In Liverpool, Jürgen Klopp will never walk alone again: self-proclaimed “Normal One” upon his arrival, the German leaves Anfield as a hero adored by the red people, whom he conquered with infectious energy, humility and furious football, rocked by smiles and titles.
The two passionate souls will commune one last time, Sunday before the “der” against Wolverhampton, with a “You’ll Never Walk Alone” (“you will never walk alone”) sung at the top of their lungs, chorus tight with emotion.
“Saying goodbye is never pleasant, but saying goodbye without feeling sad or hurt, that would have meant that the moment was not good,” Jürgen Klopp said on Friday, “at peace” when leaving. a wonderful and very, very, very special city.”
In January, the sky fell on the heads of the “Scousers”, the supporters stunned by the surprise announcement of the departure, at the end of the season, of the 56-year-old coach. The feeling of loss, of emptiness, then resonated in echo of the legacy built by Bill Shankly’s distant successor.
Like the legendary Scottish manager, a popular figure of the 1960s and 70s, Klopp could have said: “Liverpool was made for me and I was made for Liverpool”.
However, the love story began on tiptoe, in October 2015. For his first press conference, he described himself as the “Normal One”, in opposition to the nickname “Special One” which he had given himself. decked out Jose Mourinho a decade earlier by arriving at Chelsea.
With humor and modesty, he immediately set a scene that perfectly suits Liverpool, a port city with a unique history, written apart from, even in opposition to, the power of London (the English anthem “God Save the King” is whistled there, for example).
“I could have grown up here”
German coach Jürgen Klopp of Liverpool, February 16, 2022 in Milan in the Champions League against Inter Milan / Filippo MONTEFORTE / AFP/Archives
Successes did not immediately follow, but the loyalty of the Mersey club eventually paid off. Klopp became the only coach to have won everything there: the Premier League, national cups, Champions League, Club World Cup and European Super Cup.
The former Mainz player had already accomplished miracles at Borussia Dortmund, German champion 2011 and 2102. But leaving the yellow “Wall” to join the red “Kop” was a big gamble for him and the club, then tenth in a championship he had not won since 1990.
The graft took immediately, regardless of the results. Because the German knew how to embrace the history of Liverpool, its triumphs and its tragedies, including that of Hillsborough which cost the lives of 97 supporters in 1989.
“I could have grown up here,” he said recently in a club video. “The most important thing is the people, the solidarity, the connection, the heart… I knew I was going to love being there.”
He is “a great communicator, a showman and a pack leader”, described him by former captain Graeme Souness. “He suits Liverpool perfectly because he feels the energy there.”
Chess, titles and controlled exit
The road to glory was paved with setbacks, with the first three finals lost: League Cup, Europa League and Champions League. He also finished behind Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City in 2018/2019 despite scoring 97 points, a club record.
German coach Jürgen Klopp of Liverpool, May 28, 2019 at the club’s training center / Anthony Devlin / AFP/Archives
When the Premier League finally returned to Liverpool, after a thirty-year journey through the desert, it was in the middle of the Covid pandemic, in 2020, with its empty stadiums and its barely full streets.
The red tide nevertheless overflowed everywhere, a year earlier, when the “Reds” brought back from Madrid the precious Big Ears Cup, the Champions League trophy won in the final against Tottenham, fourteen years after the “miracle of ‘Istanbul’ against AC Milan.
Having defeated Bayern Munich, FC Porto and Lionel Messi’s Barça, overturned 4-0 in the return (English defeat 3-0 in the first leg), reinforced Klopp’s aura as much as the magic of Anfield .
The final season did not bring all the joys hoped for, without the German’s credit being damaged.
When you’re a manager at Liverpool, “before you set foot on the pitch, people love you, until you disappoint them. We’ve never really disappointed them,” he summed up. “I’m at peace, it’s wonderful to know that I spent a large part of my life here.”
