Jürgen Klopp Looks Back on Mats Hummels’ Career and Draws a Comparison to Franz Beckenbauer.
Mats Hummels trained under Jürgen Klopp at Borussia Dortmund for seven years. Klopp has now praised his former protégé in the highest terms and compared him to football legend Franz Beckenbauer.
“There was no player who came closer to Franz Beckenbauer in a similar position than Mats,” the 57-year-old ennobled the defender in the ZDF documentary “Hummels – La Finale”
Jürgen Klopp Once Coached Mats Hummels at BVB
Klopp praised Hummels for his interpretation of his position, which some famous players, including Liverpool star Virgil van Dijk, had taken as a guide.
Klopp Praises Hummels
The former BVB coach paid homage to the veteran for having repeatedly played balls with the outside of his foot at a young age and perfecting his technique as a result: “Otherwise, no one could play an outside of the foot pass so well.”
Hummels recently played for AS Rom and recently announced the end of his career as a professional footballer. “It is our own decision whether we are happy with what we have achieved,” Klopp explained when asked if he felt sorry for Hummels or had any tips for dealing with the end of his career.
Hummels can be proud of his career
In the last league game against AC Milan, the former BVB player ended his active career from the bench. “In the end, you don’t look at what you didn’t win in the second part of your career, but you look at what a great time I had,” the long-time companion summarized that Hummels can be proud of his 442 Bundesliga games.
“That’s a career,” Klopp summarized the career of the 2014 world champion, who is “certainly one of the greatest players of the last twenty years in Germany.”
Nobody would have thought such a career possible for the player “who was stumbling around in attack at FC Bayern back then.”
Hummels played for the record champions from the age of seven, initially as a striker.