It’s nine years since Jurgen Klopp left Borussia Dortmund to join Liverpool, but the German has made a surprise comeback at the Westfalenstadion.
Klopp stunned Liverpool supporters in January by revealing that he would leave Anfield at the end of the 2023-24 campaign.
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His glorious reign will never be forgotten by Reds fans, after he returned the club to the summit of European football, winning the Champions League in 2019, and secured Liverpool’s first domestic league title for 30 years.
Klopp declared that he was ready for a break from football when he left Anfield, admitting that he felt jaded after the exertions of managing such a giant club.
This weekend though, he made his surprise return, for one game only.
Friends reunited
Borussia Dortmund were celebrating the careers of Lukasz Piszczek and Jakub Blaszczykowski with a farewell game at their home ground.
The Polish pair were part of the club's back-to-back Bundesliga winning teams in 2011 and 2012, managed by Klopp back then, and several BVB legends were returning to honour them.
A total of 81,365 people were at the Westfalenstadion for the match, with Klopp taking charge of Blaszczykowski’s team, and receiving a standing ovation from the crowd as he walked on to the pitch before kick-off.
Piszczek is now Borussia Dortmund’s assistant manager, so his team included current BVB boss Nuri Sahin, another person who previously played for Klopp at the club.
That side was managed by Peter Krawietz, who also acted as assistant for Klopp at Anfield, before following the German out of the club this summer.
— Borussia Dortmund (@BlackYellow) September 7, 2024
Polish winger Kamil Grosicki scored twice for Klopp’s team on the day, with ex-BVB men Mladen Petric and Lucas Barrios also on target, the latter bagging a brace.
Julian Brandt found the net for the opposition, while Klopp was noticeably amused when Felipe Santana scored an own goal.
Klopp registered yet another career victory at the Westfalenstadion though as his side won 5-4 - the boss was all smiles at the end as he hugged his players, before celebrating with some trademark fist pumps in front of the Yellow Wall, for old time’s sake.
Some day, maybe the German will make a similar emotional return to Anfield, after nine stunning years with Liverpool.