Klopp cried over the phone as he told ex-Tottenham flop he couldn't sign him
Jurgen Klopp was reduced to tears as he informed Kevin Prince-Boateng he was unable to sign him permanently in an emotional phone call during their time at Borussia Dortmund.
Prince-Boateng joined Dortmund on loan in January 2009 following a challenging initial 18 months at Tottenham under the management of Martin Jol and Juande Ramos. The German-born Ghanaian made a positive impact during his 10 appearances at Signalu Iduna Park as his contributions helped Dortmund achieve a sixth-place finish in Klopp's inaugural season as the club's manager.
Despite facing a suspension towards the end of that season, Prince-Boateng had done enough to convince Klopp, who wanted to make the agreement with Spurs permanent. But Dortmund's financial position blocked the chances of any such move, with Prince-Boateng eventually returning to the Premier League with Portsmouth.
"He was a very important figure in my career," Prince-Boateng told Rio Ferdinand's FIVE podcast (via Liverpool Echo ). "It didn't work out. He called me personally and said we can't buy you, we don't have the money. We both cried on the phone. Like really cried. We had a very good relationship."
Prince-Boateng's arrival had been met with initial scepticism from the Dortmund fans. "When they announced that I come to Dortmund, they [fans] criticised the club, like: 'Why [are] you bringing that guy? He's crazy. Did you see what he did in Tottenham?'".
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But the former midfielder recalled Klopp defending him at a press conference, telling reporters: "'I brought him here, I will make him the player he is'. He said Prince Boateng has a book of 1,000 pages and each page is different, that's how good he is."
During their brief time working together they struck up an instant rapport and Prince-Boateng hailed Klopp's exceptional man-management skills. "I said I will give my life for him. Every player would die for him on the pitch because he gives you that feeling of confidence, that feeling of love as well.
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Kevin Prince-Boateng has opened up on his close relationship with Jurgen Klopp (Andreas Gora/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images)"Whatever you do, if you do a mistake, he's going to be there. I needed that guy who was going to believe in me because after Martin Jol and Juande Ramos, no-one believed in me. I didn't believe in myself - I just gave up.
"I had like six, seven pounds [of weight] more. So he gave me that feeling, so I came [there] and performed." Some of Prince-Boateng's antics at Dortmund did attract some negativity, however, including for a horror tackle on Wolfsburg's Makoto Hasebe - for which Klopp defended him.
Prince-Boateng eventually experienced a journeyman-like career, featuring stints with Genoa, AC Milan (twice), Schalke, Las Palmas, Eintracht Frankfurt, Sassuolo, Barcelona (loan), Fiorentina, Besiktas (loan) and Monza, before ending back at Hertha Berlin where he started his career. He retired in August aged 36.
* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story.You can report any errors to [email protected]
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