Matthäus: Klopp Has Beckenbauer's Charisma

Jürgen Klopp possesses the same charisma as German football icon Franz Beckenbauer, a quality that could greatly benefit him as a national team coach, according to Lothar Matthäus, Germany's most capped player. Matthäus, who captained the 1990 World Cup-winning squad, drew parallels between the two in a Wednesday column for the newspaper "Bild." "What Beckenbauer and Klopp share above all is their charisma. Their international appeal," he wrote. "Charisma, authenticity, reliability, and a clear sense of direction, both as a person and in football – that's what Franz Beckenbauer embodied. And that's what Jürgen Klopp also embodies," Matthäus added.

Beckenbauer won the World Cup in 1974 as a player and again in 1990 at the end of his six-year tenure as coach. He was already an icon when he took over the team in 1984 and solidified that status with the 1990 title. Klopp, who is set to take over from Julian Nagelsmann, doesn't have the same playing background but has earned high regard by winning titles as a coach at Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool. Matthäus added that Klopp is far more advanced than Beckenbauer was in 1984, "even though, strictly speaking, Franz wasn't a true coach."

"He never obtained a coaching license. He set the direction, tactics, and strategy, but always had a strong coaching staff around him to whom he delegated tasks like training drills. It probably won't be much different with Klopp," Matthäus believes. "Fans see him as one of their own; he embodies the dream of 'rising through the ranks through honest and hard work,'" Matthäus said of Jürgen Klopp.