Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp confirmed as new Germany head coach

Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has been confirmed as the new head coach of the German men's football team.

The German FA put Klopp at the top of their list when Julian Nagelsmann resigned after their World Cup ended with a penalty shoot-out defeat to Paraguay in the last 32.

But at a press conference announcing his appointment, he warned he'll quit if the media invades his family's privacy.

Klopp, 59, spent nine years at Liverpool, leaving in 2024 after winning the Champions League, Premier League, FIFA Club World Cup, FA Cup and League Cup twice.

He said at the time that he was "running out of energy".

After a six-month break, he was appointed Red Bull's head of global soccer, later stating he had no desire to return to club management.

As he was confirmed in his new role on Friday, Klopp told reporters the appointment was a "great honour", saying he had felt like he was in a "movie happening to me" over the last few days.

"For many years it was unimaginable for me to assume this position. As the years went by, it became evident, sooner or later, I would be asked to do this job.

"Now I think the time is right and I am grateful to all parties concerned.

"There is a mission to be accomplished. It is my mission to make the national team squad a better team.

"All I'm there for is the issue. Jurgen Klopp is not going to have any 'career' after the national team. This is the high point of my footballing career as national team coach."

But he began his new role with a warning to potential critics that he would walk away if he and his family were treated inappropriately.

He said it was his mission "to make the national team squad a better team and hope the pool for me to choose from will be bigger, but it is not something I am doing against you, but I am doing it for you. It is an honour.

"If Jurgen Klopp is s***, I will be gone. But if the DFB says let us discontinue the job, then that's it. And if you behave badly and don't leave my family in peace, I'll be gone. I'll just turn away.

"I know there are other countries where national team head coaches are treated even worse. I love this job, but I am also ready to call it quits if needs be."

Klopp was released from his Red Bull contract after the German Football Association donated €1m to the company's Wings for Life foundation and agreed to play three internationals in Leipzig by 2030.

His first game in charge is against the Netherlands in the Nations League in September.

He will be joined in the role by two of his former Liverpool assistants Pep Lijnders and Peter Krawietz, along with Sven Bender, who played under Klopp at Borussia Dortmund, the German FA said on its website.

Klopp managed Mainz and Borussia Dortmund before joining Liverpool in 2015.

(c) Sky News 2026: Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp confirmed as new Germany head coach