He is widely regarded as one of the best football managers in the world. Klopp spent most of his playing career at Mainz He was initially deployed as a striker , but was later moved to defence. Upon retiring in , Klopp became the club's manager, and secured Bundesliga promotion in After suffering relegation in the β07 season and unable to achieve promotion, Klopp resigned in as the club's longest-serving manager. He then became manager of Borussia Dortmund , guiding them to the Bundesliga title in β11 , before winning Dortmund's first-ever domestic double during a record-breaking season.
Klopp was appointed manager of Liverpool in He has guided the club to UEFA Champions League finals in and , and won the trophy in to secure his first β and Liverpool's sixth β title in the competition. Klopp's side finished second in the β19 Premier League , registering 97 points; the then third-highest total in the history of the English top division, and the most by a team without winning the title. Klopp is a notable proponent of Gegenpressing , whereby the team, after losing possession, immediately attempts to win back possession, rather than falling back to regroup.
He has described his sides as playing " heavy metal " football, in reference to their pressing and high attacking output. The importance of emotion is something Klopp has underlined throughout his managerial career, and he has gained both admiration and notoriety for his enthusiastic touchline celebrations. While playing as an amateur footballer, Klopp worked a number of part-time jobs including working at a local video rental store and loading heavy items onto lorries.
Klopp confessed that as a player he felt more suited to a managerial role, describing himself by saying "I had fourth-division feet and a first-division head. He was world-class. I was not even class. Upon his retirement from playing for Mainz 05 in 2.
Bundesliga, Klopp was appointed as the club's manager on 27 February following the dismissal of Eckhard Krautzun. Mainz again finished 4th in β03 , denied promotion again on the final day on goal difference. Despite having the smallest budget and the smallest stadium in the league, Mainz finished 11th in their first top-flight season in β Klopp's side finished 11th again in β06 as well as securing qualification for the β06 UEFA Cup , although they were knocked out in the first round by eventual champions Sevilla.
