Two men who were part of that side – Lukasz Piszczek and Jakub Blaszczykowski – were taking part in their testimonials with Klopp leading Blaszczykowski’s outfit. He even put them through their paces during the week and paid tribute to the welcoming he received back in Germany. It was with Mainz that Klopp first made his name, then taking his managerial career on further with Dortmund and then Liverpool.

He said: “It’s a lifelong dream come true. I wanted to have that again. Just a few months ago, I was given an emotional farewell in Liverpool.

Today it was very emotional again. Some people might say that today he’s like this and tomorrow he’ll be like that. I explain it like this: when you have three children, you love them all.

And that’s the same with my three clubs. He ensured Liverpool remained competitive throughout his tenure and Dortmund haven’t hit such heights since his departure. The 57-year-old has been linked with several major jobs in his homeland.

The Germany job is currently occupied by Julian Nagelsmann, but Klopp is touted as a future manager. Klopp himself admits he has no desire to jump back into management, but hasn’t ruled out a return once he’s had some time to reflect. He said: “It’s out of the question that I’ll stop working altogether, but I don’t see myself continuing at the same pace as before at the moment.

A coach is a coach. And you do it with everything you have, or nothing at all. That’s how I understand it.

Now I’m taking my time off. How am I supposed to know how I’ll feel during or after the time off, and what I want to do then? I have no idea.

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