„Mainz“ club director Christian Heidel revealed that current Borussia Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp was very close to moving to Bayern Munich in the summer of 2008.
According to Heidel, the German champions at the time were looking for someone to replace Ottmar Hitzfeld, and Klopp, who had successfully led Mainz, appeared to be an excellent candidate. Representatives from Bayern had contacted the coach by phone.
Nevertheless, despite Klopp's enthusiasm, the Bavarian club decided to appoint Jurgen Klinsmann as the head coach.
„I sat next to him when he received a call from Bayern director Uli Hoennes," Heidel told Bild.
„At that time, Bayern had two candidates, and Klopp was one of them. Of course, he was very excited. Everyone becomes that way when they get a call from the Bayern representatives.“
During his career in Germany, Klopp, while at Borussia, managed to lead the club to a UEFA Champions League final, win the Bundesliga twice, and win the country's cup once.
