Steven Gerrard has opened up on his spontaneous drinking session with Jurgen Klopp in May - just before Liverpool's game against Real Madrid in the Champions League final.
Gerrard, who was manager of Aston Villa at the time, was sitting outside a pub in Formby when he spotted Klopp walking his dog. The former midfielder then shouted at the Liverpool boss and wished him good luck ahead of the final in Paris.
However, Klopp turned around and told Gerrard to buy him a pint. The pair were spotted by one fan and his Twitter post ended up going viral as Liverpool prepared to face Los Blancos.
Gerrard and Klopp ended up having two to three pints, as well as the manager having "a couple of smokes". They spoke about football, life in and around the city and Klopp's plans for the future.
In an interview with The Anfield Wrap ahead of of the release of the final two episodes of their five part documentary-series, JURGEN, supported by ERDINGER, Gerrard spoke about his meeting with Klopp.
"He was walking the dog, I was sitting outside with one of my friends having a couple of pints," Gerrard said. "I shouted over to wish him good luck, because he had a Champions League final days later. I thought he’d be in the zone.
"He said to me: 'No, no, no. Go the bar and get me a pint.' So we get him a pint. He ended up having two or three, he had a couple of smokes, his dog waited patiently, and we had a good craic for probably over an hour. About football, about life in Liverpool, his plans for the future."
Liverpool went onto lose the final 1-0 thanks to Vinicius Jr's second-half strike. However, Klopp's men still got a heroes reception back home on Merseyside after they won the FA Cup and the Carabao Cup.
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The Reds also narrowly missed out on the Premier League title after battling Manchester City all the way but falling short on the final day of the season. It was a truly memorable campaign for Liverpool - and Gerrard, who played against Klopp three times as a manager, heaped praise on the German.
Gerrard added: "He was just really great company to have and it was different from a football environment, it was Jurgen in his plain clothes, his dog walking gear. He was fantastic with my mate, he made him feel part of the conversation and I think that just sums the man up.
"He's a genuine, humble character, who’s got a presence and an aura. And at the same time he’s one of the most gifted managers there’s ever been. That’s a special person, for me."
The Anfield Wrap, supported by ERDINGER, are releasing the final episodes of their five part docu-series, JURGEN. Episodes one to three will be available to watch for free here.'
