Happy birthday, Jürgen Klopp!
Liverpool FC wishes manager Jürgen Klopp a very happy birthday as he celebrates his 49th today - watch a clip in tribute to the boss now.
The German, who took the reins at Anfield last October, was born on June 16, 1967 in Stuttgart, where his immense passion for the game was forged at an early age.
By his own admission Klopp needed ‘a lot of luck to have something like a professional career’, but he nevertheless made the grade with Mainz in the second division and became a fan favourite throughout 11 years’ service to the club.
A seat in the dugout always seemed to be his destiny, however, and in 2001 he made the switch from player to boss.
Klopp’s studious approach to the sport paid serious dividends during his seven-year spell at the helm of Mainz, who he led to a landmark first promotion to the Bundesliga.
The next step in his rise came with Borussia Dortmund and it was at the Westfalenstadion where the charismatic manager made Europe take notice of his talent for building and motivating a team.
BVB lifted the Bundesliga title twice, including as part of a double in 2011-12, and reached the Champions League final a year later – all as a result of a thrilling style of attacking football.
By 2015 and after another seven-year stay with one club, Klopp was ready for a break, though it lasted just four months until the lure of the Reds proved the perfect opportunity to return.
The 20th different man to manage Liverpool came close to securing silverware twice in his debut season, only to be denied by defeats against Manchester City and Sevilla in the Capital One Cup and Europa League finals respectively.
Klopp and his squad will return to Melwood next month to kick off pre-season training, having learned yesterday that a trip to Arsenal marks the start of their 2016-17 campaign.
LFCTV GO subscribers can click play on the video at the top of this page to watch our tribute to Klopp. Sign up here>>