Childhood & Early Life
Jürgen Norbert Klopp was born on June 16, 1967, in Stuttgart, the capital of Baden-Württemberg. He grew up in the Black Forest village, in Glatten. His father, Norbert Klopp, sold dowels, and wall fixtures, for a living. Klopp has two elder sisters. Klopp’s father was an active sportsman in his early days. He imparted thorough physical training to his son too. As a boy, Klopp played skiing in winter, tennis in summer, and football throughout the year.
Klopp played for the ‘TuS Ergenzingen,’ as a junior player. Later, he played for the ‘1. FC Pforzheim.’ During his teenage years, Klopp played for three football clubs from Frankfurt, the ‘Eintracht Frankfurt II,’ the ‘Viktoria Sindlingen,’ and the ‘Rot-Weiss Frankfurt.’ In 1995, he received a diploma in sports science, from the ‘Goethe University of Frankfurt.’
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Career
In 1990, Jürgen Klopp was signed by the German football club, ‘Mainz 05,’ as a player. He played as a striker in the early days. In 1995, he started playing as a defender. Klopp scored a total of 52 league goals during his career with the ‘Mainz 05.’ Klopp was a professional football player till 2001. Klopp started his coaching career, even while he was a player. In 1998, Klopp while Klopp was playing for the ‘Eintracht Frankfurt,’ he provided coaching to the ‘Frankfurt D-Juniors.’
In February 2001, Klopp retired as a player, from the ‘Mainz 05,’ and was appointed as their coach. In his first match as a coach, Klopp secured the victory of his team, over the ‘MSV Duisburg.’ Klopp served as a coach for the ‘Mainz 05,’ for seven years. During his tenure, the team made their first appearance at the ‘Bundesliga’ matches. They also qualified for the ‘2005-06 UEFA Cup.’ In 2008, Klopp resigned from the ‘Mainz 05.’ He was the longest serving manager of the team. Klopp recorded 109 wins, 78 draws, and 83 losses, at the time of his resignation.
In 2008, Jürgen Klopp was appointed as the manager of the ‘Borussia Dortmund.’ The team was in a dismal form at the time of his joining. During his first year with the ‘Dortmund,’ Klopp led them to a win in the ‘DFB-Supercup,’ defeating the champions, ‘Bayern Munich.’ Under Klopp’s leadership, the ‘Dortmund’ won the ‘Bundesliga’ title, in 2010-11, and 2011-12 seasons.
During the 2011-12 season, the ‘Dortmund’ scored 81 points in the ‘Bundesliga’ matches, which was the highest score in ‘Bundesliga’ history. In 2012, they won the ‘DFB-Pokal Final,’ by defeating ‘Bayern Munich.’ This was the first domestic double win, in the history of ‘Dortmund.’ Klopp won the ‘German Football Manager of the Year’ award in two consecutive years, 2011, and 2012.
In the 2012-13 season, the performance of ‘Dortmund’ went down. They lost the ‘2012 German Super Cup.’ They finished in second position in the ‘Bundesliga’ matches. In the 2013-14 season, a monetary penalty was imposed on Klopp, for his rude behavior to the referee. The ‘Dortmund’ officials supported Klopp, and maintained that there was no reason for imposing the penalty. The team finished in second position, in the 2013-14 ‘Bundesliga’ matches. They won the ‘German Super Cup,’ and reached the quarter final of the ‘Champions League.’
In the 2014-15 season, the ‘Dortmund’ won the ‘German Super Cup.’ In 2005, Klopp resigned from the post of manager. His last match with the team was the ‘2015 DFB-Pokal Final,’ in which they lost to the ‘VfL Wolfsburg.’ Klopp left ‘Dortmund’ with a record of 179 wins, 69 draws, and 70 losses.
In October 2015, Jürgen Klopp was appointed as the manager of the ‘Liverpool Football Club.’ In his first match with the team, they scored a draw against the ‘Tottenham Hotspur.’ He scored his first ‘Premier League’ win against the ‘Chelsea.’ In 2016, ‘Liverpool’ secured a position in the quarter-final of the ‘UEFA Europa League,’ by defeating the ‘Manchester United.’ In the quarter-final, they defeated the ‘Borussia Dortmund.’ ‘Liverpool’ qualified for the finals, by defeating the ‘Villarreal,’ in the semi-finals. In the finals, they lost to ‘Sevilla,’ in a 1-3 score.
In 2016, Klopp signed for a six-year extension of his contract with the ‘Liverpool.’ In the 2016-17 ‘Premier League’ matches, ‘Liverpool’ finished in the fourth position, and qualified for the ‘Champions League.’ In May 2018, they qualified for the ‘2018 UEFA Champions League Finals,’ by defeating the ‘Roma.’ In the final, they lost 3-1, to ‘Real Madrid.’
Klopp has made appearances on TV shows. In 2005, he appeared on the German TV network, ‘ZDF,’ for giving expert comments on the German ‘National Football Team.’ During the ‘2006 FIFA World Cup’ matches, Klopp appeared as match analyst, and received the ‘Deutscher Fernsehpreis’ award, for the best sports show. During the ‘2010 FIFA World Cup,’ Klopp worked for the ‘RTL’ network. Klopp has appeared in several commercials, for brands such as ‘Puma,’ and ‘Opel.’ He is the brand ambassador for the German automobile company, Opel.’
Personal Life
Jürgen Klopp has married twice. He was previously married to Sabine Heinrich. The couple have a son, Marc, who is also a professional football player. In December 2005, Klopp married Ulla Sandrock, who is an author, and social worker.
Klopp is a Protestant Christian. He has been open about his faith, and has stated that Jesus has an important role in his life. He is an ambassador for the German anti-racism campaign, ‘Respekt! Kein Platz fur Rassismus,’ which means ‘Respect, no room for racism.’
Trivia
Jürgen Klopp has revealed that the strict training from his father helped him become a good coach. His father always asked for perfection, and Klopp acquired this trait from him. As a manager, Klopp demands the best from his players.
In his first interview after being appointed as the manager of ‘Liverpool,’ Klopp presented himself as the ‘normal one.’ This was a reference, in jest, to the statement by the ‘Manchester United’ coach, Jose Mourinho, that he was the ‘special one.’
