Who is Jurgen Klopp’s wife? Ulla Sandrock age, children, and how did she convince him to stay at Liverpool FC

After six and a half years at Liverpool FC, Jurgen Klopp announced on Thursday (28 April) that he has committed his future to the Anfield club.

The manager said that he signed a contract extension to stay with the club until 2026.

This came as a surprise to some who assumed he would be leaving once his contract ended in 2024. However, Klopp has said his wife played a key role in the decision to extend his contract.

So, who is Ulla Sandrock?

Here’s everything you need to know about Sandrock and how she played a pivotal role in Klopp’s decision to stay with Liverpool.

Who is Ulla Sandrock?

Ulla Sandrock is a children’s author who has been married to Jurgen Klopp since December 2005.

The couple met while Sandrock was working as a waitress in a bar in Munich during Oktoberfest.

The couple have no children, however, Ulla is a stepmother to Jurgen’s son, Marc Klopp, from a previous relationship.

Sandrock is known as “The First Lady of Bundesliga” due to her extensive charity work.

As well as this, she previously worked as a teacher at a German school in Nairobi.

She is also a children’s author, releasing her first book Tom and the Magic Football in 2008, and a sequel in 2010.

Who is Jurgen Klopp?

Jurgen Klopp first arrived at Merseyside in 2015, and has been a key part in the club’s success.

In 2020, the manager helped Liverpool win its first league title in 30 years, and first ever Premier league title.

The manager helped gain key players like Mo Salah, Virgil van Dijk, and Sadio Mane who helped the team re-establish themselves as title contenders.

Klopp is now the Premier League’s longest-serving manager, after Sean Dyche was sacked from Burnley earlier this month (April 2021).

Did Ulla Sandrock persuade Jurgen Klopp to stay at Liverpool?

After announcing the extension of his contract, Klopp revealed that his wife, Ulla, played a pivotal role in his decision to stay with the club.

Klopp spoke to reporters stating: “I never thought we would find again a place where we would feel that welcome.”

“We sat in the kitchen at the table and Ulla said, ‘I can’t see us leaving in 2024.’ and I was like, ‘What?!’ ‘No, really, with all the people about’.

On the football club’s social media, Klopp joked about being a good husband: “‘Why?’ Because Ulla wants to stay! And like a good husband, when your wife wants you to stay, you stay!”

How long is the extension?

Klopp’s original contract was scheduled to come to an end in 2024, and the manager openly admitted that he intended to depart from the club at this time.

In a surprising turn of events that will no doubt leave Liverpool fans celebrating, Klopp announced that he had put pen to paper on a contract that will see him stay at the club until at least 2026.

What is the significance of the extension?

If Klopp stays at the club for the rest of his contract, he will have been Liverpol’s manager for over a decade after joining the club in 2015.

As well as this, it will make Klopp the fourth longest-serving manager for the club. Tom Watson holds the title for longest serving manager, and he managed the club for 19 years  from 1896 until 1915.