In recent years, whenever a player has left Liverpool at the end of their contract, they have been gifted a framed copy of ‘The Champions Wall’.
Thiago Alcantara and Joel Matip became the latest Reds to receive such treatment during their farewell presentations after Liverpool’s 2-0 victory over Wolves on the last day of the Premier League season. By doing so, they followed in the footsteps of James Milner, Roberto Firmino, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Naby Keita, Divock Origi and Gini Wijnaldum.
Pep Lijnders, Peter Krawietz, Vitor Matos, John Achterberg, Jack Robinson and Andreas Kornmayer would also receive their own gifted copies of ‘The Champions Wall’, ahead of their own Anfield departures this summer. However, their own farewell presents also featured an additional touch – they were all personalised with their own names.
‘The Champions Wall’, which lists all of the Reds’ major trophies during their 132-year history, has become the go-to gift during Jurgen Klopp’s trophy-laden reign as Liverpool manager, with the aforementioned departees all playing a vital role in adding considerably to the list of honours.
But with Klopp himself stepping down as manager this summer, after nine years at the club, a copy of ‘The Champions Wall’ simply wouldn’t be a fitting enough gift for the German. This is the man who ended Liverpool’s 30-year wait to be crowned champions of England, lifted the Reds’ sixth European Cup, and also led the club to its first ever Club World Cup glory.
Winning every major honour with Liverpool, club owners Fenway Sports Group understandably wanted to hand over a more significant gift to Klopp upon his Anfield departure. And what the German was presented proved to be exactly that.
Rather than a Champions Wall, Klopp was presented with a framed collection of Liverpool pennants, marking each trophy he has won as Reds manager. Each accompanied by a picture of the German and his players lifting each piece of silverware, and blurb of text recounting each occasion, it also featured an emotional message at the top.
Titled, ‘Special Moments. Each Sewn Into The History And Fabric Of This Extraordinary Football Club,’ it then read: “Passion and emotion. Triumph and setback.
“When you distil it down these seem to be the core elements at the heart of so much of the often-unpredictable game we know as football. The pace of our sport – and all our lives, too – can seem so unrelenting, hardly stopping to pause.
“So in future moments of reflection, please take a minute or two to think back with much-deserved pride on your time at Anfield and remember those games and occasions when – through a combination of talent, skill, management, and a small sprinkling of fate – triumph prevailed over setback.
“And when you do, don’t underestimate the immense joy and celebration the seven occasions showcased below have brought to the many millions of fans, friends and members of the LFC Family around the world.
“Each event will live long in the memory… and we’ll be forever grateful. Danke Jurgen.”
Meanwhile, Klopp was also gifted a small replica of each trophy he has won as Liverpool manager, presented upon a wooden board – which featured a personalised message to the German.
“So much more than the Normal One, you made us believe,” it read, before adding, ‘Thank you from John, Mike, Tom & Billy’, in a touching sign of gratitude from John W. Henry, Mike Gordon, Tom Werner and Billy Hogan to honour Liverpool’s departing manager.