Believe Us. Melissa Reddy

charged £5 as their bed-and-breakfast rate.

      ‘The weather was not too good, but I love this country,’ Klopp rewound. ‘I loved the language, it didn’t seem too difficult, and I was interested in meeting new people and learning their ways. I always knew I wanted to live here if it was possible. When I became a manager, it was clear that if there was a good opportunity in this country, to go for it.’

      He did. And while Klopp’s initial contract in England was for three years to assess his adjustment, just eight months into his tenure he remarked to Mike Gordon that he could imagine being at Liverpool for the rest of his managerial career.

      That information was relayed to John Henry and Tom Werner, with FSG getting on the phone to Marc Kosicke and thrashing out terms of a new six-year deal. Klopp was on holiday in Ibiza before ferrying over to Formentera, the smallest of Spain’s Balearic islands. On 16 June, as he celebrated his 49th birthday, he committed his future to the club until 2022. It was ‘the best present’ Klopp could have asked for as he was sure something special was brewing at Liverpool under his guidance. The team’s identity was unmistakable and their ascent had begun. They had lost the League Cup and Europa League finals — but getting to them was the most important takeaway. Their trajectory was clear.

      In December 2019, Klopp agreed another extension, this time until 2024. Liverpool were champions of Europe at that stage, but the manager predicted it was only the beginning. ‘This is a statement of intent, one which is built on my knowledge of what we as a partnership have achieved so far and what is still there for us to achieve,’ he said.

      Liverpool would go on to become the first team in British history to hold the European Cup, domestic league title, Club World Cup and the Super Cup simultaneously.

      Hitting for the cycle indeed.