Sunday Times Bestseller


Updated to include the Premier League Victory 2020

"It is the intensity of the football, of how the people live football in Liverpool, all the Liverpool fans around the world. It is not a normal club, it is a special club." Jürgen Klopp

Jürgen Klopp is the charismatic German manager who single-handedly overthrew the accepted order in German football, taking Borussia Dortmund from nowhere to back-to-back Bundesliga titles and the Champions League final. He had long been admired in the Premiership and was finally wooed by Liverpool in the belief he could bring back the glory days to the Kop.

Klopp is revered as a master tactician with his own unique playing philosophies. He is loved by his players for his passion and man-management skills, and adored by fans for his charm, wit and exciting football on the pitch.

Here is the definitive story of Jürgen Klopp - the normal one - and his footballing genius.

Elmar Neveling is an author with a focus on football and business. A business graduate, he writes for Ruhr Nachrichten among others. A second edition of his book Football Tactics: The anatomy of the modern game was published in 2020.


As a Dortmunder of many years standing, Neveling learned early on that for its true fans, Borussia Dortmund is more than just a club, it's something you feel in your heart - a feeling that Jürgen Klopp let soar to unforeseen heights with his triumphs in the league and cup.