“I am the normal one,” was how Klopp introduced himself to the media when unveiled as new Liverpool manager in October 2015. His open and humourful demeanour saw him win over fans in England just as quickly as he’d done previously at Dortmund and Mainz. But on-field wins are something he’s had to work a lot harder for.
“I was an average player, and at Mainz I started out as an average coach,” Klopp said about himself. But it’s probably that career progression that holds the secret of the man who left Bundesliga 2 to win some of the biggest titles in European club football.
It’s somehow typical of Klopp's career that the door to professional football opened after a defeat. In 1990, the Stuttgart native was playing for Rot-Weiss Frankfurt and reached the play-offs for promotion to Bundesliga 2, but they lost all six games in their group that consisted of Schweinfurt, Reutlingen and Mainz. The latter topped the standings and also took a liking to the then 22-year-old, who, although not very delicate, was incredibly powerful. The 05ers decided to sign the blonde attacker, who did indeed now find himself in the second division.