As if Liverpool fans couldn’t have loved him any more, Jurgen Klopp contrived to tug at our heartstrings once more during a press conference on Friday afternoon.
The 56-year-old addressed the media at length after this morning’s bombshell news that he’s stepping down as Reds manager at the end of the season, citing that he was ‘running out of energy’ to continue giving the job the commitment that it required.
Speaking to reporters, the German said (via Liverpool Echo): “It was not tiring, it is intense. I had no clue what to expect. I knew about the size of the club.
“This is the best club in the world. It’s outstanding. Being an honorary Scouser is one of the best things I could ever have achieved in my life.”
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Being a manager for any length of time at any level of football is an enormously challenging job, so we can only imagine how pressurised it must be for someone to manage a club of Liverpool’s stature and expectations for almost a decade.
Klopp lives on the adrenaline rush which comes with a raucous Anfield willing the Reds on to victory, so when he says that his energy levels aren’t the same as before, that’s most understandable and we’d firmly believe him.
As for his ‘honorary Scouser’ declaration, it yet again shows how the German effortlessly tapped into the mood of the fan base from the moment that he came to the club in 2015. He instantly ‘got’ what the supporters felt and communicated that expertly.
Liverpool’s illustrious history makes it a tall order for any player or manager to build a legacy which’ll stand up with the greatest to have ever pulled on the iconic red shirt or to have guided the club to glory.
It’s not hyperbolic in the slightest to state that Klopp will be mentioned in the same breath as Bill Shankly, Bob Paisley and Sir Kenny Dalglish by future generations of Reds supporters, not just those who hero-worship him now and have done throughout his time in charge at Anfield.