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Jurgen Klopp's pending departure from Borussia Dortmund the end of a fairytale run

It only proves how well-liked Jurgen Klopp is that his decision to step down as coach of Borussia Dortmund at the end of the season has been so heavily scrutinized. What makes him so special? Usually, a manager leaves a club and attention quickly turns to whom his replacement will be. What are the betting odds? Who are the front-runners? What are the fans saying? Quickly and callously, the past becomes an afterthought. In the case of Klopp though, he remains the story and it's a testament to his unlikely success that we continue to be so fascinated by him and what he'll do next.

With his sandy-colored hair tucked neatly behind his ears, the thick-rimmed spectacles, the grizzly beard, the occasional hooded sweatshirt (official club merchandise, of course) and perennial smile, he's been a richly-welcomed and warm figure that bridged the gap between the dour grey overcoats of veteran past masters and the equally-dull generic sleekness of the new generation of players-turned-coaches.

At the end of last year, when Dortmund were inexplicably languishing in the Bundesliga's relegation zone, Klopp spoke to UK television station BT Sport. The club was preparing for a Champions League tie with Arsenal and he was quizzed on whether he'd like a legacy similar to the one Arsene Wenger has shaped in North London.

“I was 18 years at Mainz (another German club, as a player and then manager) and I thought 'It's enough'. I love the club there, I love the city. But when I came here (Dortmund), I thought 'Okay, now maybe I can work as a normal coach.' Two or three years, next club, next city, whatever. Because I'm interested in life and it's not important for me to stay for a long time at the same place. Now I'm here for more than six years. I don't know when it will end. I don't think about these things. But it's not my ideal to build a legacy.”

But, whether he thinks so or not, Klopp has built one. The unprecedented Dortmund triumphs have been because of him and his talents. From the ashes, he led the team to two league titles, a German Cup and a Champions League final appearance in 2013. But he also created an infectious atmosphere. The bond between the players and supporters is uniquely special, the team cheered and applauded throughout the immensely difficult spell before Christmas. As his most high-profile players, Mario Goetze and Robert Lewandowski, were effortlessly picked up and swept away by bitter rivals Bayern Munich, Klopp persisted with his strategies in spite of poorer-quality players and the everyday frustrations of being “the little team that could”.

Coach Jurgen Klopp (R) and Kevin Kampl of Borussia Dortmund react after their Champions League round of 16 second leg soccer match against Juventus in Dortmund March 18, 2015. REUTERS/Ina Fassbender (GERMANY - Tags: SPORT SOCCER)
Coach Jurgen Klopp (R) and Kevin Kampl of Borussia Dortmund react after their Champions League round of 16 second leg soccer match against Juventus in Dortmund March 18, 2015. REUTERS/Ina Fassbender (GERMANY - Tags: SPORT SOCCER)

Now comes the lament. John Lennon once said that Elvis Presley died the day he joined the U.S. Army and the theory can be equally applied to the soccer world. As much as Klopp made Dortmund, the club also made him. Without it, he becomes something else. He becomes a version of what made him so special. The question is whether that will be enough to allow him taste success elsewhere. And, even if it is, will it be the same?

It feeds into the romanticism of what Dortmund has been over the last number of years. The love story or fairytale was fueled even more by the precarious situation the club was in shortly before Klopp arrived and how a team spirit, a well-drilled and intensely-energized group with a smattering of magnificent individuals subsequently lived a fantasy, however briefly. At the helm was a charismatic character, an honest and open and emotional manager whose anger quickly dissipated, who never preached conspiracy theories, abused referees or moaned and whinged his way through matches and/or press conferences. There were no mind games. It was all refreshingly real, enticing and, let's face it, intoxicating.

Klopp's Dortmund felt like something that belonged to us. It was public property, in a similar way to Pep Guardiola's Barcelona. We all wanted a piece because it made sense. It appealed to the hopeless romantic in us all. When times were good and there was that electricity and din inside the Westfalenstadion, we all wanted to share in it. We wanted to stand in the unbreakable and imposing Yellow Wall and breathe in the noise. We wanted to be a part of it.

There's an undercurrent of sadness to all of this. Writing in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Michael Horeni opined:

“With Klopp's departure, one of the most exciting projects in German football ends. With him, Borussia turned a football fairy tale into reality, one that all lovers of football long for, not only in Dortmund. Whether or not the blaze of glory and the aura that has been with Klopp for years will still be there for whatever comes next for him represents an open question, and the most fascinating of them all.”

Many have condemned the coverage of Klopp's pending departure. Nobody has died, they say. But in a strange way, something has. An ideal. A romance. An optimism. For a brief moment, soccer in Germany was bossed by an unfashionable and unlikely leader. Dortmund changed the landscape. Just like the recent success of Diego Simeone and his Atletico Madrid side in Spain, it's a remarkable achievement and should be lauded and celebrated accordingly, not allowed to slip between the cracks and become a footnote forever.

Of course, this could also be the death knell for Klopp. Should he arrive in the Premier League or elsewhere, there will be the fanfare and early optimism. But when the defeats come, so too will the suspicion and frustration and anger. There won't be a special bond between players and fans. There won't be the journey back from the precipice. There won't be a legacy. But as he looks to his future, we should remember the past and grip it tightly. Because it's different after this.