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Klinsmann tips long-term Bundesliga success

In an interview with Reuters, the U.S coach and former Germany captain said a superb football infrastructure, the Bundesliga's solid financial base and the entertaining style of play are the ingredients that have made it a European powerhouse with the potential to become the world's top league.

"I think the Bundesliga will be among the top three leagues for the long term and we all hope it'll be the number one league in Europe for many years," said Klinsmann, who played in the Bundesliga for VfB Stuttgart from 1984-89 and Bayern Munich from 1995-97.

"It's obviously not always going to be two German teams in the final but I think we'll continually see one of our teams in the final four," said Klinsmann, 48.

"I hope we'll see a German team going far every year in the Champions League. There are many components that play a role in that success."

"At the end of the day, that's what the fans want to see - attractive and attacking football," Klinsmann said.

"They want to see excitement. They want to go to the stadium and see goals. Yes, there can be an exciting nil-nil too. But at the end of the day it's all about scoring goals. There's a new generation of coaches in Germany that have had a big influence on the game.

"There are many coaches out there in Germany who are fans of the attractive and attacking style, who are willing to take risks," he said.

"They're willing to give players the chance to try things out and therefore making the game really attractive. That's really cool."

Klinsmann said the Bundesliga's success this year in the showcase European club competition was the culmination of years of hard work and organisation.

The establishment of the league's "Leistungszentren", or youth academ