‘Jurgen is an animal!’ – Reus opens up on ‘special’ Klopp

Borussia Dortmund star Marco Reus has revealed his admiration for “animal” Jurgen Klopp, stating that the current Liverpool boss has a magnetic personality that is hard to resist.



Reus, who started his career as a trainee with Dortmund before moving away, was convinced to return to the club in 2012 under Klopp’s stewardship.

In the pair’s first season together BVB reached the Champions League final, while Reus established himself as one of the Bundesliga‘s most potent attacking threats.

Their paths may have diverged with Klopp’s exit in 2015, but the player still retains huge respect for his former mentor, despite – or perhaps because of – his famous eccentricity.

“Oh my god, Jurgen was such an animal! You only knew somebody like him from TV,” Reus told  Goal  and DAZN of the Liverpool manager.

“If Jurgen sits in front of you with his aura, with his aggressiveness, which he radiates even when speaking, with his size, then that is quite impressive. Even the way he talks to you – this is rarely the case in professional business.

“He pulls you under his spell and will not let you go. I left the conversation with a fluttering heart. He was definitely one of the reasons why I signed for Dortmund.”

While Klopp’s energy rarely fails to catch the eye, Reus insists that behind that frenzied public image is an astute man-manager who is able to adapt to circumstances.

“Before a season you can plan a lot. But so many unforeseen things can happen, such as a system change or injuries, so things can happen completely different,” he explained.



“When a club wants to sign a player, it’s important that the coach teaches the player the philosophy and what he’s up to. That was not different with me.

“Shinji Kagawa signed for Manchester United that year, I was the substitute. We talked about what position he sees me in and in which areas I can improve myself.

“Jurgen can develop players and make them better. That is a very important factor. He has a special way, in training and personal interaction.”

Klopp finally laid his hands on the Champions League trophy with Liverpool this year, beating Tottenham 2-0 in the final having lost out in the decider on two previous occasions.

The first defeat came with Dortmund against Bundesliga rivals Bayern in a game Reus believes could have gone their way if they had managed to break the deadlock during an early period of dominance.

“We were really strong in the first half. Of course, you can always speculate if it would have been different if we had taken the lead 1-0 at this stage of the game,” the forward added.

“So, you have to say that we came up short in the end. Since the Bavarians were experienced. They had the right solution at the right time. It was over with Arjen Robben’s goal.”