Jürgen Klopp

The architect of heavy metal football who turned Dortmund into back-to-back champions.

Jürgen Klopp arrived at Borussia Dortmund in May 2008, taking charge of a club that had finished a disappointing 13th under Thomas Doll. He signed a two-year contract with his trusted assistants Željko Buvač and Peter Krawietz, bringing a new philosophy known as 'Gegenpressing'—winning the ball back immediately after losing it rather than falling back to regroup. Describing his style as 'heavy metal' football, Klopp prioritized high attacking output and intense pressure from day one. His opening match was a 3–1 DFB-Pokal victory away to Rot-Weiss Essen on 9 August.

Quick Facts

Full name: Jürgen Norbert Klopp
Born: 16 June 1967
Birthplace: Stuttgart, West Germany
Height: 1.91 m / 6 ft 3 in
Position: Striker, defender
Current club: Germany (head coach)

Lore & Background

Klopp’s first trophy came swiftly in the 2008 German Supercup, where he defeated German champions Bayern Munich. After a sixth-place finish in his debut season, he led Dortmund to a fifth-place spot the following year before securing European football. The 2010–11 season marked a turning point: after losing 2–0 to Bayer Leverkusen on opening day, the team won fourteen of their next fifteen matches to top the league for Christmas. They clinched the title with two games to spare on 30 April 2011, beating 1.

FC Nürnberg 2–0 at home, becoming the youngest side ever to win the Bundesliga. The following season, Klopp’s side achieved a record-breaking domestic double, winning their second consecutive league title with 81 points—the highest total in Bundesliga history—and securing the 47 points in the second half of the season as another new record. Their 25 league wins equaled Bayern Munich's record, and they recorded an unbeaten run of 28 league matches.

The climax came on 12 May 2012, when Dortmund defeated Bayern Munich 5–2 to win their first-ever domestic double in the DFB-Pokal final, a moment Klopp described as 'better than [he] could have imagined'.

Reader's Guide

Klopp’s tenure at Borussia Dortmund lasted from 2008 until his departure in 2015, making him the club's longest-serving manager during that period. His legacy includes two consecutive Bundesliga titles (2010–11 and 2011–12), one DFB-Pokal (2012), and two DFL-Supercup victories (2013 and 2014). He guided the team to the 2012–13 UEFA Champions League final. His squad achieved historic milestones, including the highest points total in a single Bundesliga season (81) and a record 28-match unbeaten run. Klopp left in 2015 after leading Dortmund to two DFL-Supercup titles and establishing them as consistent title challengers.

Did You Know?

In the 2011–12 season, Klopp's side set a record with 81 points and an unbeaten run of 28 league matches.
During the 2012–13 Champions League semi-final, Klopp had to manage his squad just 36 hours after star player Mario Götze announced his move to rivals Bayern Munich.