Man-catcher

Red Bull of all clubs! Millions of soccer fans are turning away from their idol Jürgen Klopp in disappointment. How can he? The soccer romantic Klopp, who stands for traditional values in soccer, is joining the plastic club and major corporation Red Bull of all places. There, Klopp, affectionately known as "Kloppo", will become Head of Global Soccer from next year. What exactly is behind the Anglicism? The coaching legend answers that himself. A Head of Global Soccer is a "mentor for the coaches and the management of the Red Bull clubs, but ultimately I am part of an organization that is unique, innovative and future-oriented". [1]

I am amused by the reactions to last week's news in several respects. On a sober note, there is no reason to be outraged. An extremely intelligent employment contract has been signed here. It is a contract that pays off for both sides. For Klopp, the contract is worth millions in cash, for Red Bull it is worth millions in an enormous image boost that even the most expensive advertising campaign would never have achieved. That is the main reason for the  commitment and certainly not Klopp's nebulous job description as a coordinating mentor in the background. It is therefore just another advertising contract in the life of Jürgen Klopp. 

I am amused by the reason for the millions of people's outrage. The reason for the nationwide outrage lies in a reputation that Klopp wrongly enjoys. He enjoys the image of the down-to-earth critic of commerce. In fact, Kloppo has been denouncing the commercialization of professional soccer like a prayer wheel for years. Such an attitude opens the hearts of fans. However, this has never prevented him from marketing his own popularity for maximum profit. No coach in the world signs so many private advertising contracts [2]. From alcohol and cars to glasses and banks, razors and wallpaper paste - Klopp has advertised and continues to advertise everything that is not up to scratch. He can do that. But then he shouldn't criticize commerce. Anyone who rubs their eyes in amazement at Klopp's Red Bull contract today has not understood that Klopp has done nothing other than sell his positive image as an advertising medium for a lot of money over the past 15 years. His latest advertising partner is Red Bull. Nothing more, nothing less, just cleverly packaged.

Kloppo is natural, modest and authentic. This reputation also precedes him. Is that at least true? Not in my opinion. I think Klopp is an extremely self-absorbed person. His vanity goes so far that he had his teeth artificially bleached white in England after deciding to have a hair transplant back in 2012 [3]. Of course, Klopp can also have surgical cosmetic procedures done on himself. He could have his buttocks tightened the day after tomorrow for all I care. I just wonder about the image of the natural-authentic person. 

All of this is well known among soccer fans. So why is Jürgen Klopp still by far the most popular coach, if not the most popular person in Germany? Because he is a man-catcher.

That's not me saying that. That's what players who have trained under him say. That's what former Klopp superiors like Hans-Joachim Watzke say. That's what journalists say above all and repeatedly [4]. If you enter the terms Klopp & man-catcher into a search engine, you get dozens of hits. Klopp is a man who captures other people and knows how to win them over. A quick-witted guy with an engaging personality! A person who captivates other people and makes them laugh. A coach for whom exhausted players keep going even when they have a calf cramp. Klopp is someone you simply have to love. Anyone who has ever watched a press conference with Jürgen Klopp knows what I'm talking about. It's pure entertainment!

Klopp's outstanding sporting success at three clubs is also undisputed. Nevertheless, I have never been captivated by him. The reason for this is simple. I have a general defensive attitude towards man-catchers. And there are many of them besides Klopp. In extreme cases, people catchers are dangerous people.

What is the secret of every cult's success? As a rule, their leaders have a charisma that captivates their followers. At the top of cults are usually people with an impressive aura and seductive skills, with brilliant rhetoric and the talent to inspire people who are looking for something. Cults are headed by man-catchers [5]. 

Of course, Jürgen Klopp has little in common with a cult leader. I'll try a smaller scale. What is the greatest talent of Harald Lesch or Eckart von Hirschhausen? Is it their scientific expertise, which covers what feels like a hundred different topics? No. Hirschhausen and Lesch are also people catchers. They are two people with high popularity ratings who are well liked by the majority of the population. I know that from my own memory and experience. I remember the one or other spacy night of my TV youth, through which Harald Lesch accompanied me. The entertainer Lesch inspired me with his wit and captured me as a person. It wasn't until much later that I began to question his statements.

Are there people catchers in German politics? Rather fewer. Olaf Scholz is unlikely to be Chancellor because of his charisma and charisma. If you do a bit of Googling, you will come across one German politician in particular in connection with the term "people catcher". Robert Habeck.

"Robert Habeck has a talent for catching people like hardly any other politician." [6]

This is what the Rheinische Post recently wrote about the upcoming Green candidate for chancellor. This judgment is by no means an isolated journalistic opinion. It should be noted that the word "man-catcher" is used here, as with Klopp, with a positive connotation. The Rheinische Post is definitely right about one thing. The man-catcher Robert Habeck, as it calls him, has managed to capture the majority of left-wing mainstream journalists over the years to such an extent that some newspaper articles resemble prayers that believers dedicate to their spiritual leader. No. I am not exaggerating.

"How do I learn to talk like Robert Habeck?" [7]

This was once the title of an image brochure about their favorite politician disguised as an article in DIE ZEIT. The accompanying Habeck cover picture would  would also work as an advertising photo for ElitePartner. So Habeck as a rose cavalier and bachelor in a media soap opera, capturing people and above all women? I don't think that's an exaggeration either. If you listen to Spiegel journalist Melanie Amann, for example, her admiration of Habeck rises to an almost moaning erotic level in terms of both content and voice [8].

All right. The Habeck hype has died down a little. Even gazettes that are sympathetic to him are taking an increasingly critical view of the German Economics Minister. Nevertheless, it looks like Bündnis 90/the Greens are betting everything on Habeck in the unofficial election campaign for the 2025 federal election. Quite rightly in my eyes! In contrast to his opponents Merz and Scholz, Habeck is a catcher of people.

People long for support and heroes. Especially in difficult times. People long for people they can admire, adore and love. I don't exclude myself from this phenomenon. My luck is that I have a regulator, comparable to an inner warning light that automatically flashes as soon as my admiration for a person becomes too great. There are two reasons for this.

The word man-catcher is just a metaphor. Actually and originally, the term stands for a weapon. So-called man-catchers were used to hunt down war deserters or capture fugitives from penitentiaries [9]. So it seems that the word "man-catcher" is not as positive as the German media generally use it. Reason number two is more important.

What exactly distinguishes a man-catcher from a rat-catcher? Nothing. The history of mankind is full of man-catchers who only turned out to be pied pipers in retrospect.