Jurgen Klopp is swapping the football pitch for the ski slopes. The legendary former Liverpool manager has landed a surprise gig at the Winter Olympics that nobody saw coming.
Klopp will ring the bell for the final lap of the men's biathlon relay on Tuesday afternoon. For those unfamiliar, biathlon combines cross-country skiing with rifle shooting – and it's absolutely brilliant to watch.
The 58-year-old grew up in Germany's Black Forest, where winter sports are a way of life. He's been obsessed with biathlon since he was a kid, and he's not hiding his excitement about this opportunity.
A Lifelong Winter Sports Fan
"I'm a fan of everything," Klopp explained. "I love all alpine skiing, I love all cross-country skiing disciplines, I love biathlon. It's all just exciting."
The former Reds boss even admitted he doesn't understand all winter sports. He's particularly baffled by curling, wondering how anyone can bend down so low and still push that stone around. Fair question, Jurgen.
When asked to ring the Olympic bell, Klopp's first response was classic: "What is that?" But he didn't hesitate to say yes. It'll be his first time watching a biathlon race live, which is pretty remarkable for such a big fan.
Meeting His Hero
Klopp is a massive admirer of Ole Einar Bjorndalen, the Norwegian biathlon legend with 14 Winter Olympic medals. The two actually met for a documentary back in 2019 called 'Klopp Meets Bjorndalen.'
"I don't think Ole Einar has bigger admirers than me," Klopp said at the time. He even compared meeting Bjorndalen to meeting Muhammad Ali – that's how much respect he has for the Norwegian.
Klopp tried explaining Bjorndalen's greatness to his English friends during his Liverpool days. "He is Franz Beckenbauer, Pele and Bobby Moore in one person," he said. High praise indeed.
Bjorndalen was equally impressed with Klopp, calling him "even more awesome in real life" and someone "very easy to love."
It's worth noting that Klopp now works as head of soccer for the Red Bull group, so he's got a bit more free time for these adventures. Let's just hope he does a better job with the bell than former Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, who nearly took someone's head off when his bell flew off the handle during London 2012.
This appearance shows Klopp's personality perfectly – a football genius who's just as passionate about other sports and isn't afraid to step outside his comfort zone.
