Jurgen Klopp hailed Liverpool’s fans as the “superpower of world football” after his final match as manager ended in a 2-0 win at home to Wolves on an emotional day at Anfield on Sunday.
Alexis Mac Allister and Jarell Quansah scored the goals, but the game was largely a sideshow as supporters paid tribute to the German they have taken to their hearts.
The charismatic 56-year-old, who announced in January he was leaving the club, has forged a strong bond with the Anfield faithful, who gave him a rousing welcome as he emerged from the famous tunnel.
The fans used cards to create giant mosaics, one simply reading “Jurgen” and another saying “Danke”, with many holding scarves aloft bearing Klopp’s name during a rousing rendition of the club’s anthem “You’ll Never Walk Alone”.
After full-time he returned to the pitch through a guard of honour from the players to address the crowd wearing a red top bearing the words “Thank You” on the front and “I’ll Never Walk Alone Again” on the back.
A stage was set up in the centre of the pitch and the club’s owners, directors and ambassadors, including Anfield great Kenny Dalglish, all welcomed Klopp onto the field, with fans chanting his name.
“It doesn’t feel like an end,” said Klopp, who arrived at Anfield in 2015 with the club at a low ebb.
“It just feels like a start. Today I saw a football team play full of talent, youth, creativity, desire, greed. That’s one part of development, that’s what you need, obviously.
“People say I turned them from doubters into believers. That’s not true. You did it. Nobody tells you to stop believing. This club is in a better moment than for a long time.
“We have this wonderful stadium, training centre and you — the superpower of world football. Wow.”
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‘Keep believing’
Klopp added: “We decide if we are worried or excited. We decide if we believe. We decide if we trust or don’t trust. Today I am one of you and I keep believing. I stay believing 100 percent.
“Obviously I saw a lot of people crying and I will tonight too because I will miss people but change is good. Everything will be fine because the basics are 100 percent there.
“You welcome the new manager (Arne Slot) like you welcomed me. You go all in from the first day. You keep believing. You push the team. I’m one of you now. I love you to bits.
“Thank you. You are the best team in the world. Thank you.”
Klopp then also adopted the song Liverpool fans had created for him to lead the crowd in a chant of “Arne Slot, na, na, na, na”.
The German led the club to Champions League glory in 2019 — the sixth time they had been crowned European champions.
The following season he secured his place as a Liverpool great by winning their first Premier League title for 30 years, the 19th time they had been crowned English champions.
He also lifted the FA Cup and won two League Cups in his spell.
When Klopp made the shock announcement that he was leaving earlier this year, Liverpool were chasing a quadruple.
They won the League Cup final against Chelsea in February but crashed out of the FA Cup against Manchester United and the Europa League against Atalanta.
Their Premier League title bid also faded quickly, but by finishing third Liverpool have qualified for next season’s Champions League.
Pep Guardiola, the manager of Premier League champions Manchester City, paid a warm tribute to his long-time rival, saying Klopp deserved to be ranked alongside such outstanding Liverpool bosses as Bill Shankly and Bob Paisley.
“He has been a huge competitor in my life,” Guardiola said after guiding City to an unprecedented fourth straight English title.
“It’s not just about titles won and who won the most. There are personalities that when they arrive in one place they stay forever and Jurgen will depart in the level of Shankly, Paisley, these incredible legends.”
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