Klopp leaves lasting legacy after restoring Liverpool to elite

(FILES) Liverpool’s German manager Jurgen Klopp celebrates with the trophy after winning the English FA Cup final football match between Chelsea and Liverpool, at Wembley stadium, in London, on May 14, 2022. – Jurgen Klopp will manage his last match, at Anfield on May 19, 2024, after announcing in January of the same year, that he would be stepping down at the end of the season. The German coach became the only Liverpool manager to complete the collection of Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup, League Cup, Club World Cup and Community Shield during his nine year tenure. (Photo by Glyn KIRK / AFP)

Jurgen Klopp will leave Anfield on Sunday as a living legend, having restored Liverpool to the elite of English and European football while building a lasting bond with the city and its people.

Ever since the manager announced in January that he would be stepping down at the end of the season, the sense of loss that has enveloped Merseyside has been palpable.

The raw emotion is testament to a transformation that Liverpool had not seen since the days of Bill Shankly decades ago.

On Klopp’s first day in charge at Anfield in October 2015 he modestly declared himself as “a Normal One”, in stark contrast to Jose Mourinho’s bombastic “Special One” arrival as Chelsea boss a decade earlier.

Yet the German would prove he was anything but normal, becoming the only Liverpool manager to complete the collection of Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup, League Cup, Club World Cup and Community Shield during his tenure.

The 56-year-old had made a name for himself before arriving in England, overcoming the might of Bayern Munich to win back-to-back Bundesliga titles with Borussia Dortmund.

– Liverpool in doldrums –
But confidence was not high