LIVERPOOL WERE 3-1 winners over Athletic Bilbao in a pre-season friendly at the Aviva Stadium this evening.
Instead of heading back down the tunnel after the 90 minutes were up, however, manager Jurgen Klopp and his players spent time visiting each corner of the ground to meet some of the 51,333 fans in attendance — signing autographs and taking selfies.
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) August 5, 2017
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) August 5, 2017
They were still out there long after the final whistle had gone and German coach Klopp explained he was simply repaying supporters for the reception they had received.
“I was really touched by the atmosphere, to be honest,” Klopp said, in his post-match press conference.
When we came to the stadium, when we drove through the city, when we arrived at the hotel, it was really special.
“I heard that Dublin is quite an LFC city — Now I know. It’s completely different to feel it. I thought it made absolute sense to try give something back.”
Earlier in the day, hundreds of eager fans waited outside the team’s Dublin city hotel to catch a glimpse, and a video surfaced on Reddit criticising Klopp and the majority of his players for “ignoring” requests for autographs and pictures.
“When we left the hotel before the game today, there were 500 people minimum but if you give one autograph there are still 499 and we don’t have time so that’s always difficult,” he responded.
“We tried to spread that a little bit and hopefully we can make these fans happy because they made us happy. You’ll Never Walk Alone before the game was outstanding, during the game was outstanding, and even after the game was special.
“Thank you, Dublin. That was a really special experience.”
The42 is on Instagram! Tap the button below on your phone to follow us!
