Jürgen Klopp has been appointed Germany head coach, the German Football Association (DFB) announced on Friday, handing the former Liverpool manager the task of restoring one of international football’s most successful but struggling nations.
Klopp, whose appointment had been widely expected, has signed a contract running until the end of the 2030 World Cup, which will be co-hosted by Spain, Portugal and Morocco, along with centenary matches scheduled in South America.
The 59-year-old takes over following the resignation of Julian Nagelsmann earlier this month after Germany’s disappointing World Cup campaign ended in a shock round-of-32 defeat to Paraguay.
The elimination marked Germany’s third consecutive early World Cup exit since lifting the trophy in 2014.
Speaking at his unveiling in Frankfurt, Klopp described the role as the pinnacle of his career.
“It is a great honour for me to be sitting here today,” he said.
“This is ideally the high point of my career, of my life, my professional life. I will give it everything I have.”
In trademark fashion, he added: “If tomorrow you start saying, ‘He’s crap’, then I’m off.”
DFB president Bernd Neuendorf said Klopp’s contract begins on August 15 and runs until the summer of 2030.
Klopp had been serving as Red Bull’s Head of Global Soccer since 2025 under a contract due to expire in 2029. Neuendorf thanked the company for agreeing to release him early, saying the national team role required Klopp’s “full concentration.”
Rather than paying compensation, the DFB will donate €1 million ($1.1 million) to Red Bull’s Wings for Life foundation, which funds spinal cord research.
Task of rebuilding
Klopp returns to coaching despite previously insisting his managerial career was over.
Germany remain one of football’s traditional powerhouses, with four World Cup titles and three European Championships, but have endured a prolonged decline.
Since reaching the semi-finals of Euro 2016, Germany have won only one knockout match across three World Cups and two European Championships.
Klopp arrives with an outstanding club résumé, having previously managed Mainz and Borussia Dortmund before enjoying a trophy-laden spell at Liverpool.
During nearly nine years at Anfield, he won the Premier League to end Liverpool’s 30-year title drought, lifted the Champions League and completed the full set of major domestic and international honours.
Klopp will work alongside sporting director Rudi Völler, the 1990 World Cup winner who has held the role since 2023.
Among his immediate priorities will be building a new-look Germany around attacking stars Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala, while managing the transition from an ageing core that includes captain Joshua Kimmich and veteran goalkeeper Manuel Neuer.
Klopp is expected to name his first Germany squad in mid-September ahead of four UEFA Nations League fixtures, beginning with a clash against the Netherlands on September 24.
AFP
