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6 months ago
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Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold could not hold back the tears after embracing Jurgen Klopp following his final game in charge of Liverpool.
Klopp finished his nine-year reign on a high as the Reds recorded a 2-0 win over Wolves at Anfield thanks to first-half goals from Alexis Mac Allister and Jarell Quansah, but that mattered little as all attention turned to Klopp at the final whistle.
He strode onto his pitch at full time and hugged his captain Van Dijk. In an extremely emotional moment, the Dutchman burst into tears after over six years of playing under Klopp.
During that time, Liverpool have won seven major trophies, with Klopp and Van Dijk at the heart of their success.
Just one year after Van Dijk joined the club in January 2018, Liverpool won the Champions League, and they followed that up by triumphing in the Premier League for the first time in 30 years in 2020.
Virgil van Dijk was in tears as he hugged Jurgen Klopp on the pitch after his final match in charge of Liverpool
He cried on Klopp's shoulder after an emotional afternoon at Anfield
A Club World Cup, two Carabao Cups, an FA Cup and the UEFA Super Cup followed, to mark one of the most successful periods in Liverpool's recent history.
Van Dijk admitted last month that he was 'dreading' Klopp's departure, which the 56-year-old manager announced back in January.
After embracing all of his players, Klopp spoke to the Anfield crowd and encouraged them to get behind incoming boss Arne Slot, who revealed on Friday that he will be replacing Klopp next season.
Klopp then carried out his trademark fist-bumps in front of the Kop as he took the adulation of the fans.
As his players watched on, Alexander-Arnold was also seen crying, having played all of his professional club football under Klopp.
Klopp opted to hand Alexander-Arnold his debut as a teenager in 2017, and the full back has never looked back, becoming one of the best right backs in world football.
Trent Alexander-Arnold also couldn't hold back the tears after full time on Sunday
He has admitted he owes everything to Klopp for showing faith in him when he came through the academy
Klopp spoke to the crowd after full time and urged them to back incoming boss Arne Slot
Alexander-Arnold has admitted he owes Klopp everything following his development in recent years, and has conceded playing for another manager next term will be 'strange'.
Van Dijk and Alexander-Arnold both have big decisions to make on their futures in the coming weeks and months, as they each have just one year remaining on their current contracts.
Whether they opt to continue at Liverpool with Slot in the dugout remains to be seen, but the Reds will be desperate to keep the club stalwarts for years to come.
Klopp bows out having led Liverpool to third place in the Premier League, with his team finishing nine points behind champions Manchester City in his final season at the helm.
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