The future DFB managing director Per Mertesacker considers himself a good boss for national coach Jürgen Klopp. He was “nice, always open and honest, authentic. I think that’s a good fit between us,” said the ex-national player during his last assignment as a TV expert on ZDF. Interview guest Klopp replied: “I’m not worried about that at all.”
At the beginning of the conversation before the national team’s Nations League game against Serbia in Munich, the national coach joked about Mertesacker: “I greeted him as boss.”
The former soccer world champion will succeed the outgoing sports director Andreas Rettig at the German Football Association on January 1, 2027. Mertesacker will then be responsible for the national teams and academy.
Farewell as a TV expert
Before starting his new position, the 42-year-old had distanced himself from football. “I wanted to take a little time and take a break,” said Mertesacker.
He confessed that he had “not yet given much thought” to his future task. Family and friends were his priority recently. Next Monday he will “drop by” the DFB in Frankfurt am Main and then take several days “to get to know people”.
Mertesacker started his TV job at the second in September 2020, back then as the successor to Oliver Kahn. The former Bundesliga professional from Hannover 96 and Werder Bremen had his first major expert appearance at the European Championships held in 2021 and was also used in international matches, DFB Cup broadcasts and Champions League finals. His partner was his world champion friend Christoph Kramer, who first worked as a TV expert for ZDF in 2018.