Jurgen Klopp delivered an emotional tribute to Liverpool after he was awarded Freedom of the City.
The Liverpool manager was bestowed the prestigious honour at a special ceremony at Liverpool Town Hall on Wednesday. The 55-year-old German has been in charge of the Reds since October 2015 and has brought seven trophies to the club during a sustained period of success.
As well as delivering the Champions League and Premier League, Klopp has also fitted in off the pitch, taking the city of Liverpool to his heart. After collecting the award, which he was nominated for in July, Klopp launched into an impassioned speech about what Liverpool means to him.
Asked if he felt like a Scouser, he replied: “It is not for me to say that but I feel like that and over the years you realise that the Scouse people and us as a family have a lot of things in common.
"We care about similar things, have similar political views and we like to be very open, that's how it is. All people around me, my friends and family, see more of the city than I do and I hear always that they enjoy it exactly because of that; because people are really open, nice, kind and friendly. That's what I want to be as well."
He continued: “I have to be honest, when I first heard this news I had to take a minute to take it in. As you can imagine, I get a lot of different types of news in my job but this was definitely a ‘wow’ moment.
“The main reason for this was what Liverpool, the city and its wonderful people, mean to me and my family. The welcome that we have been given has been unbelievable from the word go, so to get this kind of recognition is incredible. It is also very humbling.
“Obviously, I am not from Liverpool so there will be countless people who know more about the history than I do, but I actually already knew a little bit about this award. This was because earlier this year it was granted to Andrew Devine, someone who we all had an enormous amount of love for, along with the other 96 victims of Hillsborough.
“I also know that Sir Kenny Dalglish has received the Freedom of the City previously, so if my name is listed alongside those and all of the other recipients that makes the honour even more special.
“So to everyone who made this possible – thank you. You have made my family and myself so, so proud to know that the bond we have with this wonderful city has been made even stronger and will now stay for ever.”
Klopp was joined by members of his coaching staff and Liverpool chief executive Billy Hogan at the event, which included speeches by Liverpool legend Sir Kenny Dalglish, Hillsborough campaigner Margaret Aspinall, the Lord Mayor, Councillor Roy Gladden and the Mayor of Liverpool, Joanne Anderson.
