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Jurgen Klopp turned down the chance to coach Mexico in 2015, with his focus firmly on a career in England, says a former director of national teams for the Mexican Football Federation.
Guillermo Cantu says he contacted Klopp through a third party and offered him the chance to manage El Tri but was told the German was intent on heading to England.
Instead, Klopp, who was ending a seven-season spell in charge of Borussia Dortmund, where he won back-to-back Bundesliga titles in 2010-11 and 2011-12, signed a deal at Liverpool in October 2015.
"I asked through a third party if he'd be interested in the Mexican national team and the message back was, 'I appreciate it, many thanks, but I still have a lot to do in club football and I want to go to England,'" said Cantu in an Instagram Live interview with TUDN.
After Klopp declined the job, Cantu went on to hire Juan Carlos Osorio as a manager in 2015, a decision that Cantu says he does not regret.
"If you told me, 'You will choose a coach who will finish the three years with a 70 per cent (win record),' I’d sign off on it 40 times," Cantu said.
"He always played to win, I think we can appreciate that," Cantu added. "They made fun of him when he said, ‘We have to go out and beat Germany'".
Meanwhile, Klopp has not done too badly either with a Champions League trophy in the bag.
The German has also transformed the team into one of the best side’s Europe and to within a touching distance of the Premier League title.
- TEAMtalk media
