Jurgen Klopp: who is his wife Ulla Sandrock and will he retire to Mallorcan villa?

Jurgen Klopp’s time at Anfield is now over following Sunday’s final Premier League match against Wolverhampton Wanderers. The Liverpool boss announced in February that, despite having two years still left on his contract, he would be leaving the Reds this summer after nine years in charge.

The 56-year-old has won the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup since arriving in 2015 but said he was ‘running out of energy’ and suggested he might not ever manage in football again.

Following his final game in front of a very emotional Liverpool crowd, Klopp’s next steps are not yet known but he could be set for a new ‘retired’ life in Mallorca after purchasing a £3.4 million villa on the Balearic Island. The German manager is said to be creating ‘an ecological family paradise’ and the former Liverpool defender and pundit Mark Lawrenson believes that Klopp is now planning to relocate to the Mallorcan villa with his wife, Ulla.

Speaking to Off the Ball in February, Lawrenson said of Klopp: “I’m not sure I should tell you this but it’s not a massive secret. He’s having a house built in Mallorca. I have a house somewhere not far away from where he’s building his. Ulla, his wife, is in charge of everything in terms of that, and (Klopp) said: “The b****y thing’s not even ready yet, and I’m paying all the bills!”. So he’s probably going to retreat to there for a while, I would suggest.”

According to Bild, Klopp purchased the home in June 2022 from Swiss businessman and artist Rolf Knie but has decided to completely rebuild the 5,000-square metre property. He wishes to transform the villa into a low-energy house where the heating and air conditioning systems are interconnected. Landscaping work on the gardens is also said to have been placed in the hands of the same company that designed the garden of the ‘Son Bunyolo’ hotel which is owned by the British billionaire Richard Branson.

Who is Jurgen Klopp’s wife?

Klopp has been married to Ulla Sandrock since 2005 and she is said to have been a hugely influential voice. She initially convinced Klopp to reject the advances of Manchester United in 2013 which led him to take over at Anfield two years later and the German manager also cited her advice as a crucial reason behind his decision to extend his Liverpool contract two years ago.

When confirming his contract extension back in 2022, Klopp said of the decision: “I stay for another two years. Why? Is now the question. Because Ulla wants to stay and as a good husband what are you doing when your wife wants to stay? You are staying. The most important contract in my life I signed is the one with Ulla.”

After announcing his departure in February, Klopp told Sky News that his wife already had several plans lined up for them: “There’s a few things Ulla told me - I have to learn cooking and a dance class. I said you don’t want me to have a break because if I do that I will start working after four weeks again!

“I should learn cooking probably so I can at least make some breakfast or whatever. This will be the first time in my life where I don't have a real idea of what I will do and that's exactly what I want.”

Before her and her husband’s move to Britain, Ms Sandrock had been given the title of The First Lady of Bundesliga in her home country due to her charity work in both Germany and Kenya. She had worked as a teacher and hospital worker in Nairobi for three years and is a children’s novelist. Her book ‘Tom and the Magic Football’ was published in 2008.

The pair do not have children together but both have sons from their respective first marriages.