgen Klopp found the suitable place to play in. He joined Mainz 05 and experienced the most extended part of his playing career there. At the mid time of his spell at Mainz 05, Klopp started to be deployed as a defender, unlike his previous background of being a striker. Finally, in the early 2000s, the popular Mainz 05 player decided to retire from football. For such a thoughtful player who loved to become a football manager, nowhere was better than his beloved club to start this chapter of the professional life. Stay tuned to read more exciting points about

Jurgen Klopp life story

.

Jurgen Klopp nationality

is German and in 1990, he played his first competitive match for Mainz 05. He was never part of a Bundesliga 1 match as a player. Mainz in those days were only fighting to remain in the German second tier and rescue themselves from relegation. In 2001, then recently retired Jurgen Klopp was appointed as the club’s manager, as a replacement of Eckhard Krautzun, who was sacked previously. This was the beginning of an exciting story, describing Jurgen Klopp glorious managerial career.

Jurgen Klopp had a remarkable effect as the Mainz 05 head coach, as he brought about the first ever promotion to the Bundesliga 1 for the club. After Mainz 05, Klopp moved to Borussia Dortmund and made his own mark there, winning the League title and reaching the UEFA Champions League final.

He left Dortmund in June 2015, and signed for Liverpool four months later. His side is competing for the second trophy in both UEFA Champions League and Premier League in the Klopp era, as they have won these two titles, respectively in 2018 and 2019. Klopp has been named the best FIFA men’s coach of the year in both of the last two years.

All You Need to Know About Jurgen Klopp Bio

Jurgen Klopp has played in different positions such as striker, attacking midfielder, and defender. Did you ever know that Klopp has experienced relegation in one of the Europe’s best five leagues? Although he promoted with Mainz 05 to Bundesliga 1 for the first time in the club’s history, the separation of Klopp and Mainz 05 came one season after the club’s return to the German second tier.

After Mainz 05, Klopp did his best at Borussia Dortmund. He committed the youngest defensive pair in the Bundesliga 1, including the 20-years old Mats Hummels, and Neven Subotic. Indeed, Klopp was a master of fulfilling fans’ hopes and ambitions in any club. Having made Mainz 05’s first promotion to top flight ever, Klopp gave Dortmund fans their first Bundesliga title in nearly a decade in 2010-11.

Klopp resumed that trend by leading Borussia Dortmund to their first domestic double in club history the next season. His latest chapter of being a football manager has not been an exception to him. That was with Jurgen Klopp which Liverpool celebrated their first ever Premier League title, and the end of a 30-year drought at the club.

Jurgen Klopp Information

In this section of Jurgen Klopp biography, you can find some general information about Jurgen Klopp listed down here.

Jurgen Klopp Bio

  •     Full Name: Jürgen Norbert Klopp

  •     Nickname: Kloppo – The Normal One

  •     Profession: Professional Football Manager

Jurgen Klopp Physical Stats

  •     Weight: 83 Kilograms

  •     Height: 1.93 Meters

  •     Eye Color: Blue with a hint of green

  •     Hair Color: Blonde

Jurgen Klopp Football Information

  •     Position: Striker, Attacking Midfielder, Defender

  •     Jersey Number: 4

  •     Professional Debut: 1987

Jurgen Klopp Date of Birth and Personal Info

  •     Date of Birth: 16 June 1967

  •     Birth Place: Stuttgart, West Germany

  •     Zodiac Sign: Gemini

  •     Nationality: German

Related Article: 

Greatest Jurgen Klopp Quotes, a complete collection

Jurgen Klopp Early Life

Jurgen Klopp was born in Stuttgart, the state capital of Baden-Württemberg in West Germany to Elisabeth and Norbert Klopp.

Jurgen Klopp childhood

was spent in the countryside in the Black Forest village of Glatten near Freudenstadt. From 1973 to 1983, he gained his first footballing experience at SV Glatten, after which he moved to TuS Ergenzingen.

His next team was at 1. FC Pforzheim and then he played at three Frankfurt clubs, Eintracht Frankfurt II, Viktoria Sindlingen and Rot-Weiss Frankfurt. As a young boy, Klopp wished to become a doctor, but he did not believe he was capable of doing that kind of career.

Jurgen Klopp Profile

In the summer of 1990, Klopp was signed by Mainz 05. He spent most of his professional career in Mainz, from 1990 to 2001, while his attitude had made him a popular player. Previously known as a striker, Klopp began playing as a defender in 1995. That same year, Klopp got a diploma in sports science at the Goethe University of Frankfurt, which is equivalent to Master of Science degree. Klopp’s thesis was written about walking.

Jurgen Klopp retired from professional football, as Mainz 05's record goal scorer, registering 56 goals in total. Later, his record was broken, and Klopp currently is considered as the club’s 3rd top goal scorer in the history.

After retirement from playing for Mainz 05 in 2. Bundesliga, Klopp was appointed as the club's manager on 27 February 2001 following the sack of Eckhard Krautzun, and the next day, he took charge of Mainz 05 first match, which finished with a 1-0 win against MSV Duisburg. Klopp spent his first months at Mainz 05 in the most wonderful way, as he led the club to six wins in his first seven games in charge. This helped Mainz 05 finish the season in 14th place and avoid relegation.

In his first and second full seasons in charge, Klopp guided Mainz to finish 4th in the league, narrowly missing promotion. After two seasons, Klopp led Mainz to a third place finish in the 2003–04 season, securing promotion to the Bundesliga for the first time in the club's history.

Despite being unable of financially competing with other clubs and having the smallest stadium in the league, Mainz finished 11th in their first top-flight season in 2004–05. They finished 11th again in 2005–06 and were qualified for the 2005–06 UEFA Cup. At the end of the 2006–07 season, Mainz 05 were relegated, but Klopp remained at the club. However, failing to promote the next year, Klopp resigned at the end of the 2007–08 season.

Style of Play

We all agree that Jurgen Klopp managerial aspect is more important than his playing background, and so in this part of 

Jurgen Klopp biography

, we take a look at his teams’ style of play.

Jurgen Klopp teams are often remembered with some similar key words: Gegenpressing – Heavy Metal Football – Fast-paced Football.  Klopp teams prefer to pressure their opponents into making a mistake high up the pitch and then, rapidly regain possession and score a goal without even giving the rival player the time to blink.

The term 'Gegenpress' – meaning 'counter-press' – is also associated with Klopp and covers his idea of 'heavy metal football'. This means that if you immediately lose the ball, you have to win it back instantly. This strategy needs great running and intense focus. The defensive line has to play high and the players must organise in a way that helps them regain possession of the ball.

Reception

As well as a tactician, Klopp is also regarded as a motivator. His Liverpool player Roberto Firmino says: "He motivates us in a different way every day". Guardiola has also praised Klopp as a "huge motivator". In 2019, the chief executive of the League Managers Association (LMA) said that Klopp had 'redefined man-management' in the modern era.

Journalsits and writers describe the German manager in the same way. Klopp was described by Jonathan Wilson of The Guardian as "a hugely charismatic figure who inspires players with his personality", while Vincent Hogan of the Irish Independent writes, "Not since Bill Shankly have Liverpool had a manager of such charisma".

Goal Celebration

Klopp acts alongside the pitch has been under attention of fans and the media. One of the most controversial of his figures is his enthusiastic reactions and celebrations after his teams scoring goals. He was criticized in 2018 for taking things 'too far' when running on to the pitch to celebrate a late winner in the Merseyside Derby with Alisson Becker. Despite the criticism, Pep Guardiola spoke in defence of Klopp, saying: "I did it against Southampton. There are a lot of emotions there in those moments".

Jurgen Klopp Outside Football

Klopp's popularity is used in advertisements by different companies. He has starred in TV adverts for Nivea Men, Opel, Puma, Volksbanken-Raiffeisenbanken, and Philips Electronics. According to some German sources, Klopp's role as "brand ambassador" for Opel successfully helped the struggling company to increase sales. He is also an ambassador for the German anti-racism campaign "Respekt! Kein Platz für Rassismus" ("Respect! No room for racism").

In 2005, Klopp served as a regular expert commentator on the German television network ZDF, analysing the Germany national team. He worked as a match analyst during the 2006 World Cup, and the 2008 European Championship. In October 2006, Klopp received the Deutscher Fernsehpreis for "Best Sports Show". After Euro 2008, Klopp was succeeded by Oliver Kahn. During the 2010 World Cup, Klopp worked with RTL, and again won the award for the same category.

Politically, Klopp considers himself to be left-wing. He told journalist Raphael Honigstein:

"I'm on the left, of course. More left than middle. I believe in the welfare state. I'm not privately insured. I would never vote for a party because they promised to lower the top tax rate. My political understanding is this: if I am doing well, I want others to do well, too. If there's something I will never do in my life it is vote for the right".

Jurgen Klopp Personal Life

Klopp is also a supporter of The Beatles, Genesis, and Kiss music bands.  Celtic, as he is a fan of Everton. His favorite player in the world football is the recently passed away Diego Armando Maradona. Among types of Alcoholic beverages, Jurgen Klopp prefers Beer. We should also note that

Jurgen Klopp religion

is Christianity.

Family, Children and Relationships

Jurgen Klopp was born in Stuttgart to Elisabeth and Norbert Klopp. He grew up with two older sisters. Her names are Isolde Reich, and Stefanie Klopp.

Jurgen Klopp met his first wife Sabine, while he was a professional player at Mainz 05. They broke up shortly after the marriage and he started his managerial career in 2001. During the course of their marriage, Sabine gave birth to a son, Marc.

Klopp met his second wife Ulla Sandrock at the Oktoberfest festival in 2005, while serving as the Mainz 05 manager. She was working as a waitress at the local club. What he found lovable about her was that she wasn’t a football fan and had no idea who he was. They got married in December 2005. Ulla has a son, Dennis from her previous marriage.

Philanthropy

Outside football, Klopp is considered as a guy with a good heart, who cares about society in general. He has made significant donations towards charities and fundraising events in the past and continues to do so.

In September 2019, Klopp announced his membership at the Common Goal charity family. The charity was launched by Spain international and Manchester United midfielder Juan Mata. In this charity, footballers and coaches donate 1% of their annual salary towards various football charities around the world.

In October 2019, the Liverpool manager donated £10,000 (approx 235k Rands) to a South African Children's Football Charity.

Klopp made a contribution of about £4,400 to the Sean Cox fundraiser. Sean Cox is an Irish Liverpool fan who was viciously attacked by a group of AS Roma fans before the Liverpool's Champions League semi-final first leg at Anfield in April 2018.

Klopp made a £4,000 donation to the Michael Edwards' Men in Lycra Just Giving Page. The page was launched by the Liverpool sporting director Edwards, who then ran a half marathon in support of the aid of Prostate Cancer in the UK.

Legal Issues

As you have predicted, there is no report of legal issues belonging to such a popular and positive character.

Jurgen Klopp Career Statistics

These days, Jurgen Klopp is fighting for the repeat of some successful moments with Liverpool. In this part of Jurgen Klopp biography, we look at his career statistics.

Club

While playing for Mainz 05, Jurgen Klopp made 340 appearances in competitive matches during eleven consecutive seasons. As mentioned above, Klopp finished his football career as then Mainz 05 top scorer. He registered to score 56 goals for the club in total.

Now it is time to go over the managerial statistics of The Normal One. Jurgen Klopp spent a period of eight seasons on the Mainz 05 bench. He was in charge of the club in 270 matches, 109 of them were victorious. The winning ratio for Klopp raised to 56 percent at Borussia Dortmund, where he managed the team 316 times and won 177 matches in all competitions. Finally, at Liverpool, Jurgen Klopp has managed 289 times during last five years. Kloppo has led the Reds to win 174 matches in this period, means a 60.2 percent of winning games.

International

Jurgen Klopp has no international experience neither as a player nor as a manager. There are gossips around him about replacing Joachim Lowe as the manager of Mannschaft, but Klopp is still in contract with the Premier League giants, Liverpool.

Jurgen Klopp Honors

One of the most noteworthy of Jurgen Klopp honors is his 2. Bundesliga promotion with Mainz 05 in the 2003-04 season. At Borussia Dortmund he won back to back Bundesliga titles between 2010 and 2012. A single trophy in both DFB Pokal and DFL Super Cup, besides reaching the final match of the 2012-13 UEFA Champions League, are the most colorful points of Klopp at Borussia Dortmund.

Klopp at Liverpool has won the Premier League in the 2019-20 season and his side are the league current title defenders. They reached the UEFA Champions League final in two consecutive seasons, winning the title in the 2018-19 season. Klopp’s Liverpool also won the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup in 2019.

In case of individual awards, Jurgen Klopp has been named the German football manager of the year three times, in 2011, 2012, and 2019. He is the two-time winner of The Best FIFA Men’s Coach, having won the award in 2019 and 2020. IFFHS World's Best Club Coach in 2019 and Premier League Manager of the Season in 2019-20 are two of many, among Jurgen Klopp individual honors. 

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