Jürgen Klopp launching his coaching career at Mainz 05 is football common knowledge. But who actually discovered Klopp? That is less clear.
Two coaching legends, one clear claim, and a third figure at least as important all played a decisive role. Robert Jung and Dragoslav “Stepi” Stepanović can both claim to have discovered Jürgen Klopp. Stepi brought the 1.91-meter forward to Oberliga side Rot-Weiß Frankfurt in 1989. After winning the Hessenliga title and missing out on promotion, Klopp moved to Mainz in 1990. Robert Jung, then coach at Mainz and also a maths teacher, had noticed Klopp in a promotion match and made him a second-division professional.
Yet Klopp himself regards Wolfgang Frank as his true footballing mentor. In September 2018, on the fifth anniversary of Frank’s death, Klopp said on British television that Frank had inspired his footballing ideas more than anyone else and had shaped his tactical thinking profoundly.