Nagelsmann leaves as coach of the German national team, and Klopp is the most prominent candidate to succeed him sports

Germany national team coach Julian Nagelsmann submitted his resignation from his position, four days after their painful elimination from the round of 32 in the FIFA World Cup against Paraguay, according to what several German media outlets reported on Friday morning.

According to the newspaper “Bild” and the network “Sky”, Nagelsmann (38 years old), who is under a contract until the summer of 2028, agreed to the German Federation’s request to resign from the position he has held since September 2023, a request that was put to him on Thursday after a three-hour meeting to discuss the new failure of the German team in the World Cup.

It is expected that the issue of Nagelsmann’s succession will be opened quickly, with coach Jurgen Klopp (59 years old) topping the list of most likely candidates.

After successful experiences at the helm of Mainz and Borussia Dortmund in Germany, Klopp became a legend with Liverpool, as he led them to the English Premier League title in 2020, ending 30 years of fasting, a year after winning the Champions League.

In January 2024, he announced that he would leave Liverpool at the end of the season, after nine years he spent with the team since his arrival in the fall of 2015. Since January 1, 2025, he has held the position of Global Director of Football at Red Bull, supervising the clubs affiliated with the Austrian company.

The challenge awaiting Nagelsmann’s successor seems enormous, as Germany suffered three major setbacks in a row in the World Cup finals: two exits in the first round in 2018 and 2022, then elimination from the round of 32 a few days ago in Boston against the humble Paraguay team on penalties.