Nice words from another Jürgen (Klinsmann) about Kloppo:
Which managers have been the most influential this decade?
Klinsmann: "That’s really difficult to say now from a coaching point of view, who put his stamp on the last ten years. We obviously admire it when especially German coaches come through the ranks and put their stamp on it – if it’s in Germany or if it’s somewhere else. Looking at the international scene, he started everything in Germany with Mainz and Dortmund, but then he left us and he went to Liverpool. And I think if you talk about one coach, you have to talk about Jürgen Klopp – no matter if it’s about the Bundesliga, or now about the Premier League or about the Champions League. He is a person that I admire a lot, his spirit, his energy, his knowledge. So, I think he deserves the biggest compliment."
Funny really, how their paths crossed, but the directions they went in where so different! Bayern Munich decided to go with Klinsmann rather than Klopp in 2008, prefering the 'big name', so instead Klopp signed for Dortmund. And the rest is indeed history!