Jurgen Klopp delivered a heart-warming speech on the Anfield turf as he bid farewell to Liverpool supporters, from welcoming the new coach to sending fans a clear message.
Nearly four months after Klopp announced his decision to leave the club this summer, the time finally arrived for us to bid him a legendary farewell.
After a mosaic tribute pre-match, the post-match festivities included a guard of honour, presentations and a speech from the man who has made all of our dreams come true.
It was hard to be prepared for the moment and just as difficult to hold back the emotion, but Klopp was able to hold the tears back, for now.
His speech was touching from the first word, epitomising everything he’s shown us for nearly nine years. Here is his speech in full:
‘Thank you so much’
“I thought I would already be in pieces, but I’m not, I’m so happy. I can’t believe it, I’m so happy about you all, the atmosphere, the game, about being part of this family, about us.
“How we celebrated this day, it’s just incredible. Thank you so much.”
Asked if he could replay a game at Anfield, he said: “One of the City games we drew! That would’ve helped, eh!”
‘It doesn’t feel like an end’
“Thanks for ignoring my request to not sing my song completely for weeks.
[CROWD BREAKS OUT INTO ‘I’M SO GLAD’]
“If you sing it next year, that would be funny!
“It doesn’t feel like an end, it just feels like the start.
“I saw a football team today full of talent, youth, creativity, desire and greed. That’s one part of development, that’s what you need.
“Since a few weeks, I got too much attention, it feels really uncomfortable, but in this time I realised a lot of things. People told me I turned them from doubters to believers.
“That’s not true. Believing is an active act, you have to do it yourself. I just said we have to, you did it. That’s a big difference.”
‘You are the superpower of world football’
“Nobody tells you now to stop believing. This club is in a better moment than ever, maybe not ever, I’d have to ask Kenny, but since a long time!
“We have this wonderful stadium, this wonderful training centre, we have you. The superpower of world football, wow.
“We decide if we are worried or excited, we decide if we believe or not. We decide if we trust or don’t trust.
“And since today, I am one of you, and I keep believing in you. I stay a believer, 100 percent.
“Obviously I saw a lot of people crying, that will happen to me tonight because I will miss people, that’s clear.
“Change is good, you just never know what to expect. But if you go with the right attitude into that then everything will be fine, the right basis is 100 percent there.”
“That’s the team and the new coach, manager.”
Leads fans in song for Arne Slot
“And you didn’t give a sh*t what I wanted you to sing, but I have an idea. I heard the same today a few times, you can do that I have no problem with that, but let’s see how the response will be.
“‘ARNE SLOT, NA, NA, NA, NA, ARNE SLOT, NA, NA, NA, NA’
“Imagine the next season starts and you are not waiting for what’s going on, no, you go full throttle into it! You welcome the new manager like you welcomed me. You go all in from the first day!
“When it’s hard, you keep believing. You push the team, you wait not for the goal or whatever. Be on your toes before we start.
“We, because I am one of you now. I love you to bits.
“On my jumper is ‘Thank you, Luv’ and ‘I will ‘Never Walk Alone Again’. Thank you for that, you are the best people in the world.
“THANK YOU!”
Thank you, Jurgen. You’ll Never Walk Alone.
Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
