Jurgen Klopp branded a 'strange bloke' by ex-Premier League ref in row over 'private picture'

Mark Clattenburg once dubbed Jurgen Klopp a 'strange bloke' following a 'bizarre' encounter with the Liverpool boss.

Klopp was appointed Liverpool manager in October 2015 following a prolific spell in Germany with Borussia Dortmund.

He guided Dortmund to not one but two Bundesliga titles and reached the Champions League final in the 2012/13 season.

Recalling a Champions League clash between Real Madrid and Dortmund, Clattenburg revealed an exchange with Klopp over a 'private picture' with Marcelo.

In an extract from his book Whistle Blower via the Mirror, he said: "After the game, I came out of my dressing room and Real defender Marcelo and his wife asked for a picture. It was a private picture on their phone, so I said yeah, no problem.

"Klopp walked past just as the photo was being taken, 'Oh, so that's why we got beat, is it?' he said. He was not being humorous or friendly, he was being sarky.

"'You're lucky you only got beat 3-0,' I said. The fact we were in Madrid probably gave me a bit of bravado to answer back. It annoyed me when managers could not be gracious in defeat."

Jurgen Klopp speaks to Mark Clattenburg after Liverpool vs. Manchester United. Image: Getty

That wasn't the only time Clattenburg and Klopp clashed as things intensified when Liverpool hired the world-class manager.

The former Premier League official recalled his final game with Klopp and revealed how he tried to intimidate him before taking charge of Liverpool vs. Chelsea at Anfield.

"Klopp never took losing well. When he was winning he was happy, he was good fun. When things were not going his way, he got prickly. My final game with Klopp was in January 2017 against Chelsea at Anfield," he added.

"Managers rarely came into my dressing room for the exchange of team sheets an hour before kick-off. On this occasion, Klopp came in with Jordan Henderson. It was bizarre, he stood and stared at me for about 30 seconds.

"I just stared back at him. I could see Jordan was a bit like, 'What the hell's going on?' Did Klopp think I was stupid? I was not going to be bullied by him. He left and all I thought was: 'What a strange bloke'."

Topics: Liverpool, Jurgen Klopp, Football

Nasir Jabbar

Nasir Jabbar is a journalist at SPORTbible. He graduated from Bath Spa University with a BA in Media Communications. He's a combat sport aficionado and has contributed to MMA websites AddictedMMA and CagePotato. Nasir has covered some of the biggest fights, while interviewing the likes of Conor McGregor, Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury and Darren Till. He's also an avid Bristol City fan.

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