Jurgen Klopp “cried on the phone” when he told Kevin Prince-Boateng he was unable to sign him permanently while manager of Borussia Dortmund.
Prince-Boateng joined the Bundesliga side on loan in January 2009 after a less than productive spell at Spurs, where he struggled under the management of Martin Jol and Juande Ramos.
The Ghanaian made a positive impression on the now Liverpool boss in his ten appearances for Dortmund, helping the German side to a sixth-place finish in Klopp’s first season at Signal Iduna Park.
Klopp wanted to make Prince-Boateng’s move permanent, but Dortmund were unable to come up with the funds, with the midfielder instead returning to the Premier League with Portsmouth.
On Rio Ferdinand’s FIVE podcast, Prince-Boateng revealed the emotional phone call he shared with Klopp.
“He was a very important figure in my career,” Prince-Boateng said. “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.
“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.”
Prince-Boateng hailed the rapport he had with Klopp, praising his 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.
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.”
