Messiah or papering over cracks? Klopp must sway doubters in Germany rebuild

Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Klopp has signed a four-year deal as Germany head coach By Kit Holden German football writer Published 6 minutes ago He was once hailed as Liverpool's footballing messiah. Now Jurgen Klopp has been asked to work miracles for his country. Last month, Klopp watched on as a touchline TV pundit as Germany went out of the World Cup in a shock penalty shootout defeat by Paraguay. The loss led head coach Julian Nagelsmann to resign and plunged German football into a full-scale identity crisis. Just three weeks later, it is Klopp who has been tasked with picking up the pieces and restoring his country's once-famous winning mentality, signing a four-year deal to become head coach. Assigned with leading the team through Euro 2028 and the 2030 World Cup, Klopp's first game in charge will be against the Netherlands on 24 September. "The national team can unite us Germans like almost nothing else. That's precisely what makes this task so special for me," Klopp said. A Champions League and Premier League winner with Liverpool and a two-time Bundesliga champion with Borussia Dortmund, the 59-year-old is already considered one of the greatest German managers. Yet while many believe he is the perfect man for the national team job, the appointment has also sparked fierce debate in Germany. For the German football association (DFB), securing Klopp's signature has been a priority since Nagelsmann resigned in the wake of the Paraguay defeat. DFB president Bernd Neuendorf said Klopp "embodies passion, credibility, and the ability to inspire people". "After Julian Nagelsmann's resignation, he was our unequivocal choice for the position of national team coach. That's why we pursued him relentlessly," Neuendorf added. Now the deal is done. Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Klopp has worked as a pundit on German television during the 2026 World Cup Klopp has signed a deal until 2030 and will build his coaching team around former Liverpool assistants Pep Lijnders and Peter Krawietz. Germany will hope the trio can do for them what they once did for the Premier League club and restore one of football's fallen giants to its former glory. Few doubt Klopp has what it takes to breathe new life into the national team. In a recent poll by Germany's leading football magazine Kicker , external , 80% of readers said they thought Klopp was the right choice. Of the many criticisms of the German team in recent years, the most enduring have been a lack of winning mentality and a failure to bond with fans. Klopp, who has spent his career talking about "mentality monsters" and became a cult hero at every club he has managed, would seem to be the perfect solution. Speaking on the popular weekly football talk show Doppelpass, former Germany and Bayern Munich midfielder Stefan Effenberg said Klopp could bring a "new spirit of optimism". For Borussia Dortmund chief executive Carsten Cramer, the new manager's influence may even go beyond sport.