What is Jürgen Klinsmann's Net Worth and Salary?
Jürgen Klinsmann is a professional football coach and former player who has a net worth of $20 million. Jürgen Klinsmann has coached the German, United States, and South Korea national football teams, among other teams. As a player in the 1980s and '90s, he played for such European clubs as VfB Stuttgart, Tottenham Hotspur, and Bayern Munich. Klinsmann also played for the West German and unified German national football teams, winning the 1990 FIFA World Cup with the former.
Salary
During his time coaching the US National time, Jürgen Klinsmann's salary was $3.2 million per year. Even after being fired in 2016, he has continued to earn millions per year from the team thanks to the terms of his former contract. He earned at least $5 million between 2016 and 2020 alone according to Federal tax filings. Amazingly, that has actually made him the highest paid person in the organization in the years after his departure. During his time coaching for South Korea, he made a total of $7.5 million.
Early Life
Jürgen Klinsmann was born on July 30, 1964 in Göppingen, West Germany to Martha and master baker Siegfried. As a kid, he played for the amateur soccer clubs TB Gingen and SC Geislingen. When he was 14, Klinsmann moved with his family to Stuttgart, where his father had bought a bakery. There, he continued playing for SC Geislingen. After leaving the club in 1978, Klinsmann played for the youth team of Stuttgarter Kickers.
Stuttgarter Kickers and VfB Stuttgart
After playing for the youth team of Stuttgarter Kickers from 1978 to 1981, Klinsmann joined the club as a professional. He found great success with the club, becoming a regular starter by the 1982-83 season and scoring 19 career goals by the end of the 1983-84 season. In 1984, Klinsmann moved to the Bundesliga club VfB Stuttgart, and tied with Karl Allgöwer as the top scorer for the season, with 15 goals. In each of the next two seasons, he scored 16 goals, and in 1986 helped Stuttgart reach the final of the DFB-Pokal. Klinsmann had his best season with Stuttgart in 1987-88, when he scored 19 goals to become the Bundesliga's top goalscorer. He was also named Germany's Footballer of the Year.
Inter Milan and AS Monaco
In 1989, Klinsmann signed a three-year contract with the Italian Serie A club Inter Milan. He had a memorable tenure with the club, highlighted by a UEFA Cup victory in 1991. Having become fluent in Italian, Klinsmann was among the most popular foreign players in Italy at the time. However, a terrible 1991-92 season with Inter caused him to part ways with the club.
Following Euro 1992, Klinsmann moved to AS Monaco. In his first season there, he helped the club finish second in the league. Monaco went on to compete in the 1993-94 UEFA Champions League, reaching the semifinal. In Klinsmann's second season with Monaco, the club finished in a disappointing ninth place in the league, and Klinsmann left the club early.
Jurgen Klinsmann in 1994 / Gary M. Prior/Getty Images
Tottenham Hotspur
For the 1994-95 season, Klinsmann joined the English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur. He had a terrific season with the club, scoring 30 goals across all competitions and winning the FWA Footballer of the Year award. Thanks to his athletic prowess as well as his sense of humor, Klinsmann became very popular in England.
Final Playing Years
After leaving Tottenham Hotspur, Klinsmann had a hugely successful tenure with Bayern Munich from 1995 to 1997. In both of his seasons, he was the club's top goalscorer, and in 1996 he helped Bayern Munich win its first-ever UEFA Cup. The following year, Klinsmann helped lead the club to the Bundesliga title. He then briefly played for the Italian club Sampdoria before returning to Tottenham Hotspur on loan. Klinsmann retired in 1998, although he briefly returned to playing in 2003 with the American amateur club Orange County Blue Star.
National Team Career
Klinsmann began his national team career with the West Germany under-16 team in 1980. He went on to play with the under-21 team from 1984 to 1985. Klinsmann made his debut for the senior national team in 1987. In 1988, he helped West Germany win bronze at the Summer Olympics in Seoul, and in 1990 he helped the team win the FIFA World Cup. Klinsmann went on to play for the unified German national team at the 1994 and 1998 FIFA World Cups. Notably, he became the first player ever to score at least three goals in three consecutive World Cups.
Coaching Career
In 2004, Klinsmann became the new head coach of the German national football team. Under his leadership, the team reached the semifinal of the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Klinsmann went on to coach his old club Bayern Munich from 2008 until he was sacked in 2009 due to the club's poor performance. After that, he became a technical consultant for the MLS club Toronto FC. From 2011 to 2016, Klinsmann served as the head coach of the United States men's national soccer team. He enjoyed great success with the US, leading the team to its fifth CONCACAF Gold Cup title in 2013 and to the round of 16 in the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
In late 2019, Klinsmann became the new coach of the German club Hertha BSC. However, he ended up stepping down from his position after ten weeks. Later, in early 2023, Klinsmann became the new head coach of the South Korean national football team. He quickly proved to be unpopular with South Korean fans due to his practice of working while away from the country and showing an alleged lack of interest in his players. One year after joining the team, Klinsmann was fired by the Korea Football Association.
Personal Life
Klinsmann married his wife, Chinese-American model Debbie Chin, in 1995. They have two children, and reside in Huntington Beach, California. One of the children, Jonathan, is a professional football player who plays as a goalkeeper for the Italian Serie B club Cesena.
