Eight years have passed since Jurgen Klopp‘s Borussia Dortmund side massacred Jose Mourinho‘s Real Madrid 4-1 at Signal Iduna Park, with Robert Lewandowski scoring all four goals that night.
Dortmund would eventually go on to feature in an all-German Champions League final against Bayern Munich, yet they would ultimately come up short against their bitter rivals.
But Klopp‘s first crossing with Real Madrid confirmed a renaissance of great German coaches, with the likes of Joachim Low, Thomas Tuchel and Hansi Flick all making a name for themselves in the following years.
Klopp was even linked to a move to Real Madrid following the 4-1 victory against Los Blancos, who got their revenge a year later by knocking out Dortmund from the competition.
The writing was on the wall, as Klopp‘s Dortmund had reached their potential. It was time for the German coach to move on.
Pep Guardiola’s Bayern didn’t help matters either, dismantling Dortmund‘s team with the signings of Mario Gotze, Lewandowski and Mats Hummels.
After a year’s sabbatical, Klopp took charge at Liverpool, where he has become an idol.
He grew and grew the team and reached his second Champions League final as a coach, with Liverpool facing Real Madrid in Kiev in 2018. It would turn out to be his second Champions League final loss in as many appearances.
The following year Liverpool would improve even more, losing out on the Premier League to Manchester City by just one point after having accrued at total of 98 points.
His arch nemesis, Guardiola, would pip him to the post again, but Klopp would go one better than Pep in the Champions League.
Liverpool overcame a 3-0 loss to Barcelona at the Camp Nou by winning 4-0 on a memorable night at Anfield, and then they went on to beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 in the final. At last, Klopp had his Champions League winners’ medal.
Liverpool continued in fine form last season by winning the league title after a 30-year wait, their first Premier League since it was established back in 1992.
They also won the European Super Cup and the Club World Cup to go with their Premier League title, comparable to the Liverpool team that dominated Europe in the 1970s and 80s.
This season it has been much more complicated, with injuries and inconsistency plaguing them at times, but the Champions League could provide a welcoming respite for the Reds as they take on Real Madrid once again on Tuesday night.
