Ex-Liverpool Coach Jurgen Klopp to Be Honoured with Special Award Previously Won by Sir Alex Ferguson

For “Embodying the Love for the Roots of Football” and His “Refreshing Sense of Humour”

In a sport often dominated by money, egos, and never-ending headlines about transfers and rivalries, Jurgen Klopp has always managed to be something different — something deeply human. The former Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund coach, who walked away from Anfield in 2024 after nine emotional years, is set to be recognised once again — not for his trophies, but for his character.

Later this month, Klopp will receive the 2025 Walther Bensemann Prize, a prestigious German football honour celebrating figures who embody values that transcend the game: fair play, empathy, intercultural understanding, and the enduring love for football’s roots.

It’s an award that has previously gone to legends such as Sir Alex Ferguson, Vicente del Bosque, Joachim Löw, Ottmar Hitzfeld, and Christian Streich — and now, the charismatic man from Stuttgart will take his place among them.

Klopp to Be Honoured with the Walther Bensemann Award

The Walther Bensemann Prize is one of the most respected accolades in German football culture, presented annually by the German Academy for Football Culture and Kicker magazine. The prize, first introduced in 2006, is named after Walther Bensemann, the pioneering founder of Kicker and an early advocate for football as a global, unifying language.

Bensemann’s mission was simple but profound: to make football a force for tolerance, community, and peace. And in many ways, Klopp has embodied that ideal throughout his managerial career — with his humour, his openness, and his insistence that football is, first and foremost, a game for the people.

The jury said it best in their statement:

“Jurgen Klopp is a bridge-builder for football. Beyond his sporting achievements, he represents authenticity, humour, and respect for the roots of the game — qualities that have made him a global symbol of the positive power of football.”

Why Klopp’s Leadership Transcends Football

Jurgen Klopp

When Klopp took over Liverpool in 2015, the club was struggling — emotionally and competitively. The glory days felt distant, the spirit was flat, and the connection between team and fans seemed frayed. Klopp changed all that, not only by delivering trophies but by rebuilding belief.

His message was simple: “Turn doubters into believers.”
And that’s exactly what he did.

Under his leadership, Liverpool captured the Champions League in 2019 and ended a 30-year wait for the Premier League title in 2020. But beyond the silverware, Klopp redefined the club’s identity — focusing on passion, unity, and humanity over pure results.

That’s part of the reason he’s receiving this award. The Walther Bensemann jury specifically praised Klopp for “maintaining humility and humour in a football world increasingly detached from its community roots.”

In an age of corporate ownerships and branding, Klopp never lost sight of what football truly means. He joked in press conferences, hugged his players like family, and turned post-match interviews into masterclasses in sincerity. He was competitive, of course, but never cynical.

A Prize Rooted in Football’s Soul

The Walther Bensemann Prize isn’t about winning titles or setting records — it’s about character. It’s about preserving football’s humanity when the sport threatens to lose it.

Bensemann, who founded Kicker in 1920, envisioned the sport as a tool to unite people across nations, long before Europe knew peace. He believed in “football without borders.” Klopp, in his own modern way, continues that legacy.

The editorial team at Kicker wrote:

“What we associate with Walther Bensemann’s mentality is Jurgen Klopp’s refreshing sense of humour in the often over-hyped business of football. As a coach and as a public figure, he cultivates an individual style — one that reconnects the game to its soul.”

That sense of humour and humanity has been a constant thread through Klopp’s journey. From his early days at Mainz, to his high-octane years at Dortmund, to his legendary tenure at Liverpool, Klopp has shown that football success doesn’t have to come at the cost of authenticity.

A Legacy Beyond the Touchline

What makes Klopp’s recognition so special is that it comes after he stepped away from the game — a reminder that his influence endures even when he’s not pacing the technical area.

In his final press conference as Liverpool manager, Klopp said:

“If you can’t be happy for the people around you, you’ve got a problem. Football is about emotion — that’s why we love it.”

That emotional honesty is what made him beloved not just by Liverpool fans but by football followers around the world.

Unlike many modern managers who operate as corporate figures, Klopp always came across as a man of the people — approachable, genuine, and profoundly aware of football’s role in everyday life.

The award jury recognised this too, highlighting how Klopp “embodies a universal love for the game and consistently advocates for intercultural understanding.”

Jurgen Klopp Liverpool 2023

Donating His Prize to Inclusion in Football

In a gesture that perfectly captures who Klopp is, he has decided to donate the €10,000 prize money from the award to KickIn! – Advice Center for Inclusion in Football, a German organisation that supports disabled football fans.

It’s a small but deeply meaningful act — a continuation of Klopp’s belief that football must be for everyone.

“Football belongs to the people,” Klopp once said. “If we ever forget that, we lose everything.”

This isn’t the first time he’s used his platform for good. Over the years, he’s supported charities across Germany and the UK, often quietly, without the fanfare that surrounds celebrity donations.

Past Winners and What the Award Symbolises

The list of past Walther Bensemann Prize winners reads like a who’s who of football’s moral compass.

• Sir Alex Ferguson — for his leadership and commitment to fair play.
• Vicente del Bosque — for his humility and calm stewardship of Spain’s golden generation.
• Joachim Löw — for embodying modern football values while keeping Germany’s team united across backgrounds.
• Christian Streich — for his outspoken defence of inclusivity and his refusal to bow to football’s corporate culture.

Now Jurgen Klopp joins that lineage — not as a successor, but as a natural fit. Each recipient has, in their own way, kept the human spirit of football alive, and Klopp’s inclusion feels almost inevitable.

The Gala and What Comes Next

Klopp will officially receive the Walther Bensemann Prize at a gala hosted by the German Academy for Football Culture in Nuremberg’s Tafelhalle on October 24.

The event, which will also feature the Football Quote of the Year, Football Book of the Year, and Fan Award, will be broadcast live by Kicker.

It promises to be a night not of glitz, but of genuine celebration — a reminder that football is still, at its best, about people, connection, and shared joy.

And while Klopp is currently taking a much-needed break from the pressures of management, his influence continues to ripple through the sport. Whether it’s his old players at Liverpool still invoking his spirit or young coaches citing him as inspiration, his shadow looms large in the best possible way.

A Coach, a Philosopher, and a Bridge-Builder

For all the tactical brilliance — the Gegenpressing, the emotion, the fist pumps — Jurgen Klopp’s greatest legacy might be something simpler: the reminder that football, at its heart, is about belonging.

The Walther Bensemann Prize recognises that truth. It honours not just what Klopp won, but who he is.

He’s been called many things — motivator, master tactician, father figure — but perhaps the title that fits best is the one Kicker used:

“A bridge-builder for football.”

And maybe that’s what makes Klopp so timeless. Because long after the tactics evolve and the trophies gather dust, his impact will remain — not in the record books, but in the way people feel about the game.

At the end of the day, Jurgen Klopp’s story has always been bigger than football. It’s about laughter on the sidelines, hugs in the rain, and the belief that sport, at its best, unites rather than divides.

Come October 24 in Nuremberg, when he steps up to receive the Walther Bensemann Prize, it won’t just be another award on a shelf. It’ll be a celebration of something rarer — the soul of football, personified by one man and his ever-present smile.