Jurgen Klopp received a standing ovation from Anfield on Sunday before giving the Liverpool fans and players a stirring and emotional goodbye speech that celebrated the club more than himself.
“I thought I would already in pieces by now but I’m not,” Klopp said to start the speech. “But I’m so happy about you all, about the atmosphere, about the game, about being part of this family, about us, how we celebrated this day. It’s incredible. Thank you so much.”
Klopp joked that his favorite game at Anfield was “one of the City games we drew,” then quipped to the crowd, “Thanks for ignoring my request to not my song completely six weeks.”
That, of course, completely launched Anfield into song.
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The showman was happy to take it in, then again address Anfield as his wife was shown singing along in the stands.
“If you sing it next year that would be funny. Honestly, for whatever reason, I don’t fall. Tonight possibly. It doesn’t feel like an end. It just feels like a start because I saw a football team full of talent, full of youth, full of creativity, full of desire, full of greed. That’s one part of development. That’s what you need but obviously since a few weeks I got too much attention. But in this time I realized a lot of things. People tell me I turned them from doubters into believers. That’s not true. Wait, believing is an act. You do that yourself. I just said you have to. You did that. Nobody tells you now to stop believing. This club is in a better moment than, not ever, well maybe ever, I’ll have to ask Kenny. We have this wonderful stadium, this wonderful training center. And we have you, the superpower of world football. Wow. You (laughs as crowd since to him again). We decide if we are boring or exciting. We decide if we believe or don’t believe. Since today I am one of you and I keep believing in you, I stay a believer 100 percent.”
“I saw a lot of people crying and it will happen to me tonight because I will miss people. But change is good. You never know what to expect but if you go with the right attitude into everything will be fine because the basics are 100 percent there. They are the team and that’s the new coach. And you give actually a s—- what you want me to sing, but I have an idea... I heard the song today a few times. Let’s see how the response will be: Arne Slot, la la la la la la. You’ve got a new manager. You go all-in from the first day. You keep believe and you push the team.
“And it’s not you, it’s we because I’m one of you now. I love you to bits.”
There is only one Jurgen Klopp. Several of his players were in tears after Klopp did his trademark punching of the air with his whole coaching staff. Anfield sang “You’ll never walk alone” to him one more time, and Klopp’s made it clear that it’s never been more true.
