Jurgen Klopp charms Singapore fans as Liverpool arrive for two friendlies
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SINGAPORE – It is the trademark smile Liverpool supporters in Singapore have watched on their screens and fallen in love with since 2015.
And on Friday afternoon outside the Ritz-Carlton hotel, they were enthralled in person by Jurgen Klopp, who led the charm offensive and spent almost 15 minutes flashing his pearly whites for wefies and signing autographs for his adoring audience.
Klopp – in a black cap, grey Liverpool T-shirt and black shorts – and his squad, who are in town for two pre-season friendly matches,
About 150 fans, wearing the famous red jerseys and holding posters, screamed and shouted the names of the German boss and other favourites like Egyptian forward Mohamed Salah and England international Trent Alexander-Arnold.
New signings Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister were also given a grand welcome, with fans belting out “Liverpool, Liverpool” as the players strolled into the hotel and waved at the crowd. Some had gathered behind the barricades outside while others had stationed themselves in the hotel lobby. There was plenty of jostling inside the media area too, with photographers trying to get shots of Klopp.
The Reds were also here last July when they recorded a 2-0 win over Crystal Palace in a pre-season friendly
The pall then proved to be a premonition of a forgettable season as Liverpool collected 67 points – the lowest in a full campaign under Klopp – and finished fifth in the English Premier League
In January, Klopp said that in hindsight, he would have preferred the Asia trip to take place weeks into the Reds’ pre-season schedule rather than at the start. Unsurprisingly, the club’s stopover here comes just two weeks before they begin the new EPL term on Aug 13 away at Chelsea.
The 19-time English champions will have an open training session at the National Stadium on Saturday before facing Leicester City a day later at the same venue. They then take on Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich next Wednesday.
The Foxes – now in the Championship after relegation last season– had arrived in Singapore on Thursday night. New manager Enzo Maresca has brought a full-strength squad, including star strikers Jamie Vardy and Kelechi Iheanacho.
Dillon Chong, 28, was among the lucky few to get Klopp’s autograph on his jersey. He described it as a “dream come true” and said: “No one embodies the club more than Klopp, so it’s such a surreal experience to be able to see him up close and an extra bonus for him to sign my kit. I am over the moon.”
Inside the Ritz-Carlton, the 27-player squad – midfielder Fabinho, linked with a move to Saudi Arabia, and injured duo Thiago Alcantara and Stefan Bajcetic did not travel – spent some time to pose for photographs and sign autographs for invited fans.
One of those was eight-year-old Lucian Ker, who took photos with his favourite player Virgil van Dijk and managed to get his kit signed by the squad.
He was close to tears later and said: “I was not expecting him to stop. I was just happy to see him. This is the best moment of my life and it feels so exciting. I can’t wait to go to school and show my friends the pictures.”
