“It was good,” Klopp said when asked how much he enjoyed the afternoon. “Nothing really changed. I enjoyed every second. My role today was not to have a lot of words.
“I was here for the Foundation and be part of a really special experience after a while, seeing all the Liverpool and Dortmund lads, you don’t meet very often. Today it was really nice.
“The people suck it in. It was so nice to see the boys playing. Thiago alone was worth the ticket!” When the interviewer said to him “See you next year, Klopp?” he quickly replied “Yeah,” suggesting he will be back in the dugout if the event is organised again.
Klopp won the Premier League, the Champions League, the FA Cup, the Club World Cup and two League Cups over the course of his nine seasons at Anfield. He entrenched himself as one of the finest managers in the club’s history.
While there were many near misses, including two Champions League final defeats, a Europa League final disappointment and two second placed finishes in the Premier League – including one where the Reds got to 97 points but still finished behind Manchester City – Klopp is still stunned at how much he achieved.
Looking back on his reign, he said: “How dumb you would be to dream that big. I was positive about my future. Where I came from, to achieve that big, was a miracle.
“You have to work hard, but ending up here at one of the biggest clubs in the world and the most emotional club in the world. Even when I looked at an empty stadium, I felt the pride that I was here for nine years. It was my home and it is. It’s ridiculous!’