Jürgen Klopp and Raphael Honigstein are a great pairing. They are among the best of the best in their fields, albeit on different sides of the beautiful game. Klopp, arugably the top manager in the Premier League and perhaps the world, is the subject of Honigstein’s latest book, Bring the Noise: The Jürgen Klopp Story. Honigstein is a leading expert on German football, making his name as a renowned journalist whose work is known all over the globe. One of his previous offerings, Das Reboot, was easily the top football title of 2015 and is still a widely used reference on German football today.
The title is pure brilliance, effectively chronicling the journey of Klopp from top player to global coaching icon. A decorated 15-year playing career, which included nearly 12 years at Mainz 05, eventually gave way to managerial positions at Mainz 05, Borussia Dortmund, and most recently Liverpool FC.
Honigstein tells Klopp’s story from every angle with plenty of perspective on how he rose to the top of the coaching field. His time at Mainz and Dortmund saw him bring those clubs to worldwide notoriety and his current Liverpool project has the club currently among the elite of England and Europe. Simply put, Klopp has made a name for himself and his employers as well as the players and supporters that have rallied around him at every stop. It’s no wonder why everyone, including the sports media, is enamored with and fascinated by the German coaching maestro.
This great book allows readers to go into Klopp’s inner circle and see how he playing career affected his style as a manager. His persona and the stories surrounding his many successes are dissected with great precision. This is not like watching him on the touch-line on television….it’s much better. This book features intimate interviews, stories, and perspectives in the vein of a great sports documentary (insert your favorite ESPN 30 for 30 here), which makes for a much more enjoyable experience.
Honigstein is quite adept at both storytelling and the sharing of facts and the flow of this book is quite remarkable. Its departure from a strict chronological timeline is quite welcome in this context and make for a more entertaining read. His style as a writer brings years of journalistic experience covering the biggest matches together with well-written content worthy of the canon of great literature. We couldn’t think of a better writer suited for this work.
The story of Klopp’s rise has never been told in any detail, but that changes with this title, which is a real work of art. It’s worthy of the brilliance that Klopp has always exhibited and, at the same time, worthy of the reputation that Honigstein has built for himself. Expect this offering from Nation Books to be among the very best sports titles of 2018.
