Humorous and self-deprecating: Jürgen Klopp plays the entertainer at the coaching congress in Würzburg. But the 57-year-old can do more than just be funny and reveals that he currently believes he will never work as a coach again.
31.07.2024, 17:37
01.08.2024, 15:12
dpa
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- Jürgen Klopp surprises at the coaches' congress in Würzburg with the statement that he may never work as a coach again.
- With a little side-swipe against Bayern, Klopp causes great laughter.
- Klopp has words of praise for national coach Julian Nagelsmann, but prefers not to say anything about the English.
At the end of his pointed speech, Jürgen Klopp also took a swipe at FC Bayern. In typical Kloppo style, when the privateer in shorts and unbuttoned shirt had long since ruled out a possible job as England's national team coach, he first jokingly called for his lawyer when asked about a possible engagement with the German record champions.
"I've already coached the best clubs in the world. That statement alone doesn't make it likely that I'll get another Bayern offer," said the 57-year-old to laughter from the audience of around 1,000 at the International Coaching Congress in Würzburg. He himself laughed out loud.
No calls from the team doctor
The joking Klopp fitted perfectly into the image of a completely relaxed man who, after almost nine years with the great Liverpool FC, needs many things, but not a new coaching job. For the time after the one-year break, he announced: "I will do something. I'm too young to just do padel tennis and grandchildren. Will that be coaching again? I would actually rule that out at the moment."
For Klopp, life without a training ground and scheduling obligations feels good and liberating. "I do quite a lot of sport. I take care of my family and grandchildren a lot. The biggest difference is: now I'm here 100 percent. If I had a job, I would react uneasily to the buzzing of my cell phone - because it would probably be the team doctor," said Klopp.
Klopp as a star among coaches
The break is just beginning for Klopp. "I haven't even really started my vacation yet," said the coach. During the witty 60-minute question-and-answer session, Klopp was full of jokes. When the star coach entered the festive hall at the end of the three-day congress, the coaches' cell phones went up in rows for photos and videos. By his own admission, Klopp has not given an interview for three months - and this is likely to continue for the time being.
From the podium, where Klopp sat with a tanned complexion and crossed legs, the star guest comfortably distributed greetings and messages in all directions. The sentence "I don't like creating headlines" from the opening statement did not have much of a half-life in the intimate forum of coaches, who listened almost reverently and sometimes with great amusement.
World Cup 2026 planned as a fan
Klopp described himself as a "record silver medal holder" in Champions League finals and very clearly turned down a possible job as England's national team coach. When asked what inquiries his advisor Marc Kosicke was currently forwarding to him, Klopp replied: "Nothing at all. Nothing in terms of a job. No club, no country. A few people must not have heard that part." And the Three Lions? "It would be the biggest loss of face in the history of football to say I'm making an exception for you."
Klopp was even talking about the 2026 World Cup, but not about how he would drive a team from the touchline in the USA, Mexico and Canada. But rather about how he sees himself as a fan of the German team led by national coach Julian Nagelsmann. "I loved how Julian said that we would be world champions in two years' time. I got out of my chair and said: We're going to be world champions in two years and I'm going to watch it," said Klopp.
Ironic praise for England
He had no such praise for England, who finished second in the European Championships and are looking for a successor following the resignation of Gareth Southgate. "No comment on England, because the press is sitting here," said Klopp, jokingly referring to the Daily Mail, which must have made the long journey to Franconia.
He then added ironically about the largely lackluster performances of Harry Kane and Co: "They did a great job." After a panel discussion with colleagues such as Belgium's national team coach Domenico Tedesco and his close friend David Wagner, the star guest, who received much applause, wanted to leave for the airport. Klopp is on vacation.
