Germany’s early exit from the World Cup, after a surprise defeat to Paraguay, has put Julian Nagelsmann’s future as national coach in doubt — and brought one familiar name back into the conversation: Jürgen Klopp, who spends much of his time in Mallorca.
A crisis meeting
Leaders of the German football federation (DFB), including president Bernd Neuendorf, sporting director Rudi Völler, DFL chief Hans-Joachim Watzke and managing director Andreas Rettig, met in Frankfurt to analyse the defeat and assess Nagelsmann’s performance.
Nagelsmann set out his view at length, but German media reported that a change looked likely, even though his contract runs until 2028.
Why Klopp keeps coming up
Whenever the Germany job is discussed, Klopp’s name appears. The former Mainz, Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool coach has long been a favourite with fans, and is reported to be on the DFB’s shortlist.
For the past year and a half he has worked as head of global soccer for Red Bull, overseeing the company’s network of clubs. He has never ruled out coaching Germany, but has repeatedly said the timing was not right, particularly during his years at Liverpool.
After the World Cup, Klopp acknowledged that his name was being mentioned again, but said there was nothing concrete.
The Mallorca connection
Klopp owns a villa in Mallorca and is a familiar figure on the island, where he is often seen playing padel, one of his favourite pastimes, and at sporting and social events. He has spoken warmly about the island in interviews, and is one of the best-known members of Mallorca’s large German community.
If the DFB did turn to him, the island would follow the story closely — and Germany’s national coach would, at least part of the time, be living in Mallorca.
What happens next
The DFB has not announced a decision on Nagelsmann’s future. Any move for Klopp would also depend on his commitments to Red Bull. For now, the debate in Germany is about how the team can recover from one of its most disappointing World Cups.
