Nagelsmann dismisses Klopp's 'still' quip as Germany prepare for Ivory Coast

Julian Nagelsmann has brushed aside Jürgen Klopp’s pointed on-air joke about taking over as Germany head coach, saying he neither expected nor sought an apology from the former Liverpool manager ahead of the national team’s World Cup fixture against Ivory Coast on Saturday.

The controversy began during Germany’s 7-1 opening win over Curacao, when Klopp — working as a pundit for Magenta Sport alongside Bayern Munich legend Thomas Müller — remarked while discussing the starting line-up: “Luckily, it’s Julian Nagelsmann who’s picking the team. Still.” Müller struggled to contain his amusement, though he did fire back: “Kloppo, we are still in June. You are already in September.”

The quip landed less well elsewhere. Former Germany international Stefan Effenberg, speaking on Sport1, was unambiguous in his criticism. “That’s not right; he’s speaking to millions of viewers,” Effenberg said. “And on top of that, he ended up bursting out laughing. A comment like that, you can make it over a beer in the pub, but certainly not in front of millions of viewers. It’s unacceptable.”

Klopp, who serves as head of global soccer for Red Bull, subsequently addressed Nagelsmann directly and offered a candid self-assessment. “I could have punched myself in the face for that, but it was already too late and I was on TV,” he said. “It just slipped out casually, and has absolutely no relevance. What I’ve realised is, I’ll be 59 on Tuesday and I’m still an idiot.”

He also sought to reaffirm his support for the Germany camp. “We are completely on your side, whatever you do with this. Nothing will come of it that is intended to disrupt the process here,” Klopp added.

Nagelsmann, speaking at a pre-match press conference, was measured in his response. “I did not expect an apology from Jürgen Klopp for his comments and I also don’t listen to everybody talking about our team. That’s not possible,” the Germany head coach said.

Klopp has been widely discussed as a potential future Germany manager, lending the throwaway remark an edge that went beyond simple banter. Müller maintained that his exchanges with Klopp are frequently “lively” and that there is “always a bit of banter” between them, but the public nature of the comment ensured it became a talking point at a sensitive moment for the national team.