LIVERPOOL: Jurgen Klopp will go down as one of Liverpool's greatest managers — the numbers prove it.
Klopp announced on Friday that he will step down at the end of this season after 8 1/2 years in charge of the Premier League club.
The baseball cap-wearing German restored a winning culture at Anfield — both domestically and in Europe — after arriving in October 2015.
The 56-year-old Klopp delivered Liverpool its sixth European Cup when his team beat Tottenham 2-0 in the 2019 Champions League final. That was after Liverpool improbably overturned Barcelona's 3-0 lead in the semifinals at Anfield.
In 2020, Liverpool won the Premier League to end a 30-year title drought as champion of England.
Klopp's success — and fist-pumping passion — ranks him alongside other managerial greats at Anfield — Bill Shankly, Bob Paisley and Kenny Dalglish.
Klopp, who has coached the fourth-most number of games (466) in Liverpool history, is currently the longest-tenured Premier League manager and boasts a nearly 63% winning percentage in 317 league games as coach. Liverpool has lost just 44 league games under Klopp.
In 2019, Liverpool also won the FIFA Club World Cup and UEFA Super Cup.
Klopp picked up two more titles in 2022: the FA Cup and English League Cup — both times beating Chelsea on penalty shootouts.
Along with the 2022 Community Shield, that's seven trophies. Only Paisley (20), Shankly (11) and Dalglish (9) have more for the club.
There might have been more Premier League titles if not for high-flying Manchester City. Liverpool amassed 97 points — one short of Pep Guardiola's title team — in the 2018-19 season. Liverpool also ended the 2020-21 season in second place, one point behind City.
Klopp can go out on top this season — in four competitions. Liverpool leads the Premier League and remains in contention in the Europa League, FA Cup and League Cup.
"This news was always going to be a body blow to the club whenever it came," Liverpool great Jamie Carragher said on X, formerly Twitter. "I just thought it would be another few years away. What a manager, what a man, let's go out with a bang Jurgen!"