Rodri Hernández will undergo back surgery next week

Jürgen Klopp took over as the new Germany coach with a clear message: the privacy of his family is a limit that he will not negotiate. In his first press conference, the former Liverpool coach warned that he could resign if the media invades that space.

“Jürgen Klopp has no career after the national team. Ideally, this will be the highlight of my career, of my life, of my working life. I will put everything I can into it,” declared the 59-year-old coach.

Klopp signed a contract until the 2030 World Cup, with clear objectives: Euro 2028 and the 2030 World Cup. He replaces Julian Nagelsmann, who left the position after Germany’s elimination in the round of 16 of the World Cup against Paraguay. Klopp noted that both Nagelsmann and Thomas Tuchel were treated unfairly by the press.

His goal: to restore enthusiasm to German football

Klopp assured that his mission is not only to win, but to make the team “cool” again. He admitted that he has not closely followed national team matches outside of major tournaments, but promised to create an atmosphere that excites the fans.

“I want to create something with the national team that makes people go home after the game and think, ‘That was really cool,'” he said.

The coach arrives after a year and a half as global director of football at Red Bull. The German federation paid one million euros to a charity linked to Red Bull and agreed to three friendly matches in Leipzig. Klopp will debut in September with four Nations League games against the Netherlands, Greece and Serbia.

Along with Klopp, former defender Per Mertesacker joins as general director of sport, with the mission of promoting youth development. His Liverpool assistants, Peter Krawietz and Pep Lijnders, also return, as well as former footballer Sven Bender. Klopp’s agent, Marc Kosicke, will have a strategic role, but will not be an employee of the federation.

Replacement on the Belgian bench

The Belgian Football Federation announced this Friday Mark van Bommel as the new national coach. The former Netherlands international replaces Rudi Garcia, whose departure was confirmed after his contract expired on July 31.

Van Bommel arrives after Belgium reached the quarterfinals in the last World Cup. The 48-year-old coach will lead a generation that he considers has high potential.

“Belgium has extraordinary players and enormous potential,” said Van Bommel. “Together with my coaching staff, we want to build a team that is disciplined, ambitious and brave enough to compete with the best.”

The Dutchman has previous experience in clubs such as PSV, Wolfsburg and Antwerp. Now he takes on the challenge of leading the ‘Red Devils’ to new achievements on the international stage.

Their first test will be qualifying for the next World Cup. The fans expect a firm and offensive style, a hallmark of his career as a player and technical director.

Vozinha a Colo Colo

Cape Verdean goalkeeper Vozinha, 40, will be a new Colo Colo player, confirmed the president of Blanco y Negro, Aníbal Mosa.

Mosa assured that the goalkeeper will travel to Chile in the coming days to undergo medical examinations and then will be presented at the Monumental Stadium. “He meets the conditions to be here,” he declared.

According to the leader, the operation also has a marketing component, but he stressed that Vozinha “has just had a very good World Cup.” He added that his arrival “places our club in the global orbit.”

Vozinha, whose real name is Josimar Dias, stole the show on June 15 with a key performance in Cape Verde’s 0-0 draw against then-European champions Spain. It was the first World Cup match in the history of his team.

Then Cape Verde tied 2-2 with Uruguay and 0-0 with Saudi Arabia. They lost in the round of 32 against Argentina, forcing extra time.

His career includes clubs in Angola, Moldova, Cyprus, Slovakia and Portugal. His last team was Chaves, from the Portuguese second league, where he played for two years and left with the pass in his possession.

The nickname “Vozinha” means “granny” in Portuguese. He received it from children who bullied him and laughed when he went home crying to his grandparents. He later adopted him because another classmate had the same first name.

After the game against Spain, his followers on Instagram went from about 50,000 to more than 2.4 million in a few hours. Today it totals 29.5 million.

Mosa stated that the final details are being worked out, but he has confirmation from the player’s representatives.