Jurgen Klinsmann

At 59 years old, Jurgen Klinsmann has this physical status:

Jürgen Klinsmann (born 30 July 1964) is a German football manager, pundit, and former Hertha BSC assistant.

Klinsmann, as a player, competed for many prominent clubs in Europe and was a member of the West German team that defeated the 1990 FIFA World Cup and the 1996 UEFA European Championship team.

He was one of Germany's top strikers during the 1990s, scoring in all six major international tournaments, from Euro 1988 to 1998 World Cup.

He came in third in the FIFA World Player of the Year award in 1995; in 2004, he was named in the FIFA 100 list of the "Best Living Footballers"; the German national team's third place finish in the 2006 World Cup.

He officially announced on July 12th that after two years as head coach and that assistant coach Joachim Löw would step down.

After Ottmar Hitzfeld resigned as coach of Bundesliga side Bayern Munich in July 2008, he took over as coach.

He was released early on April 27, 2009, even though he had won five of the previous seven league games and was only three points behind league leader VfL Wolfsburg.

A serious difference of opinions between coach and club administration emerged during Bayern's joint initiative reforms.

Klinsmann, the head coach of the United States men's national team, was appointed on July 29th, 2011.

He competed in the CONCACAF Gold Cup with the United States in 2013 and was named CONCACAF Coach of the Year 2013.

In 2014, he led the United States team to the round of 16 of the World Cup in Brazil. Klinsmann was fired as head coach of the United States national team on November 21 after losing to Mexico and Costa Rica in the 2018 World Cup qualifiers on November 3rd.

Personal life

Klinsmann was born in Göppingen. As a child, his family moved to Stuttgart. Klinsmann's family owns a bakery in Stuttgart's Botnang district, and he is sometimes referred to as the "baker's son from Botnang." Klinsmann is in fact a journeyman baker who has completed an apprenticeship. Debbie Chin, an American former model, is married to him and lives in Huntington Beach, California. Jonathan and Laila, Klinsmann's wife, have two children. Jonathan, a goalkeeper for the United States U-20 team, has been suspended at the age group level. Klinsmann, a native of Germany, Italian, and French, and he's also a certified commercial helicopter pilot. He is a naturalized resident of the United States. Klinsmann has also served as a pundit, for ESPN during the 2010 World Cup, and with BBC Sport at the 2018 World Cup and 2020 European Championship. As of 2021, he plays for ESPN FC.

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Club career

Klinsmann, one of four sons of master baker Siegfried Klinsmann (died 2005) and his partner Martha are among four sons. He started playing for TB Gingen, an amateur soccer club in Gingen an den Fils, at age eight. He scored 16 goals in a single match for his new club six months earlier. He migrated to Geislingen, SC, at the age of ten. His father bought a bakery in Stuttgart, the state capital, when he was 14 years old. Klinsmann continued to play for SC Geislingen even after being selected in a Württemberg youth draw. He signed a Stuttgarter Kickers deal in 1978, the club where he would turn professional two years later. His parents decided that he should complete his apprenticeship as a baker in their family's bakery, which he started in 1982.

Klinsmann started his career in 1982 with the Stuttgarter Kickers, then-second division champions. He had been a regular starter from 1982-83, and by the 1983-1984 season, he had scored 19 goals for the club. Klinsmann, a Stuttgarter Kickers former coach, recalls that he benefited from intense preparation from Horst Allman, one of Germany's best sprint coaches at that time. He went from 11.7 to 11.0 seconds in the first 100 meters dash at the start of the new season.

Klinsmann travelled to VfB Stuttgart, the first division rivals. He scored 15 goals in his first season with the team and was the team's joint top scorer with Karl Allgöwer. Despite his goal scoring efforts, he could not save his new team from finishing tenth in the league. He scored 16 goals and reached the 1986 final of the DFB-Pokal, losing to Bayern Munich 2–5, but scoring the last goal of the match. He scored 19 goals, one of which was a classic overhead kick against Bayern, and was the Bundesliga's top goalcorer in the 1987–88 season.

In 1988, the 24-year-old Klinsmann was named German Footballer of the Year. Klinsmann left Stuttgart for a three-year deal, joining Lothar Matthäus and Andreas Brehme, two other German nationals, after reaching the 1988–89 UEFA Cup finals (eventually losing to Diego Maradona's inspired Napoli 5–4 on aggregate).

Despite the Nerazzurrri's highly defensive tactics, Klinsmann scored 13 goals as the Nerazzurrri came third in Serie A. He became one of Italy's most popular foreign players, mainly because he had learned Italian and gained the fans' trust through his appearance and language skills.

Klinsmann won the UEFA Cup (on aggregate against Roma) in the next season and repeated his previous success in the league with 14 goals; his deal was extended until 1994. All plans fell through during the 1991-92 season. Inter never managed to gain traction under new coach Corrado Orrico and finished eighth in the league, with Klinsmann only scoring seven goals and the team divided and divided into teams. Klinsmann's last season at San Siro had been anticipated.

Klinsmann migrated to Monaco and led the club to a second-place finish in the league in his first season after UEFA Euro 1992. Monaco recalled them in the 1993–94 UEFA Champions League following Marseille's bribery scandal and subsequent disqualification as league champions before losing to eventual winners Milan. Monaco's ninth-place finish in the league came in the following season. Klinsmann, who had been unable to move his ligaments for two months, was mostly deployed as a lone-striker and began disparaging his colleagues' attitude. He left the club early in 1994 and had one year remaining on his deal.

Klinsmann made his way to Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League for the 1994–95 season, where the fans and media were highly critical of the German because of his fame as a diver. Spurs bought him in July 1994 from Monaco for £2 million. He scored the winning header and won over fans on his debut against Sheffield on Wednesday by self-deprecating to the ground. "Why I Hate Jürgen Klinsmann" was a Guardian journalist who had written an article, but "Why I Love Jürgen Klinsmann" became a two-month cycle. Klinsmann went on to win the 1995 Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year.

Klinsmann became well-known in England due to his humour, but also due to his athletic success and his brutal playing style; over 150,000 of his shirts were sold. Spurs has long been known for his work at Spurs and has been invited to the Madame Tussauds Wax Museum.

Klinsmann scored 21 goals for Spurs and a total of 30 in all competitions, including a late winner over Liverpool in the FA Cup quarter-finals. He also found the net in the semi-finals, but Spurs missed out on a spot in the final by losing 4–1 to Everton.

Klinsmann spent time in Munich from 1995–96 and 1996–97 seasons. During both seasons, he was the club's top goalcorer, and he won the 1995–96 UEFA Cup, a new goalscoring record of 15 goals in 12 matches during the tournament (a record that existed before 2011). He became a German champion after winning the Bundesliga a year ago.

He travelled to Sampdoria briefly but then decided against the team in the winter and returned to Tottenham Hotspur. His goals saved the club from relegation during his second stint at Tottenham in 1998-1998, particularly the four goals he scored in a 6–2 victory at Wimbledon. On the last day of the Premier League against Southampton, he played the final game of his high-level club career in 1998.

Klinsmann played for Orange County Blue Star, an amateur team in the fourth tier Premier Development League, after retiring and heading to the United States in 2003.

International career

Klinsmann made his first international appearance for West Germany in 1987 and gained 108 caps, making him the country's fourth-most cap player behind Lothar Matthäus, Miroslav Klose, and Lukas Podolski. Klinsmann scored 47 goals for West Germany in top-level international games, sharing the all-time fourth position with Rudi Völler, but only beat by Klose's record of 71 goals for the national team, Gerd Müller's 68 goals, and Podolski's 49. Klinsmann scored 11 goals in the FIFA World Cup, placing him sixth all-time.

Klinsmann made his German debut against Brazil in 1987, a 1–1 draw. He won a bronze medal in 1988, 1992, and 1996 UEFA European Championships, qualifying in 1992 and 1996; the champion in 1996. Klinsmann was the first player to score in three separate European Championships. Five other players – Vladimr micer, Thierry Henry, Zlatan Ibrahimovi, Nuno Gomes, and Cristiano Ronaldo – have since tied this record.

Klinsmann was a key part of the West German team in the 1990 FIFA World Cup. After qualifying for the round of 16, Germany would face the Netherlands, against whom they had lost two years earlier in Euro 88. Klinsmann was forced to play as a lone striker after Rudi Völler was dismissed in the 22nd minute. He scored the 1–0 opener and his work received a lot of attention. "Not a single forward of a DFB team has delivered such a spectacular, nearly flawless job" in the last decade, according to German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung. He became a world champion after beating Argentina 1–0 in the final after further victories over Czechoslovakia (1–0) and England (1–1 on penalties). Klinsmann was remembered for being fouled by Argentina's Pedro Monzón, who was later dismissed, effectively stripping Argentina of ten men. Many commentators characterized the situation as a prime example of Klinsmann's diving, which he denied. In an interview in 2004, he said the foul left a 15 cm gash on his shin.

Klinsmann has also competed for the united Germany team in 1994 (five goals) and 1998 (three goals), as well as World Cups. He was the first player to score at least three goals in three straight World Cups, before being joined by Ronaldo of Brazil and compatriot Miroslav Klose. Klinsmann is currently the sixth-highest goalscorer at World Cups overall and the third-best goalscorer for Germany in this competition, behind Klose (16 goals) and Gerd Müller (14).

Coaching career

Klinsmann, the nation's current head coach, returned to Germany on July 26 as the new head coach of the national team, replacing former teammate and strike partner Rudi Völler. Klinsmann's team was then embarked on a new initiative to restructure the team's leadership. Oliver Bierhoff, a fellow German striker, helped ease public relations duties of the previous combined post's administrative tasks away from the actual teaching aspect of the role. Moreover, he injected youth into an aging squad after a humiliating debut at Euro 2004. Klinsmann's poor results, including the 4–1 loss to Italy, attracted criticism from German fans and the media in the run-up to the 2006 World Cup. Klinsmann's commuted to Germany from the United States, the object of a tabloid Bild's campaign. Klinsmann formally discarded some privileges that Bild traditionally had with the national team, such as being able to the squad's lineup the day before a match and having full access to the team 24/7. Those who argued defensive football were irritated by his largely offensive tactics, who claimed he dismissed defensive football. He named a team of young players for the 2006 World Cup, based on results, not reputation.

He regularly changed his goalkeepers during the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup, which drew the ire of Bayern Munich's Oliver Kahn. Klinsmann finally relegated Kahn to the bench and named Arsenal's Jens Lehmann as his first choice goalkeeper on April 7, 2006. This pick came after Lehmann's performance in the 2005–06 UEFA Champions League, in which his Arsenal team lost in the final against Barcelona after losing.

"Who Do You Think You Are Kidding Jurgen Klinsmann?" said German protesters in the 2006 World Cup, which included the appearance of an English song. In the group stage, the team won three straight victories over Costa Rica, Poland, and Ecuador, earning Germany first place in Group A. Klinsmann's team won by 2–0 over Sweden, and in the quarter-finals, beating Argentina 4–2 on penalties. After 120 minutes, the teams drew 1–1 after Miroslav Klose scored in the 80th minute, equalizing goal.

After goals in the final minutes of extra time from Fabio Grosso and Alessandro Del Piero in the semi-finals on July 4th, Germany defeated Italy 2–0. Klinsmann lauded his youthful team's results after the game. They defeated Portugal 3–1 in the third place play-off, where they played Kahn rather than Jens Lehmann. The triumph sparked a massive parade in Berlin the next day, where Klinsmann and the team were honoured by the public.

Franz Beckenbauer, who had been a vocal critic of Klinsmann's work, expressed his annoyance to see Klinsmann continue as coach afterwards. Due to his team's spirit and attacking style of play, Klinsmann received a lot of public support for him. The team's strong results are thought to have revived national pride and resurrect Germany's image as a top soccer nation. Klinsmann was given the Bundesverdienstkreuz for his efforts as a mentor for the national team.

Despite the World Cup's success and the laud, Klinsmann opted not to renew his deal, notifying the German Football Association (DFB) of his decision on July 11, 2006. The decision was announced officially by the DFB on July 12, 2006. Joachim Löw, Klinsmann's assistant, was appointed as the new head coach at the same press conference. "My biggest wish is to return to my family and get back to living a normal life with them," Klinsmann said.

Klinsmann took over Bayern Munich's coach in July 2008, replacing Ottmar Hitzfeld. Klinsmann helped develop a new player growth and performance center for Bayern and then launched the team's mold for the Bundesliga and 2008-2009 Champions League campaigns. Bayern reached the quarterfinals of the Champions League under his guidance, losing to eventual champion Barcelona. Klinsmann was suspended on 27 April 2009 with five matches remaining. Schalke 04's last match was a 1–0 loss. At the time of the dismissal, Bayern was in third place. In all sports, Klinsmann had a record of 25 victories, nine draws, and 10 losses.

Klinsmann's time with Bayern was a "failure" and that Klinsmann's absence of tactical guidance pushed the players to meet before kickoff to discuss strategy, according to Bayern team captain Phillip Lahm's autobiography.

Klinsmann was hired as a technical advisor for Toronto FC in November 2010, allowing the club to recruit Aron Winter as head coach and Paul Mariner as technical director the following year. Both Winter and Mariner will be fired by the club later this season after finishing in last place.

Klinsmann was named the 35th head coach of the United States national team on July 29, 2011, replacing former manager Bob Bradley, who had been fired following a 4–2 loss to Mexico in the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup final.

The United States suffered in friendly games early in Klinsmann's tenure, losing four matches and drawing one before ending the 2011 season with a victory over Slovenia. The United States national team defeated Italy 1–0 in a friendly match against Italy on February 29, 2012, the first victory against the four-time World Cup champions. In a friendly held at the Estadio Azteca on August 15, Klinsmann led the United States to a historic 1–0 victory over Mexico, a long time rivalry.

Klinsmann coached the US team into the final round of qualifying for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, starting with a 2–1 loss at Honduras before earning a point against Mexico in the Azteca. The United States held their centennial celebratory game against Germany on June 2, where Klinsmann coached them to a 4–3 victory over their home country. Klinsmann coached the United States team to their fifth CONCACAF Gold Cup title on July 28, beating Panama 1–0 in the final. Following a 2–0 victory over Mexico, the United States secured qualification for the World Cup on September 10, 2013. Klinsmann signed a new deal extension with the United States Soccer Federation (USSF), which will run until 2018.

In May 2014, Klinsmann shocked the world by selecting five so-called "Jurgen Americans" who had all been born and professionally trained in Germany to the 23-man squad in the 2014 FIFA World Cup. After the team's preliminary training camp, his pick was chastised particularly for removing all-time leading U.S. scorer Landon Donovan from the final roster for the 2014 World Cup. Klinsmann described it as "the most difficult decision of [his] coaching career," but he does expect others to be "slightly ahead of [Donovan]" in the future. Klinsmann's son Jonathan made a Twitter remark mocking Donovan, prompting some to believe that the decision was influenced by personal animosity between Klinsmann and Donovan.

In their first match of the 2014 World Cup, Klinsmann led the US to a 2–1 victory over Ghana on June 16th, with captain Clint Dempsey's debut and a spectacular 86th-minute header from replacement John Brooks. In the second group match, his team defeated Portugal 2–2 on June 22nd. Early in the game, a defensive mistake led to a straightforward Portugal goal, but Jermaine Jones equalized with a shot from 30 yards out in the second half. In the 81st minute, Dempsey scored to give the United States a 2–1 advantage. The score stayed 2–1 until Cristiano Ronaldo's cross, which was directed by Silvestre Varela to US goalkeeper Tim Howard. The United States defeated Germany on June 26th in a friendly match. The United States lost Portugal, 1–0, but the possibility of surviving the "group of death" hung in the balance in the Portugal–Ghana game, in which Portugal defeated Ghana, 2–1, sending the United States to the round of 16.

In the round of 16, the United States defeated Belgium. The United States survived with a 0–0 score after spending much of the match defending Belgium's potent attack, with goalkeeper Tim Howard setting a new World Cup finals record for saves in a game. After falling behind 2–0 to Belgium in extra time, the United States cut the deficit in half in the 107th minute when replacement Julian Green volleyed in a lobbed through ball from Michael Bradley, but we were unable to score a second and were eliminated.

On September 3rd, Klinsmann led the United States to a 1–0 win over Czech Republic to open the new 2018 World Cup cycle, the country's first victory over the Czechs. Klinsmann led the United States to a dramatic 4–3 victory over the Netherlands in a friendly in Amsterdam and then a friendly victory over Germany five days later.

In the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup, the United States' under Klinsmann's fourth place finish in the team's lowest appearance in the tournament since 2000, after losing to Jamaica in the semi-finals and Panama in the third place match. Klinsmann's U.S. advanced to the United States in the first round of World Cup qualification, which also includes Guatemala, Trinidad and Tobago, as well as St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

With a 2–1 home loss to Mexico and a 4–0 away loss to Costa Rica, the United States began the final World Cup qualification round in November 2016. Klinsmann was fired by the USSF on November 21, 2016, despite the fact that the team had previously coached the team from 1998 to 2006. In the end, the United States failed to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Klinsmann became Hertha BSC's new boss on November 27, 2019 compared to Ante ovi. He revealed on Facebook on February 11, 2020, after having been in this position for only ten weeks. Despite declaring his intention to remain part of the club's administrative board, he was eventually forbidden from doing so, as Hertha's investor Lars Windhorst had criticized his behaviour, calling his departure "unacceptable."

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