Soccer
10 unforgettable quotes from Jürgen Klopp
Before 'The normal one' starts his new job as Head of Global Soccer at Red Bulll in January 2025, we take a look back at some legendary speeches from the Champions League-winning coach.
Jürgen Klopp is back! Not as a coach, but as Head of Global Soccer at Red Bull. On New Year's Day the coaching legend enters a new era after more than 23 years in the football coaching business. During his time at Mainz, Dortmund and Liverpool, he not only rose to become one of the most successful coaches in world football, but also one of the most popular.
Above all, Klopp built a monument to himself at Liverpool's venerable Anfield Road in Liverpool. Starting out as 'The normal one', the 57-year-old won the Champions League, the Premier League and several national cup titles with the Reds. Thanks to his successes, but also his likeable and infectiously positive manner, Klopp will always be remembered as a great coach – and for some of classic quote he unleashed on the football world week after week. Here are the 11 best.
The motivation master
Klopp's motivational abilities are about to be canned in his new role
© Alex Gottschalk/DeFodi Images via Getty Image
If you bottle my motivation, you'll go to jail for selling it
One of Klopp's great strengths has always been his ability to motivate his teams to the very top of their game. For his new job, however, he'll soon no longer be bottling his motivation, rather canning it!
Washing machines and tumble dryers
It's like so many things in life: if the washing machine breaks down, the next day the tumble dryer is also f****d - and then the TV gives up the ghost.
Klopp's success at Dortmund marked him out as one of the great managers
© Christof Koepsel/Bongarts/Getty Images
That's what Jürgen Klopp said as Borussia Dortmund coach about the plight of injuries at the time. It was precisely during these difficult phases that Klopp developed into the coaching legend he is today. As he once said: "Everyone has a good day. But on a bad day, you have to be able to. That's what you live for as a sportsman, you have to defend yourself."
Nerves, what nerves?
I was only nervous before my A-levels. But I was really badly prepared then
Outside of that educational slip, Klopp is always well prepared. After the announcement of his new position in October, he still has a couple of months to go before his new challenge in the Red Bull family. He'll be officially presented at a press conference in mid-January and then it's time to get to work – and maybe we'll hear some more unforgettable lines right away.
The 'Pöhler' was certainly at one with the Dortmund team and fans
© Ralf Ibing - firo sportphoto/Getty Images
From the life of the Pöhler
If by calm I meant that I didn't hit the fourth official with my cap - then I was calm
Klopp and calm? No way. It was not for nothing that he wore a cap labelled 'Pöhler' during his time at BVB. The ace coach was always passionate about his work and, for him, this included showing and letting out his emotions on and off the pitch in his very own, special Kloppo style.
No full trousers
We don't play with full trousers. I just checked again
Mainz were the underdogs, but Klopp made them a real force
© Alexander Heimann/Bongarts/Getty Images
During his first coaching stint in Mainz, Klopp and his team were often the underdogs, but he was never afraid of big opponents like, in this case, Bayern Munich, which he proved with this slogan.
No wish concerts
It's not a wish concert
Jürgen Klopp uttered this legendary phrase after Liverpool FC lost against historic rivals Manchester United and with his typical humour, he got a laugh out of it. When Klopp is on the mic, it never gets boring and is always authentic.
Where's my glasses?
Klopp's glasses were almost as famous as the man himself
© Athena Pictures/Getty Images
I usually have a second pair of glasses, but I haven't been able to find them yet because it's pretty hard to find glasses without them
This quote was an unforgettable reaction following a goal celebration as Liverpool coach in which his glasses broke. It's not often that Klopp doesn't have everything in his sight.
Stories from the world of neurosurgery
A football coach is perceived in a way that makes you doubt people's intelligence. I recently met one of the world's best neurosurgeons. His light bulb is definitely 80 percent brighter than mine when it comes to intelligence. And what happened? He started stuttering because suddenly this guy from Liverpool FC was standing in front of him
This is Klopp, as we know him: down on earth and always with a pinch of humour. But let's be honest, how would you react if Jürgen Klopp suddenly stood in front of you? We fully understand the neurosurgeon. Regardless of IQ, it's definitely something special to meet Klopp in person.
Klopp created an incredible aura around Liverpool FC
© James Baylis - AMA/Getty Images
No more bench warming
It's very unlikely that I'll still be sitting on the bench in my mid-60s. Instead, sitting on another bench in good health is more likely to be the goal. And if Mainz, Dortmund and Liverpool were only three clubs in the end, they were definitely three great ones
Jürgen Klopp is now putting these words into action. From January 1, he will be at home in the Red Bull football family for the next few years – not on the coaching bench, but in an exciting new role in which he'll enrich Red Bull's football clubs around the world with his expertise, experience and style.
Out of energy
Klopp bid farewell to Liverpool at the end of the 2023–24 season
© John Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images
I am running out of energy
These were the words Jürgen Klopp used to explain his premature departure from Liverpool FC, where he was originally under contract until the summer of 2026. He was running out of energy. Now comes the perfect next step to replenish this energy.