Jurgen Klopp appointed as Germany coach until 2030, says ‘football can change a country’

Jurgen Klopp has said his ambition to ‘change a country’ after being officially unveiled as Germany’s new national team manager. However, he also issued a firm warning that he would walk away from the role if media scrutiny crossed the line and affected his family. Speaking during his first press conference as the successor to Julian Nagelsmann, Klopp described the Germany job as the pinnacle of his coaching career and suggested it would likely be his final position in top-level football. He also expressed regret over comments he made about Nagelsmann while working as a television pundit during the FIFA World Cup 2026.

Germany enter a new era under Klopp after a disappointing tournament that ended with a last-32 defeat to Paraguay, extending a run of underwhelming performances since lifting the FIFA World Cup in 2014. The appointment marks Klopp’s return to coaching two years after leaving Liverpool, where he concluded a memorable nine-year spell, citing exhaustion as the reason for stepping down. Since January 2025, he has served as Red Bull’s head of global soccer, but speculation over a return to management intensified after Nagelsmann departed on 3 July.

Klopp said his biggest objective is to rebuild the connection between Germany’s national team and its supporters, drawing on his experience of uniting fans during his time at Liverpool. “I want to create a situation where fans go home after the game and say, ‘Wow, that was cool,’” he said. “I want people to say, ‘Wow, it was worth putting the TV on for 90 minutes to see Germany play.’ I’ve lived and experienced how football can change a city. And I think it’s not only about cities, it’s also about the country. Ideally, football can change a country.”

The 59-year-old has signed a contract through the 2030 FIFA World Cup but made it clear he expects respect for his family’s privacy throughout his tenure. “I’m taking this job even though I’ve seen how you treated Nagelsmann,” he said. “I’m taking this job even though I’ve seen how you’ve treated, in England, Thomas Tuchel. The day you don’t want me any more, I’m gone, without any severance pay. If you say tomorrow: ‘He’s shit,’ tell me to my face and I’m out. If you behave badly and don’t leave my family in peace, I’m gone, I’ll just turn away.

“Criticise me if something doesn’t work. Jurgen Klopp is not going to have any career after the national team. This is the pinnacle of my career as a coach. I will give it everything I’ve got.” Klopp also revisited a controversial joke made during television coverage of Germany’s World Cup group-stage match against Curacao alongside former international Thomas Müller. At the time, he said that Nagelsmann was ‘still’ selecting the team, a comment that drew criticism after his appointment.

He admitted the joke was a mistake and revealed he has not spoken with Nagelsmann since taking over, while wishing his predecessor well. “We haven’t had any exchange,” he said, wishing Nagelsmann a happy 39th birthday for Thursday. “It was a joke. In retrospect it was one of the worst ‘funny’ remarks I have ever made. I feel awfully sorry, I’ve apologised a million times.

It was just a rash thing to say, with no ulterior motive whatsoever, and I can only wish him the best. Now he can go on to pastures new and I’m absolutely sure he will have many opportunities to coach a big team in future.”

Discussing his football philosophy, Klopp said Germany would focus on an attacking style built around pace and intensity while accepting the nation currently lacks the individual talent depth of some of Europe’s leading teams. “Success is performance relative to expectations,” he said. “When we ask in Germany, ‘Are we as good as France?’ and the answer is no, that’s not true. If we ask, ‘Do we have players like Dembele, Mbappe, Doue and Barcola?’, no we don’t, but we can still beat them.”

“We don’t want to play like Argentina, Spain, England or France. We want to do it the German way, very intense. Are we the no 1 team right now? No, we accept that. There are 11 teams ahead of us in the ranking. We can beat them, but for this to happen we need to play very good, very intense football.”

Klopp’s first assignment will be a high-profile Nations League clash against the Netherlands in Amsterdam on 24 September, the opening fixture in a demanding run of four matches across just 11 days.