Liverpool supporter Sean Cox met club legends Ian Rush and Sir Kenny Dalglish after making an emotional return to Anfield on Wednesday evening.
Cox, 56, was left in a coma after being attacked outside of Anfield ahead of Liverpool's Champions League semi-final against Roma in April 2018. The Reds fan suffered permanent brain damage after travelling from the Republic of Ireland to watch the game.
Cox met Dalglish and Rush - as well as Jurgen Klopp and Virgil van Dijk - as he watched Liverpool defeat Villarreal 2-0 in their Champions League semi-final. The Reds are aiming to reach their fourth major European final since Klopp was appointed in October 2015.
"Sean was delighted to be back at Anfield for the first time in over two years to watch his beloved Liverpool's 2-0 win against Villarreal," read a Facebook post by the Support Sean Cox page. "The 'red' carpet was rolled out for Sean and [his wife] Martina by many of his LFC heroes, with Jurgen Klopp, Kenny Dalglish and Virgil van Dijk all dropping by to welcome Sean back to his happy place."
Rush tweeted: "Solid win LFC and delighted to see Sean and Martina Cox at Anfield."
It's the first time Cox has visited Anfield since the Covid-19 pandemic started in 2020. He met Klopp after Liverpool's 3-1 win against Manchester City in November 2019, a result that set the Reds on their way to winning their first league title in 30 years.
"The love that Sean and his family has for this club, and for football, I hope that it gave them all strength and hope in the recovery time," said Klopp. "Having this can give him the opportunity, them the opportunity, to come back and watch such a really big game.
"That he wants to do that, for me, coming from a really low point, is one of my highlights since I’m here... I saw him here. It was very, very nice. He was very happy to see me, I was very happy to see him. I think it was a draw!
"A wonderful day for him. If he can move to Liverpool, he gets a season ticket. It was really important news for all the boys. He was an important presence for the team."
Roma fan Simone Mastrelli pleaded guilty to attacking Cox in February 2019 and was jailed for three-and-a-half years. "My dad went to watch his beloved team, Liverpool, and he never came home," said Cox's daughter Shauna at the time.
Speaking in October 2020, Klopp told Cox and his family: "Whatever you need, and when no authority in this country or your country can help, I think we can always find a way where we can make things maybe easier. We still feel this.
"It’s like friendship, it’s like family, it’s like we really have to do these things because we want to do these things. That’s the moment when the club has to show real unity, because it’s not about who’s responsible for it, it’s about who helps after what happened."
