Jürgen Klopp has no career after the national team. That was the line the 59-year-old chose in Frankfurt, where he was presented as Germany manager on a deal running through to the 2030 World Cup. He takes over from Julian Nagelsmann, who walked away after the defeat to Paraguay, a third straight loss at the finals. Klopp is 20 years older than the man he replaces, and after a long spell out of the game he returns with his energy restored.
The German federation settled the move with the Red Bull group, owners of a network of clubs including Leipzig, in a way few appointments are settled. There was no conventional release fee. Instead, one million euros goes to charity, and Leipzig will host three of Germany's fixtures.
Klopp's brief runs deeper than results. He wants German football to feel like an occasion again. "I want to create something with the national team that means that people go home after the game and think, 'That was really cool,'" he said. Helping him do it will be Per Mertesacker and the assistants who worked alongside him at Liverpool.
Klopp is confident enough to have waived any compensation should the project fail. He wants this job to stand as the peak of his career and of his life. Heavy metal is back in German stadiums.
