Jurgen Klopp is once again the subject of rumour and this time the rumours are even more deafening than the Kop during a Champions League match. After leaving Liverpool in 2024 and stepping into his executive suit at Red Bull Group, Klopp appeared to have swapped touchline histrhetics for boardroom guile. But football has a funny way of dragging legends back. Reports from Portugal suggest Benfica’s presidential candidate Cristovao Carvalho wants Klopp to replace Bruno Lage—and he’s not being coy about it.
Jurgen Klopp as Benfica’s Masterstroke?
Carvalho has gone full campaign trail with Klopp as his poster boy, saying Benfica need a coach who has not only lifted the Champions League but has the hunger to chase it again. Klopp checks every box. Even better, Carvalho claims Klopp once confessed admiration for Benfica, hinting that Lisbon might be a city he’d gladly swap his Red Bull for.
Jurgen Klopp Versus Liverpool: A Script Hollywood Would Reject
Imagine the scene: Klopp traipsing into Anfield, but in this case with the crest of Benfica emblazoned over his heart. Liverpool, who now are thriving under Arne Slot, already showed they could win the league without their talismanic German. But a Champions League clash? That’s the sort of story UEFA fantasizes about – nostalgia, rivalry and popcorn smell. Klopp wouldn’t just be back, he’d be centre stage in the next epic showdown in football.
My Take: Should Klopp Really Do It?
Here’s where I step in: Klopp at Benfica would be both romantic and risky. Romantic, because it gives Europe a storyline rich with drama. Risky, because following up his Liverpool era is something akin to trying to outdo The Beatles with a garage band. However, there is one man who loves anarchy to an extent that he will at least attempt it, and that is Klopp. He is suited to comebacks, underdog tales, to punching above his weight. If Carvalho can lure him, buckle up—football just found its next soap opera.
