‘I was a stupid guy – I’m sorry for that because I realise now’
Jürgen Klopp was the last of five managers Lucas worked under at Liverpool.
The German heavily relied upon such an experienced figure to help put the club on a path to glory. But that didn’t always translate to a fixed place in the starting XI for Lucas.
The player would often head up to the manager’s office as a result, seeking clarification on his role.
He remembers: “The difficult moments I had and I knocked on his door, I think our relationship got even closer. Even if I was going to ask questions.
“One thing that he told me once, he said, ‘Lucas, you can always come to my office but maybe I will say to you that you don’t want to listen.’
“That’s fine. You just want to speak to a manager and they be honest with you, and Jürgen has always been honest with me.
“After his first year, I had a chance to leave the club and I was considering [it] because I wanted to play, I wanted to have more game time.
“He didn’t let me leave. He said, ‘Lucas, I can’t promise you’re going to play but you have to stay because you can play as a centre-back, you can play midfield. You are one of the older guys. You can help me a lot. But I want to try to convince you to see that as well. It’s not that only when you are playing you are important. You are important when you don’t play as well.’
“It’s funny because when I left and one day I was in Rome… and then I texted him. I said, ‘Boss, I look back and there were a couple of moments when I was…’ I can’t say the words here! I was a stupid guy. I said, ‘I’m sorry for that because I realise now.’
“He said, ‘Don’t worry, it’s normal, you guys want to play and I was a player.’ Our relationship is great and we still keep in touch.”
Sophie Anderson, a UK-based writer, is your guide to the latest trends, viral sensations, and internet phenomena. With a finger on the pulse of digital culture, she explores what’s trending across social media and pop culture, keeping readers in the know about the latest online sensations.
