Jurgen Klopp is set to return to Anfield this month for a charity match against his former club Borussia Dortmund. Klopp will take charge alongside Sir Kenny Dalglish during the March international break when the Liverpool Legends face BVB. The match will generate funds for the LFC Foundation, a cause particularly dear to the German. Following his Anfield departure in 2024, Klopp has remained occupied in his role as Red Bull’s head of global football and has attended numerous sporting occasions worldwide.
Liverpool maintained their momentum in chasing silverware after Klopp’s exit when Arne Slot assumed control, with the Dutchman securing the Premier League crown in his debut campaign. Yet the 2025/26 season has presented contrasting fortunes at Anfield. Disappointing domestic form combined with questionable European performances, despite the Reds progressing to the Champions League quarter-finals, alongside an early Carabao Cup exit against Crystal Palace, have intensified scrutiny on the Dutchman.
Certain voices have periodically suggested Klopp should return to the club to restore stability. Whilst this scenario remains highly improbable, the German hasn’t entirely ruled it out at some stage down the line. Express Sport looks at the most recent developments surrounding the legendary Liverpool figure…
Klopp’s return to Anfield
Klopp will be making a much-anticipated return to the Anfield dugout on March 28. However, he will only be overseeing a charity fixture against Borussia Dortmund to raise funds for the LFC Foundation.
The Liverpool Legends will face Dortmund in a match featuring former club icons Steven Gerrard and Sir Kenny Dalglish. Klopp continues to work with the official charity as an honorary ambassador and will take charge of the Reds alongside Dalglish during the March international break. While Gerrard will be on the pitch as a player.
Speaking ahead of the fixture, the German said: “I’m really proud to be an Ambassador for the LFC Foundation. It means a lot to me, honestly. To be back at Anfield for the Legends game, alongside Sir Kenny and his team, playing against the BVB legends, that is something special.
“It’s going to be a very emotional and special day for me, for the LFC Foundation and for everyone involved. I can’t wait and I really hope to see you all there.”
Should Klopp return to management at any stage, he has made clear that he would be seeking a club with football at the core of its ethos. This was the key reason he initially joined Liverpool in 2015 after discussions with other teams that were more concerned with the commercial side of the game.
Manchester United and Real Madrid were among the clubs to have shown interest in the German before he joined the Reds. Speaking in 2018 about how Liverpool persuaded him to make the switch to England, the 58-year-old said: “I love the history.
Jurgen Klopp will return to Anfield next weekend (Image: Getty Images)
“I really am a football romantic. I knew I probably can help. They maybe really need me, in this time. I know what I’m good at. When they told me about the problems they had I thought, ‘OK, yeah, I am probably the really right manager for that club’.
“They took me like I am, they didn’t ask me to do anything else, so I could focus from the first day completely on football. It is a football club. A football club. I had talks with other clubs and they didn’t sound like a football club. It sounded like marketing, image, you need to sign this, you need to sign that. And I thought, ‘Wow, that’s not the game I love.'”
Since departing Anfield, Klopp has additionally confirmed he would never take charge of another English club. Intriguingly, though, he hasn’t entirely dismissed a potential return to the Reds at some stage down the line.
Speaking in 2024, he continued: “What I know definitely – I will never, ever manage a different club in England than Liverpool, 100 per cent. That’s not possible. My love for this club, my respect for the people, is too big.
“I couldn’t. I couldn’t for a second think about it. There’s no chance. This is part of my life, we are part of the family, we feel at home here. There’s no chance to do that.”
When questioned again last year about whether he might ever return to Liverpool, Klopp responded: “I said I will never coach a different team in England so that means, if [I did return], then it’s Liverpool. So, yeah, theoretically it is possible.”
Wife’s thoughts on Liverpool decision
Throughout his tenure at Liverpool, Klopp consistently involved his wife Ulla Sandrock in his decision-making process and is likely to seek her advice regarding any future career moves. The ex-Reds boss wedded Ulla in 2005, during his time at Mainz, and they have maintained a strong partnership throughout his managerial career.
Indeed, Klopp’s spouse played a significant part in persuading him to extend his contract with the club until 2026 in 2022. Despite his premature departure, Klopp stated at the time: “The most important contract I signed in my life was the one with Ulla.
“And that’s why it started again, because actually we sat at the kitchen table and Ulla said, ‘I can’t see us leaving in 2024.’ I said, ‘What?’ That’s how it all started and when that started I thought, ‘Let’s have a think.'”
Although Klopp did eventually depart Liverpool, Sandrock’s involvement in the local community had a profound effect – particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic. She made a generous donation to Formby Community Football Club during the 2020 lockdown.
Reports also emerged that Klopp’s wife distributed £1,000 worth of food vouchers to supermarket employees around the same period. This gesture was reportedly a token of gratitude to those who cared for her, and a Waitrose staff member expressed their appreciation.
They said: “This was an incredible thing to do. Typically, Ulla didn’t want to make a fuss, or receive any recognition, and just wanted people working in shops to get the recognition they deserve.”