If one day my own child comes into this cruel world, the questions I will be called upon to answer will be many and difficult. Those of you who are parents know this better than I do, writes Marios Mantzos.
However, in the last few days, the question I will be asked to answer, and I can’t take my mind off is this: “Dad, who was Jurgen Klopp?”
I am fortunate and blessed to be able to put into the hands of my child a 54,000-word book about what Jurgen Klopp really meant to Liverpool.
But, believe me, I feel that ‘The Social One’ is not nearly enough. And this is evidenced by the fact that, even though I am pretending to be an author, it is very difficult for me to find a few words to write today to say goodbye to the man who “made people happy.”
This is what Jurgen taught us
Loving Liverpool Football Club, regardless of age and experience, means pure, authentic, unconditional love. Every person is not in love with winning, scoring or conquering.
We were, we are, and we will always be in love with everything this club represents both on and off the pitch. And Klopp was the perfect man to embrace it and communicate it again to people.
Yes, we were champions of England, Europe and the world under his guidance. But at the end of the day, what Jurgen gave to this club is non-countable.
He modernised the historical background of Liverpool Football Club in a romantic way during a not romantic period for the whole world.
Based on the principles of teamwork and love for fellow human beings, he created not only a special football team but more than anything, a mirror of the city on the pitch.
Jurgen reminded us that winning is really nice, but loving each other is a lot nicer. And this is Liverpool.
It’s not about football. It’s about connecting people. It’s about togetherness, collectivity, friendship, love.
It’s always about meeting new people, sharing the same passion, the same ideas, and common principles of life. It is about the “socialism,” as Bill Shankly used to say.
Even when things are going wrong, belief is the greatest weapon you can have, and if you lose it, you are done.
This means more
If something this life lessons machine has taught us during these eight-and-a-half-years is that after every hard moment, you have to stand up, never give up and go again.
Because life is about seeing the golden sky at the end of the storm with hope in your heart, feeling that you never walk alone.
The fact that nobody of us is talking about football during this farewell says it all about what Jurgen was and will always be for the people of Liverpool Football Club.
And, you know, this is priceless. This lives forever. This means more.
So, Jurgen,
When you first came in, you said that it is not so important what people say about you when you come in, but what they say when you leave.
So, we, the people say that we love you and thank you. You will always be ‘The Social One’ of the modern era of this city.
And, as you said, you will never walk alone again in your life. Thank you, Jurgen…
The Social One: Why Jurgen Klopp was a Perfect Fit for Liverpool, published by Pitch, is available to buy now.
* This is a guest article for This Is Anfield by Marios Mantzos, Follow Marios on Twitter, @marmantzos20.
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