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. In 1988, while attending the Goethe University of Frankfurt, as well as playing for Eintracht Frankfurt non-professionals, Klopp managed the Frankfurt D-Juniors. In the summer of 1990, Klopp was signed by Mainz 05. He spent most of his professional career in Mainz, from 1990 to 2001, with his attitude and commitment making him a fan-favourite. Originally a striker, Klopp began playing as a defender in 1995. That same year, Klopp obtained a diploma in sports science at the Goethe University of Frankfurt (MSc equivalent), writing his thesis about walking. He retired as Mainz 05’s record goal scorer, registering 56 goals in total, including 52 league goals.

Upon his retirement from playing for Mainz 05 in 2. Bundesliga, Klopp was appointed as the club’s manager on 27 February 2001 following the dismissal of Eckhard Krautzun. The day after, Klopp took charge of their first match, which saw Mainz 05 secure a 1–0 home win over MSV Duisburg. Klopp went on to win six out of his first seven games in charge, eventually finishing in 14th place, avoiding relegation with one game to spare. In his first full season in charge in 2001–02, Klopp guided Mainz to finish 4th in the league as he implemented his favoured pressing and counter-pressing tactics, narrowly missing promotion. Mainz again finished 4th in 2002–03, denied promotion again on the final day on goal difference. After two seasons of disappointment, Klopp led Mainz to a third place finish in the 2003–04 season, securing promotion to the Bundesliga for the first time in the club’s history.

Klopp has been married twice. He was previously wedded to Sabine and they have a son, Marc (born 1988), who has played for a number of German clubs including FSV Frankfurt under-19s, KSV Klein-Karben, SV Darmstadt 98, Borussia Dortmund II and the Kreisliga side VfL Kemminghausen 1925. On 5 December 2005, Klopp married social worker and children’s writer Ulla Sandrock. They met at a pub during an Oktoberfest celebration that same year. She has a son, Dennis, from a previous marriage. Klopp is a Protestant Christian who has referred to his faith in public, citing the importance of his beliefs in a media interview.

In 2005, Klopp was a regular expert commentator on the German television network ZDF, analysing the Germany national team. He worked as a match analyst during the 2006 World Cup, for which he received the Deutscher Fernsehpreis for “Best Sports Show” in October 2006, as well as Euro 2008. Klopp’s term came to an end after the latter competition and he was succeeded by Oliver Kahn. During the 2010 World Cup, Klopp worked with RTL alongside Günther Jauch, for which Klopp again won the award for the same category. Klopp has also appeared in the documentary films Trainer! (2013) and Und vorne hilft der liebe Gott (2016).

In May 2008, Klopp was approached to become the new manager of Borussia Dortmund. Despite having interest from German champions Bayern Munich, Klopp eventually signed a two-year contract at the club, which had finished in a disappointing 13th place under previous manager Thomas Doll. Klopp’s opening game as manager was on 9 August 2008 in a 3–1 DFB-Pokal victory away to Rot-Weiss Essen. In his first season, Klopp won his first trophy with the club after defeating German champions Bayern Munich to claim the 2008 German Supercup. He led the club to a sixth-place finish in his first season in charge. The next season Klopp secured European football as he led Dortmund to a fifth-place finish, despite having one of the youngest squads in the league.

After losing 2–0 to Bayer Leverkusen on the opening day of the 2010–11 Bundesliga, Klopp’s Dortmund side won fourteen of their next fifteen matches to secure the top spot in the league for Christmas. They clinched the 2010–11 Bundesliga title, their seventh league title, with two games to spare on 30 April 2011, beating 1. FC Nürnberg 2–0 at home. Klopp’s side were the youngest ever side to win the Bundesliga. Klopp and his team successfully defended their title, winning the 2011–12 Bundesliga. Their total of 81 points that season was the greatest total points in Bundesliga history and the 47 points earned in the second half of the season also set a new record. Their 25 league wins equalled Bayern Munich’s record, while their 28-league match unbeaten run was the best ever recorded in a single German top-flight season. Dortmund lost the 2011 DFL-Supercup against rivals Schalke 04. On 12 May 2012, Klopp sealed the club’s first ever domestic double, by defeating Bayern Munich 5–2 to win the 2012 DFB-Pokal Final, which he described as being “better than [he] could have imagined”.

Dortmund’s league form during the 2012–13 season was not as impressive as in the previous campaign, with Klopp insisting that his team would focus on the UEFA Champions League to make up for their disappointing run in that competition in the previous season. Klopp’s team were drawn against Manchester City, Real Madrid and Ajax in the competition’s group of death. However, they did not lose a game, topping the group with some impressive performances. Dortmund faced José Mourinho’s Real Madrid again, this time in the semi-finals. After an excellent result against them at home in the first leg, a 4–1 victory, a 2–0 loss meant Dortmund narrowly progressed to the final. On 23 April 2013, it was announced that Dortmund’s crucial playmaker Mario Götze was moving on 1 July 2013 to rivals Bayern Munich after they had triggered Götze’s release clause of €37 million. Klopp admitted his annoyance at the timing of the announcement of Götze’s move, as it was barely 36 hours before Dortmund’s Champions League semi-final with Real Madrid. Klopp later said that Dortmund had no chance of convincing Götze to stay with Dortmund, saying, “He is a Pep Guardiola favourite”. Dortmund lost the final 2–1 to Bayern Munich, with an 89th-minute goal from Arjen Robben. Dortmund finished in second place in the Bundesliga. They also lost the 2012 DFL-Supercup, and were knocked out of the DFB-Pokal in the round of 16.

At the beginning of the 2013–14 season, Klopp extended his contract until June 2018. Klopp received a fine of €10,000 on 17 March 2014 after getting sent off from a Bundesliga match against Borussia Mönchengladbach. The ejection was a result of “verbal attack” on the referee, Deniz Aytekin, who stated that Klopp’s behaviour was “rude on more than one occasion”. Borussia Dortmund vorstand chairman Hans-Joachim Watzke stated that “I have to support Jürgen Klopp 100 percent in this case” because he saw no reason for a fine and denied that Klopp insulted the fourth official. Dortmund finished the 2013–14 season in second place. On 4 January 2014 it was announced that Klopp’s star striker Robert Lewandowski signed a pre-contract agreement to join Bayern Munich at the end of the season, becoming the second key player after Götze to leave the club within a year. Also during the 2013–14 season, Dortmund won the 2013 DFL-Supercup, but were knocked out of the Champions League in the quarter-finals by eventual champions Real Madrid.

On 8 October 2015, Klopp agreed a three-year deal to become Liverpool manager, replacing Brendan Rodgers. According to El País, Liverpool co-owner John W. Henry did not trust public opinion so he looked for a mathematical method very similar to Moneyball, the approach that Henry used for the Boston Red Sox in guiding them to three World Series wins, which he also owns via Fenway Sports Group. The mathematical model turned out to be that of Cambridge physicist Ian Graham, which was used to select the manager, Klopp, and players essential for Liverpool to win the UEFA Champions League. In his first press conference, Klopp described his new side saying “it is not a normal club, it is a special club. I had two very special clubs with Mainz and Dortmund. It is the perfect next step for me to be here and try and help” and stating his intention to deliver trophies within four years. During his first conference, Klopp dubbed himself ‘The Normal One’ in a parody of José Mourinho’s famous ‘The Special One’ statement in 2004.

Klopp’s debut was a 0–0 away draw with Tottenham Hotspur on 17 October 2015. On 28 October 2015, Klopp secured his first win as Liverpool manager against Bournemouth in the League Cup to proceed to the quarter-finals. His first Premier League win came three days later, a 3–1 away victory against Chelsea. After three 1–1 draws in the opening matches of the UEFA Europa League, Liverpool defeated Rubin Kazan 1–0 in Klopp’s first win in Europe as a Liverpool manager. On 6 February 2016, he missed a league match to have an appendectomy after suffering suspected appendicitis. On 28 February 2016, Liverpool lost the 2016 League Cup Final at Wembley to Manchester City on penalties. On 17 March 2016, Klopp’s Liverpool progressed to the quarter-final of the UEFA Europa League by defeating Manchester United 3–1 on aggregate. On 14 April 2016, Liverpool fought back from a 3–1 second half deficit in the second leg of their quarter-final match against his former club, Borussia Dortmund, to win 4–3, advancing to the semi-finals 5–4 on aggregate. On 5 May 2016, Klopp guided Liverpool to their first European final since 2007 by beating Villarreal 3–1 on aggregate in the semi-finals of the UEFA Europa League. In the final, Liverpool faced Sevilla, losing 1–3 with Daniel Sturridge scoring the opening goal for Liverpool in the first half. Liverpool finished the 2015–16 season in eighth place.

On 8 July 2016, Klopp and his coaching staff signed six-year extensions to their deals keeping them at Liverpool until 2022. Liverpool qualified for the Champions League for the first time since 2014–15 on 21 May 2017, after winning 3–0 at home against Middlesbrough and placing fourth in the 2016–17 Premier League season.

The importance of emotion is something Klopp has underlined throughout his managerial career, saying “Tactical things are so important, you cannot win without tactical things, but the emotion makes the difference”. He believes that the players should embrace their emotions, describing how “[football is] the only sport where emotion has this big of an influence”. Ahead of the Merseyside derby in 2016, Klopp said “The best football is always about expression of emotion”.

Klopp is often credited with pioneering the resurgence of Gegenpressing in modern football, and is regarded by fellow professional managers and players as one of the best managers in the world. In 2016, Guardiola suggested that Klopp could be “the best manager in the world at creating teams who attack”. Klopp has also received praise for building competitive teams without spending as much as many direct rivals, placing emphasis on sustainability over purely short-term success.

Klopp’s side finished fourth in the 2017–18 Premier League, securing qualification for the Champions League for a second consecutive season. Along with the emergence of Andrew Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold as regular starters at fullback, Virgil van Dijk and Dejan Lovren built a strong partnership at the heart of Liverpool’s defence, with the Dutchman being credited for improving Liverpool’s previous defensive issues. Klopp guided Liverpool to their first UEFA Champions League final since 2007 in 2018 after a 5–1 aggregate quarter-final win against eventual Premier League champions, Manchester City and a 7–6 aggregate win over Roma in the semi-final. However, Liverpool went on to lose in the final 3–1 to Real Madrid. This was Klopp’s sixth defeat in seven major finals. Despite their attacking prowess, Klopp’s side had been criticised for their relatively high number of goals conceded, something which Klopp sought to improve by signing defender Virgil van Dijk in the January transfer window, for a reported fee of £75 million, a world record transfer fee for a defender. In the summer transfer window, Klopp made a number of high profile signings including midfielders Naby Keïta and Fabinho, forward Xherdan Shaqiri and goalkeeper Alisson.

Liverpool started the 2018–19 season with the best league start in the club’s history, winning their first six matches. On 2 December 2018, Klopp was charged with misconduct after running onto the pitch during the Merseyside derby to celebrate Divock Origi’s 96th minute winning goal with goalkeeper Alisson. Following a 2–0 win against Wolverhampton Wanderers (Wolves), Liverpool ended Christmas Day four points clear at the top of the league. A 4–0 win against Newcastle United on Boxing Day saw Klopp’s side extend their lead in the league to six points at the half-way point of the season, as well as becoming only the fourth Premier League team to be unbeaten at this stage. It was Klopp’s 100th win in 181 matches as Liverpool manager. Klopp’s defensive additions proved to be effective as his side equalled the all-time record for the fewest goals conceded at this stage of a top-flight season, conceding just 7 goals and keeping 12 clean sheets in 19 matches. On 29 December 2018, Klopp’s side thrashed Arsenal 5–1 at Anfield, extending their unbeaten home run in the league to 31 matches, matching their best such run in the competition. The result saw them move nine points clear at the top of the league, and meant Liverpool won all 8 of their matches in December. Klopp subsequently received the Premier League Manager of the Month award for December 2018. Klopp’s side finished the season as runners-up to Manchester City, to whom they suffered their only league defeat of the season. Winning all of their last nine matches, Klopp’s Liverpool scored 97 points, the third-highest total in the history of the English top-division and the most points scored by a team without winning the title, and remained unbeaten at home for the second season running. Their thirty league wins matched the club record for wins in a season.

Success eluded Klopp’s Liverpool side in domestic cup competitions in 2018–19. On 26 September 2018, Klopp’s side were knocked out in the third round of the League Cup after losing 2–1 to Chelsea, their first defeat of the season in all competitions, and were knocked out of the FA Cup after losing 2–1 to Wolves in the third round. Despite a lack of success in domestic cup competitions, Liverpool enjoyed a vintage run in the 2018–19 UEFA Champions League. Klopp’s side finished second in their group by virtue of goals scored to qualify for the knockout phase, before drawing German champions Bayern Munich in the round of 16. A scoreless draw in the first leg, followed by 3–1 victory in the second leg at the Allianz Arena saw Liverpool qualify for the quarter-finals. Liverpool won their quarter-final tie against Porto with an aggregate score of 6–1 to advance to the semi-finals, where Klopp’s Liverpool faced tournament favourites Barcelona. After suffering a 3–0 defeat at the Nou Camp, Klopp reportedly asked his players to “just try” or “fail in the most beautiful way” in the second leg of the tie at Anfield. In the second leg, Klopp’s side overturned the deficit with a 4–0 win, advancing to the final 4–3 on aggregate, despite Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino being absent with injuries, in what was described as one of the greatest comebacks in Champions League history. In the final at the Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid against Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool won 2–0 with goals from Mohamed Salah and Divock Origi, giving Klopp his first trophy with Liverpool, his first Champions League title, and the club’s sixth European Cup/Champions League title overall.

In his first two full seasons at Liverpool, Klopp almost exclusively employed a 4–3–3 formation, utilising a front three of wingers Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mané surrounding false-9 Roberto Firmino, supported by Philippe Coutinho in midfield. The foursome earned the moniker of the ‘Fab Four’ as they supplied the majority of the team’s goals over this period of time. Roberto Firmino’s exceptionally high number of tackles for a striker under Klopp’s management encapsulates his style of play, demanding a high-press from all his players and having his striker defend from the front. Following Coutinho’s departure in January 2018, the remaining front three increased their attacking output and continued to create chances as Salah won the Premier League Golden Boot in 2018, before sharing the award with his team-mate, Mané, in 2019. In the early part of the 2018–19 season Klopp, at times, utilised the 4–2–3–1 formation, which he had previously used at Dortmund. While this was partially to account for a number of injuries to key players, it also allowed Klopp to accommodate new signing Xherdan Shaqiri, playing Roberto Firmino in a more creative role and allowing Salah to play in a more central offensive position. However, for the remainder of the season, the 4–3–3 formation, as with the previous two seasons, became Klopp’s preferred setup as his side finished as runners-up in the Premier League and reached a second consecutive Champions League final, where Klopp won his first Champions League title as a manager.

Klopp has gained notoriety for his enthusiastic touchline celebrations. He received criticism in 2018 for taking things ‘too far’ when running on to the pitch to embrace Alisson to celebrate an added time winner in the Merseyside Derby. Pep Guardiola spoke in defence of Klopp, saying: “I did it against Southampton. There are a lot of emotions there in those moments”.

In an interview for The Guardian in April 2018, Klopp expressed his opposition to Brexit claiming that it “makes no sense” and advocated a second referendum.

Klopp’s side started the 2019–20 season by playing Manchester City in the 2019 FA Community Shield, against whom they lost 5–4 on penalties. Having qualified as winners of the 2018–19 UEFA Champions League, Klopp’s side played 2018–19 UEFA Europa League champions and Premier League rivals Chelsea in the 2019 UEFA Super Cup. With the scores level after extra-time, Klopp’s side won 5–4 on penalties, giving Klopp his second trophy with the club. It was Liverpool’s fourth triumph in the tournament, placing them behind only Barcelona and A.C. Milan who have five titles apiece. In the 2019–20 Premier League, Klopp’s Liverpool won their first six matches to move five points clear at the top of the table. After the fourth match week, Klopp was named Premier League Manager of the Month for August, his fourth award of the monthly prize. Their 2–1 away victory over Chelsea set a club-record seven successive away league wins and made Liverpool the first Premier League club to win their first six games in successive seasons. On 23 September 2019, Klopp was named as The Best FIFA Men’s Coach for 2019, ahead of Pep Guardiola and Mauricio Pochettino. At the awards ceremony, Klopp revealed that he had signed up to the Common Goal movement, donating 1% of his salary to a charity which funds organisations around the world using football to tackle social issues. On 11 October, it was announced that Klopp had been named Manager of the Month for September, winning the award for the second consecutive month.

On 30 November, following a 2–1 win over Brighton & Hove Albion, Klopp saw Liverpool equal an all-time club record of 31 consecutive league matches without defeat, since the club’s last defeat to Manchester City on 3 January, dating back to 1988. His side broke the record a week later following a 5–2 win over Everton. Following a victory against Red Bull Salzburg on 10 December that saw Liverpool top their Champions League group, Klopp signed a contract extension that will keep him at the club until 2024. In December 2019, Klopp won his third Premier League Manager of the month award for November, after winning all four league matches with Liverpool. On 21 December 2019, he led Liverpool to their first FIFA Club World Cup trophy, with victory over Flamengo in the final, making his team the first English side to win the international treble of the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup. His side ended 2019 with a 1–0 home win against Wolves. The result extended Liverpool’s unbeaten home run to 50 matches and gave Klopp’s reds a 13-point lead at the top of the table with a game-in-hand. Klopp was subsequently named as the Premier League Manager of the Month for December, winning the award for the fourth time that season. A 1–0 away win against Tottenham Hotspur on 11 January 2020 extended Liverpool’s unbeaten run to 38 league games – a club record – totalling 61 points from 21 games, the most ever at that stage of the season by a side in Europe’s top five leagues. On 1 February 2020, Klopp’s side won 4–0 at home against Southampton to go 22 points clear at the top of the Premier League; the biggest end-of-day lead in English top-flight history, and following second-place Manchester City’s defeat to Spurs the next day, the largest gap ever between first and second in top-flight history. Klopp was subsequently named as the Premier League Manager of the Month for January – his fifth of the season so far – breaking the record for the most wins of the award in a single season.

As well as receiving plaudits for his tactics, Klopp is also highly regarded as a motivator, with Liverpool forward Roberto Firmino saying: “He motivates us in a different way every day”, and being praised by Guardiola as a “huge motivator”. In 2019, the chief executive of the League Managers Association (LMA) said that Klopp had ‘redefined man-management’ in the modern era, and highlighted his consistency in European competitions; in Klopp’s first three European campaigns with Liverpool he was undefeated over two-legged knockout ties. Klopp was described by Jonathan Wilson of The Guardian as “a hugely charismatic figure who inspires players with his personality”, while Vincent Hogan of the Irish Independent writes, “Not since Bill Shankly have Liverpool had a manager of such charisma”.

A 3–2 home victory against West Ham United on 24 February 2020 saw Klopp’s side equal the English top-flight records for the most consecutive wins (18) and the most consecutive home wins (21; set by Bill Shankly’s 1972 Liverpool side); the latter setting a record for the Premier League era. Klopp said after the game that he “never thought [Manchester City’s win record] would be broken or equalled.” A 2–1 win against Bournemouth at Anfield on 7 March saw Liverpool set an English top-flight record of 22 consecutive home wins. On 25 June 2020, Klopp’s side clinched the 2019–20 Premier League title with 7 games left to spare; it was the club’s nineteenth league title, its first since 1989–90 and its first during the Premier League era. In the season so far, Liverpool have set a number of English-top flight records including the most consecutive home wins (23), the largest point lead at the end of a matchweek (22), and upon winning the league claimed the unusual achievement of winning the Premier League earlier than any other team by games played (with seven remaining) and later than any other team by date (being the only team to clinch the title in June). Beginning the season prior, Liverpool also enjoyed a 44 match unbeaten run in the league – the second-longest streak in top-flight history – ended by Watford on 29 February 2020. At the end of the season, Klopp was named LMA Manager of the Year as well as Premier League Manager of the Season.

After winning the opening three league games of the 2020–21 season against Leeds United, Chelsea and Arsenal, on 4 October 2020, Klopp’s side lost 7–2 away to Aston Villa. It was the first time Liverpool conceded 7 goals in a league match since 1963.

In June 2020, Manchester United’s record goalscorer Wayne Rooney responded to Klopp’s dismissal that he could emulate Sir Alex Ferguson’s success at Manchester United, saying “Klopp says it’s impossible for any club to dominate like United once did, but he is wrong. […] I think if Klopp, who is only 53, stayed at Anfield for the next ten years, Liverpool would win at least five Premier League titles. He could keep building great sides because, as I mentioned, players join clubs to work with managers as good as him.”