S Poddar
It will be a surprise career turn for Jurgen Klopp as he prepares for a return to Borussia Dortmund for a special testimonial. Since hanging up his badge at Liverpool at the close of last season, Klopp has remained open toward this special chance of reaching back to his old club. His spell in Anfield, notwithstanding its significant successes, concluded a year in advance of the expiration date of his contract and brought to a close an era that was never to be forgotten.
Since leaving Liverpool, Klopp has been on sabbatical and contemplating his past and future endeavors. The farewell to him by fans and peers alike was warm and full of emotion, underlining the immense impact he has left since being there. Yet, the call to return to Dortmund, even for a one-off game, was too compelling for the German coach to resist.
The event is a special tribute to the careers of Lukasz Piszczek and Jakub Blaszczykowski, both of whom played with Dortmund. Both players were at the centre of the successful spell under Klopp and are being celebrated with this farewell game. A promotional video for the event has Piszczek first reaching out in a humorous tone: “Kollega, we have a farewell game, do you know that? We need a coach, and a thought just came to me-we’ll call the coach who is retired.
The video captures a light-hearted moment, catching Klopp by surprise, and he laughs in response with an element of jest. He jokingly said, “You finally have your farewell game. Oh my god. And you want to train, are you stupid?” As for his involvement with the match, Klopp replied in characteristic carefree fashion, “I couldn’t care less. I do it like I used to, I start thinking about it five minutes beforehand.”
The teasing game finally ended with “Kloppo ist dabei,” which is German for Klopp is coming, a sure indication that Klopp was into the event. This will not be a mere nostalgia trip for the Liverpool manager as he would get to reunite with old pals. Current Dortmund coach Nuri Sahin, other former stars, Neven Subotic, Sebastian Kehl, and Marcel Schmelzer, all will take part in the match.
This return comes on the heels of Klopp’s recent reflections about his future in football. In May, he spoke about career plans, saying, “I will work. I have just finished this job. I don’t know exactly why nobody believes I will probably not be a manager again, but I understand because obviously it seems to be a drug.”
Klopp admitted to the addictive nature of football management, underlining how he too would have an uphill task in hanging gloves. Because it seems that as everybody comes back and everybody works until they are 70-plus. I always had the idea in my head-I won’t do that. People are smarter, doing it differently, but for me, I have to be all-in. I must be the spark, I must be the energizer; I have to be all these kinds of things, and I’m empty. That’s it.
The world of football waits with bated breath for Klopp’s next return to this scene, expectedly eager to find out where it will take him next. For now, his Dortmund return brings a nostalgic reminder of a lasting legacy built and the bonds made along the way.
