Jurgen Klopp could have iconic TV present to thank for dominating English soccer
Joey and Chandler from Friends helped Jürgen Klopp conquer English football by enabling him to master the lingo he needed to communicate with his players.
Boffins have claimed in a new report, marking the 30th anniversary since the sitcom first aired on September 22, 1994, that a host of foreign stars can thank Joey Tribbiani and Co for helping them crack the English language.
Experts say Friends fans, like German-born Jürgen, who led Liverpool to Premier League and Champions League glory, picked up English’s quirks, humour and subtleties, which cannot be learned in classrooms or textbooks, from the hit TV show.
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Boffs also cite characters including Monica Geller and Rachel Green for helping Cuban-born Bond Girl Ana De Armas, another Friends super-fan, perfect her witty one-line repartee with 007 co-star Daniel Craig in No Time To Die.
(Image: NBCUniversal via Getty Images)
The report by Babbel said: “The series’ impact cannot be overstated – it has been syndicated in 100-plus countries, including Spain, Bulgaria, China and Turkey, and remains in heavy rotation on streaming services.
“Celebrities, from football manager Jurgen Klopp, actress Ana de Armas, several Latin-American Major League Baseball players and RM from Korean boyband BTS, are all among those who say that watching Friends helped them not only learn English, but also understand its quirks and colloquialisms.”
Babbel culture and language expert Noël Wolf added: “With people like Ana De Armas and Jürgen Klopp who learned not just the English language but also another culture’s mannerisms, subtleties and sense of humour from Friends, who’s to say where they would be now without it.
“They’re both in career paths where communicating fluently and engagingly is everything.
“Friends, at least in small part, could be responsible for Ana de Armas landing the role as the charismatic and quippy Bond girl Paloma or Jürgen Klopp conquering Europe and the Premier League.
“Maybe he would’ve found that phenomenal success without Friends, but would his iconic press conferences be quite as funny? I’m not sure.”
(Image: Variety via Getty Images)
Noël, who grew up in Germany, just like Klopp, suspects his sarcastic pops at other managers and refs may well have been learned from Chandler Bing’s stinging wit.
She added: “It’s interesting to hear stories from celebrities being open about how Friends helped them with their English.
“Jürgen Klopp said it helped him because it’s easy to follow conversations and can be picked up early in one’s language-learning journey.
“Ana De Armas is from Cuba and said she learned English when she was 26, ‘the way everyone does – by watching Friends’.”
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