New Germany head coach Jurgen Klopp has warned he will resign if the media crosses the line and invades his family’s privacy, delivering a blunt message during his first news conference immediately after taking charge.
The former Liverpool manager, appointed on a four-year contract to replace Julian Nagelsmann, wasted little time setting out his boundaries. “If you behave badly and don’t leave my family in peace, then I’ll be gone; I’ll just turn away,” Jurgen Klopp said.
“I know there are other countries where national team coaches are treated even worse. I’m not doing this job for myself, I’m doing it for you. I’m taking this job even though I’ve seen how you’ve treated Julian Nagelsmann and Thomas Tuchel. I love this job, but I am always ready to call it quits if need be.”
Klopp’s warning comes after both Nagelsmann and England boss Thomas Tuchel faced heavy criticism following their World Cup exits. Nagelsmann resigned after Germany’s shock last-32 defeat to Paraguay, while Tuchel came under fire for England’s semi-final loss to Argentina.
The 59-year-old insisted he accepted the Germany job because the timing felt right, describing it as the greatest honour of his coaching career. “Jürgen Klopp is not going to have any ‘career’ after the national team,” he said. “This is the pinnacle, the absolutely high point of my footballing career as coach. I will give everything I have got.”
Klopp has not managed since leaving Liverpool in the summer of 2024 after admitting he had “run out of energy”. He said becoming Germany coach had once seemed unimaginable but eventually felt like the natural next step.
“Over the last few days it was almost like a movie happening to myself,” Klopp said. “I have always surmised the job of Germany head coach is really big, but now it is really dawning on me what being the national team head coach is all about. For many, many years it was unimaginable for me to assume this position. As the years went by, it became more or less evident that sooner or later I would be asked to do this job. Now I think the time is right.”
Klopp’s first match in charge of Germany will be a UEFA Nations League group-stage fixture against the Netherlands on 24 September.
