Jurgen Klopp, the former Liverpool manager, is adjusting to life without football after his departure from the club at the end of the 2023-24 season. However, Klopp won’t be rushing back into management as he plans to take a break and spend time with his wife, Ulla Sandrock. The couple has settled into a luxurious villa in Majorca, which cost £3.4 million. Klopp has always dreamt of having a house in the south and is drawn to the weather, climate, and people in Majorca. While he loves the island, he doesn’t plan to permanently move there. Instead, he wants to experience a different lifestyle but still have everything familiar to him.
One of the reasons Klopp chose Majorca as his second home is the excellent medical care available there. As he and his wife grow older, having access to German doctors and being able to understand everything is essential. Retirement is not on Klopp’s mind, and he has no intention of completely stopping work. However, he does acknowledge that he won’t continue at the same pace as before.
Reflecting on Klopp’s legacy at Liverpool, journalist Dave Kidd suggests that while Klopp’s trophy haul is impressive, it’s not enough to rank him among the greatest managers in Premier League history. Sir Alex Ferguson and Pep Guardiola, who have won multiple Premier League titles and a Champions League at the same club, are in a league of their own. Klopp falls into the next tier with managers like Arsene Wenger, Jose Mourinho, Bill Shankly, and Don Revie. These managers transformed their clubs but did not win as much as they potentially could have.
Kidd argues that if Klopp had kept his intentions private and achieved more success in his final season at Liverpool, he could have elevated himself into the highest echelon of managers. However, deciding when and how to exit is a challenging decision for any manager or sportsman, and Kidd believes Klopp got it wrong.