A Benfica presidential candidate says Liverpool legend Jurgen Klopp once told him, “I’d like to coach Benfica,” and promises to “convince” him to become manager if elected.
Klopp says he has retired from management after leaving Liverpool at the end of 2023/24. He is now Red Bull’s Head of Global Football.
Despite this, the 58-year-old has continuously been linked with top jobs, including the German national team.
It would take something very special to bring Klopp out of retirement and in an attempt to win votes to become Benfica’s new president, Wristovao Carvalho says he can convince the Liverpool legend to become their manager.
Jose Mourinho was confirmed as the club’s new manager on Thursday after Bruno Lage was sacked, but there’s a clause for the Chelsea legend to leave up to 10 days after the end of the 2025/26 season.
This could potentially open the door for Klopp to join ahead of 2026/27 and Carvalho has claimed that the German ‘touched his heart’ by declaring his desire to manage Benfica, who can win the Champions League under him.
“I only see one person, and if I win the election, which I think I will, one of the first things I’ll do is immediately open the door, which is ajar,” he told Desporto ao Minuto.
“My team has already knocked on the door, already said what they wanted, and the door has remained ajar. It stopped there, because now is not the time.
“What I’ll do is sit down with Jurgen Klopp the following week and convince him that I have a plan for him to coach Benfica and win a Champions League. I believe I’ll convince him.
“Yes. The door is ajar. Jurgen Klopp is the only coach I’ve seen who’s ever said something that touched my heart: “I’d like to coach Benfica.” He said it. Not now. In a project of continuity, a project of security, with the right people and the right team, he’s the right coach for my project.
“Especially because he has the very characteristics of someone who enjoys creating and implementing projects. He would be that inspiring person. I’m convinced that in five or six years he would lead us to win the ‘big-eared’.
“And that’s my goal, and I always aim high. If it can’t be Jurgen Klopp, it will be a coach at that level. I have no doubt about that.
“The key to winning a Champions League is a coach who motivates. Not only the team but, also, the fans. Because Benfica is very big, and the pressure is immense.
“It takes a coach with this level of recognition to be able to leverage a project of this magnitude and for me to be able to motivate my team.
“And I promise that when things don’t go so well, I won’t abandon him. We have a project that will last.”
Carvalho continued: “I’m an absolutely determined man. If I started thinking about a plan B, I’d already be weakening my plan A.
“I’ve never done that. Because plan B, in my head, exists only for statistical reasons. I fight to the end for plan A. And when I’m convinced, I rarely fail.
“If I fail, I have time to quickly come up with a plan B. But I don’t think about that. I don’t even have a plan B.
“This is my plan. It could happen that the coach isn’t available at that time, for example.
“This [Klopp] is the one available, and he’s the one my team and I identified among the profiles of seven or eight coaches as ideal for our project. Which is to build from the ground up.
“And with the controlled resources we have. With Benfica’s investment capacity, he’s the right person for it.
“I think I’ll convince him, and the door is already ajar. When he sees the people, the security and the financial aspect, the challenge we’re going to present him, the highly professional scouting team we’re going to build, which Benfica has and hasn’t lost.
“When he sees our academy. When he sees that we only have champions in our academy. We’ve had MVPs.
“Why haven’t these players made it to the first team? They need to be in immediately.
“And when he sees this, feels it, and is here with us, I’m sure he’ll be delighted. And he’ll lead us to a Champions League win. I’m sure of it.”