“I didn’t want to bring back Cristiano Ronaldo, this won’t help!” - Jurgen Klopp reveals why he turned down Manchester United job

Former Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has revealed that he turned down the Manchester United job because they wanted to bring back players like Cristiano Ronaldo and Paul Pogba. Klopp also stated that the club's hierarchy were more focused on signing the best players in the world rather than developing a footballing philosophy during their meetings.

After parting ways with Borussia Dortmund at the end of the 2014-15 campaign, Jurgen Klopp was made available in the market. The German went on to join Liverpool on October 8, 2015, replacing Brendan Rodgers, and establishing himself as one of the greatest managers in Premier League history.

However, things could have turned out much differently if he had opted to join Manchester United instead. During an interview with Steven Bartlett on The Diary of a CEO podcast, Klopp revealed why he turned down the role at Old Trafford while he was still managing Dortmund (via @TouchlineX):

"Because I was told things in the meetings that I didn't like: 'We get all the players you want... we get him, and him, and him..' "And I was sitting there like... yea, this is not my type of project."

He added:

"I didn't want to bring back Paul Pogba! These things won't work! I didn't want to bring back Cristiano Ronaldo, this won't help! Their idea was to bring the best players to the club, but they would never bring up football. And then a pure football project came along: Liverpool FC."

He also delved further into why he didn't want to focus on just signing superstars like Cristiano Ronaldo (via SPORTbible):

"My god we know that together with Messi he's the best player in the world but bringing him back never helps. In that time, in 2013, it obviously wasn't about Cristiano and maybe not Paul - I'm not even sure, I don't have the numbers. But it was just the idea we bring the best players together and let's go. And I sat there and I was like, 'Nah, I'm not sure - that's not for me'. The pure football project comes up with Liverpool and in the end it was pretty special."

Klopp's decision to reject Manchester United for Liverpool paid dividends as he completely transformed the Reds into a formidable force once again, guiding them to eight trophies between 2015 and 2024.

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How did Cristiano Ronaldo fare at Manchester United during both his spells at the club?

Cristiano Ronaldo established himself as one of the best players in the world during his first spell at Manchester United between 2003 and 2009. The Portugal ace then returned as a veteran in the summer of 2021. However, he departed on poor terms in November 2022, after having his contract mutually terminated after falling out with Erik ten Hag and the club's hierarchy.

Cristiano Ronaldo flourished under Sir Alex Ferguson's tutelage, garnering 118 goals and 67 assists in 292 appearances across all competitions. He helped Manchester United win nine trophies, including three Premier League titles and the UEFA Champions League, and also won the 2008 Ballon d'Or.

Ronaldo's second tenure at Manchester United didn't prove to be as successful as he recorded 27 goals and five assists in 54 appearances across competitions before joining Al-Nassr in January 2023.

Edited by Silas Sud