Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold couldn’t hold back their tears after kissing Jurgen Klopp after his final match in charge of Liverpool.
Klopp ended his nine-year reign in style as the Reds recorded a 2-0 win over Wolves at Anfield thanks to first-half goals from Alexis Mac Allister and Jarell Quansah, but that mattered little as all attention turned to Klopp in the final. whistle.
He walked onto his pitch at full time and hugged his captain Van Dijk. In an extremely emotional moment, the Dutchman broke down in tears after more than six years under Klopp.
During this period, Liverpool have won seven major trophies, with Klopp and Van Dijk at the heart of their success.
Just a year after Van Dijk joined the club in January 2018, Liverpool won the Champions League, and followed that up by triumphing in the Premier League for the first time in 30 years in 2020.
Virgil van Dijk was in tears as he hugged Jurgen Klopp on the pitch after his final match in charge of Liverpool.
He cried on Klopp’s shoulder after an emotional afternoon at Anfield
A Club World Cup, two Carabao Cups, an FA Cup and the UEFA Super Cup followed, marking one of the most successful periods in Liverpool’s recent history.
Van Dijk admitted last month that he “dreaded” Klopp’s departure, which the 56-year-old manager announced in January.
After hugging all his players, Klopp addressed the Anfield crowd and encouraged them to support new boss Arne Slot, who revealed on Friday he would replace Klopp next season.
Klopp then performed his trademark punches in front of the Kop as he took adulation from fans.
As his players looked on, Alexander-Arnold was also seen crying, having played all of his professional club football under Klopp.
Klopp chose to give Alexander-Arnold his debut as a teenager in 2017, and the full-back never looked back, becoming one of the best right-backs in world football.
Trent Alexander-Arnold also couldn’t hold back his tears after full-time on Sunday
He admitted he owed everything to Klopp for trusting him during his time at the academy.
Klopp addressed the crowd after full-time and urged them to support new boss Arne Slot.
Alexander-Arnold admitted he owes everything to Klopp following his development in recent years, and admitted playing for a different manager next season would be “strange”.
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Both Van Dijk and Alexander-Arnold have big decisions to make regarding their futures in the coming weeks and months, as they each have just one year left on their current contracts.
Whether they will choose to continue at Liverpool with Slot in the dugout remains to be seen, but the Reds will be desperate to keep the club’s mainstays for years to come.
Klopp bows out after leading Liverpool to third place in the Premier League, with his side finishing nine points behind champions Manchester City in his final season at the helm.