Jürgen Klopp began his tenure as Germany coach with a warning to the media on Friday, saying he would leave the job if they did not let his family live in peace, during his official introduction after signing a four-year contract.

The German coach (59), known for his intense pressing style and direct communication, was tasked with leading the four-time world champions into a new phase after another disappointing World Cup campaign.

Klopp takes over from Julian Nagelsmann, who left the position after Germany lost to Paraguay on penalties in the round of 32, continuing the team's modest World Cup results after group-stage exits in 2018 and 2022.

Klopp told journalists: "If you misbehave and don't let my family live in peace, I will leave, and I will simply withdraw."

He added: "I am not doing this job for myself, but for you. I accepted this position even though I saw how you treated Julian Nagelsmann and Thomas Tuchel."

He continued: "I love this task, but I am always ready to leave it if necessary."

Klopp, who had been serving as Global Head of Soccer at Red Bull after leaving Liverpool in 2024, will be assisted by Peter Krawietz, Pep Lijnders, and former Germany player Sven Bender.

During his first press conference, Klopp said: "The national team can unite Germans more than anything else, and that is what makes this task very special for me."

The right man at the right time

German Football Association president Bernd Neuendorf stated: "We had very intensive discussions, and Jürgen Klopp was our first choice from the start."

According to Neuendorf, "There was consensus within the association that he was the candidate we should talk to. Our conversations with him reinforced our conviction that he is the right man at the right time."

For his part, Oliver Mintzlaff, a senior executive at Red Bull, said the company agreed to allow Klopp to take over the German national team.

Mintzlaff explained that the decision "was not easy, but we decided, in consultation with my colleagues on the board, to support his ambition."

According to Neuendorf, the German FA will donate one million euros ($1.14 million) to the Red Bull foundation 'Wings for Life' instead of paying financial compensation, also confirming that the city of Leipzig will host three international matches for the German team in the coming years.

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The task of rebuilding the German team

The early World Cup exit marks the latest in a series of failures for the four-time world champion German team, which has not won the title since its last triumph in 2014.

Klopp takes on the task less than two years after joining Red Bull.

During the recent World Cup, he worked as a TV analyst for a German network and was widely seen as the fans' favorite to take charge of the team.

But Klopp faced some criticism during the tournament, before later apologizing after he hinted that Nagelsmann's time with the team might be coming to an end.

Klopp is one of the most successful coaches in German football history, having led Borussia Dortmund to win the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal titles before moving to Liverpool in 2015.

During nine years at Anfield, he led the English club to most major titles, most notably the Champions League and the Premier League.

About his new task, Klopp told journalists: "Coaching the German national team is the highlight of my career, and I will do everything I can to achieve success."

He stressed: "I am far from perfect, but we have a few weeks before the next international break, and I think that gives us enough time to prepare."

He indicated that he aims to "benefit from the experiences of Germany's most successful coaches and follow the path that led them to achieve the greatest success and development."

Earlier this month, the German Football Association announced that Nagelsmann had requested to terminate his contract after Germany's World Cup exit.

Despite the elimination, Nagelsmann, who took charge in 2023 and became the youngest coach to lead a team in the World Cup knockout stages in four decades at age 38, had stated after the elimination that he is "not the type to resign just because of a tournament exit."