Jurgen Klopp, 59, has been officially appointed as the new head coach of the German national football team, which suffered early exits in three consecutive World Cup tournaments. [KH DB]
Jurgen Klopp, 59, has been officially appointed as the new head coach of the German national football team, which suffered early exits in three consecutive World Cup tournaments. [KH DB]

Jurgen Klopp, 59, has been officially appointed as the new head coach of the German national football team, which has suffered early exits in three consecutive World Cup tournaments.

DFB President Bernd Neuendorf held a press conference Friday and announced that the supervisory board had voted unanimously to appoint Klopp. His contract runs from Aug. 15 through the 2030 World Cup, which Spain, Portugal and Morocco will co-host.

The DFB began negotiations with Klopp after terminating Julian Nagelsmann's contract early last month, following Germany's elimination by Paraguay in the round of 32 at the North and Central America World Cup.

Klopp's annual salary was not disclosed. The DFB said it would separately pay 1 million euros to Red Bull, where Klopp currently serves as global head of soccer — effectively a compensation fee for bringing in a coach who had three years remaining on his Red Bull contract.

The association also agreed to host three Germany international matches in Leipzig, the home city of Red Bull-owned club RB Leipzig.

Klopp said he had already drawn up a list of 57 players eligible for national team selection, adding, "I want to work with players who want to play beautiful football."

He also offered a candid assessment of Germany's current standing. "If you ask whether we are as good as France, the answer is no," Klopp said. "We don't have many players like Mbappe or Dembele. Still, we can beat them."

A German native, Klopp managed Borussia Dortmund from 2008 to 2015, winning the Bundesliga twice and the DFB-Pokal once.

He then spent nine years in charge of Liverpool in the English Premier League, leading the club to the UEFA Champions League title in the 2018-19 season and ending Liverpool's 30-year wait for a top-flight English league title the following year.

Klopp now faces the task of rebuilding the "Panzer" squad, which has struggled repeatedly on the international stage in recent years.

After winning the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, Germany was eliminated in the group stage at both the 2018 Russia and 2022 Qatar World Cups. At the expanded 48-team North and Central America World Cup, Germany advanced to the round of 32 but fell to Paraguay, failing to reach the round of 16.


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