Jurgen Klopp shared warm hugs with former Liverpool players Cody Gakpo and Virgil van Dijk before Germany's Nations League clash with the Netherlands, showing the strong bond he still shares with them.
Klopp's journey since Liverpool
Klopp spent nine years at Liverpool before leaving the club in the summer of 2024. He joined the Red Bull group in early 2025 as head of global soccer, overseeing its network including RB Leipzig, Red Bull Salzburg and the New York Red Bulls.
Speculation about Klopp's future continued, with Germany seen as a potential destination. He had reportedly agreed to leave Red Bull if the Germany job became available. That opportunity arrived, and Klopp agreed to succeed Julian Nagelsmann in July, signing a four-year contract with the German Football Association.
Reunion with familiar faces
Klopp was reunited with former Liverpool assistants Pep Lijnders and Peter Krawietz. In his first game in charge, he faced Gakpo and Netherlands captain Van Dijk. During the warm-up, Klopp chatted with the pair before sharing warm hugs, with plenty of smiles highlighting their strong relationships.
Gakpo scored a stoppage-time equaliser for the Netherlands, rescuing a 1-1 draw.
Klopp defends Van Dijk
Before the match, Klopp defended Van Dijk following the defender's public clash with the Dutch media after the Netherlands' World Cup elimination by Morocco. In a heated press conference, Van Dijk dismissed claims he influenced tactical changes, calling them 'utter nonsense.'
Van Dijk said: "One of your colleagues also said, of course, that it was my idea to switch to playing with a back five. That is utter nonsense. The fact is, we simply failed at the World Cup; those are the hard facts."
Klopp said: "I think you yourselves know that you are quite critical. Virgil should tell you that. Our German journalists are pretty good too [at being critical], but you might not even be that much worse."
Van Dijk, 35, could win his 100th cap if he plays in all four of the Netherlands' Nations League matches against Germany, Greece and Serbia (twice).
