Jurgen Klopp, the legendary former Liverpool manager, has opened up about the one thing that shocked him most when he arrived at Anfield in 2015, and it wasn’t the pressure of managing one of the world’s biggest clubs.
In a new Amazon Prime Video documentary, Doubters to Believers: Liverpool FC – Klopp’s Era, the German revealed that he was stunned by the state of the dressing rooms at Anfield. Now, as Head of Global Soccer for Red Bull GmbH since January 1, 2025, Klopp looks back on his time at Liverpool with a mix of surprise and pride.
When Klopp took over from Brendan Rodgers in October 2015, he stepped into a club with a rich history and a passionate fanbase. But what caught him off guard wasn’t the expectations or the pressure; it was the facilities.
“I was really disappointed because I realised, ‘Oh my God, I forgot that the dressing rooms are really bad!’ And I don’t like bad dressing rooms,” Klopp admitted in the documentary.
The former Borussia Dortmund manager was also surprised by the intense attention from Liverpool fans right from the start. He was amazed when supporters tracked his flight to England, sharing updates on social media even before he officially took charge.
“There’s all these crazy things, like people tracking my plane and stuff like that. I didn’t think of myself as someone people would be that interested in,” he said.
Despite the initial surprises, Klopp quickly got to work. In his first press conference, he famously told Liverpool fans he wanted to turn them “from doubters to believers.” He also promised to win a title within four years, a bold statement at the time.
True to his word, Klopp guided Liverpool to their first league title in 30 years in 2020, ending a decades-long drought and cementing his legacy as one of the club’s greatest managers. Under his leadership, the Reds also won the Champions League, FA Cup, Carabao Cup, and more.
