Jürgen Klopp has threatened to walk away from his new role as Germany head coach if the media invades his family’s privacy, issuing an uncompromising warning at his first press conference. “If you behave badly and don’t leave my family in peace then I’ll be gone, I’ll just turn away,” the 59-year-old said. “I love this job but I am always ready to call it quits if need be.”
Klopp was appointed on a four-year deal on Friday to replace Julian Nagelsmann, who resigned after Germany’s shock World Cup defeat by Paraguay in the last 32. The former Liverpool manager, who ended his nine-year tenure at Anfield in summer 2024 after “running out of energy”, had most recently worked as head of global soccer for Red Bull since January 2025. His first game in charge will be a Nations League match against the Netherlands on 24 September.
“Jurgen Klopp threatens to quit as Germany head coach if media invade his family's privacy.”
Despite his warm words for the role – which he described as “the pinnacle, the absolutely high point of my footballing career as coach” – Klopp made clear he would not tolerate the treatment meted out to his predecessors. “I’m taking this job even though I’ve seen how you’ve treated Julian Nagelsmann and Thomas Tuchel,” he told journalists. “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.”
Klopp also expressed regret for poking fun at Nagelsmann while working as a television pundit during the World Cup. But he struck a more ambitious tone when discussing his vision, saying he wants his team to “change a country”. “I want people to say: ‘Wow, it was worth putting the TV on for 90 minutes to see Germany play,’” he said. “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.”
His contract runs until after the 2030 World Cup, co-hosted by Spain, Portugal and Morocco. But Klopp insisted this will be his final job in top-level football. “Jürgen Klopp is not going to have any career after the national team,” he said. “This is the absolutely high point … I will give everything I have got.”