Nine years, eight trophy lifts, countless fist pumps and a plethora of magical moments; Jurgen Klopp's signature will be etched into the annals of Liverpool history for decades to come.
The charismatic German succeeded Brendan Rodgers in 2015 with the Merseyside powerhouses lingering in 10th spot in the Premier League standings, but they have left the world of mid-table mediocrity behind to return to their former glories with Klopp in the emperor's chair.
As such, the reaction of profound shock, sadness but also the utmost respect was inevitable when the 56-year-old announced in January that he would be stepping down from his position at the end of the season, explaining that his energy stores are running on empty after a taxing - but worthwhile - stint on the throne.
Few men have transcended Liverpool in the same manner as Klopp, whose tenure would of course not be complete without some heartbreak and heated exchanges, but now is the time to reflect on those junctures that brought unbridled Merseyside merriment to the red half of the city.
Here, Sports Mole picks out Klopp's greatest moments as Liverpool manager.
10. - Norwich City bedlam
It took just two months for a set of Klopp's famous glasses to fall victim to unrestrained Reds celebrations, as in a nine-goal Premier League spectacular with Norwich City in January 2016, Liverpool emerged on the right end of a 5-4 scoreline in the most outrageous of circumstances.
Thanks to Roberto Firmino's brace, Jordan Henderson's strike and a James Milner effort, Liverpool had ostensibly rendered goals from Dieumerci Mbokani, Steven Naismith and Wes Hoolahan - which had put the Canaries 3-1 up - inconsequential.
That was until the second minute of second-half injury time, when Sebastien Bassong crashed the eighth goal of a crazy game home from 25 yards, but there would be another twist to the Carrow Road tale with 95 minutes on the board.
As a brief game of pinball broke out in the Canaries box, Norwich failed to clear their lines and paid the ultimate price when Adam Lallana's volley into the ground, sparking delirious scenes between Klopp and his players in which the German emerged without his trusty bifocal lenses.
9. 2019 Club World Cup final triumph
Conquering the globe at club level may not bear the same significance as lifting the coveted World Cup trophy aloft once every four years, but Liverpool's celebrations were not at all inhibited when the Reds added another title to their extensive CV.
Rather than the controversial 32-team tournament which will soon grace TV screens, Champions League holders Liverpool were just one of six sides to gun for glory at the 2019 edition, proving too strong for Mexican outfit Monterrey in the semi-finals to set up a showdown with Flamengo.
Nothing could separate the two continental champions in 90 minutes at the Khalifa International Stadium in Qatar, but just as the clock ticked over to 99 minutes in extra time, Sadio Mane's slick turn and pass to Firmino ended with the Brazilian clinically doing the rest.
The shirt immediately came off before Liverpool were presented with their inaugural Club World Cup honour by FIFA president Gianni Infantino; while Klopp may or may not ever enter the international management landscape, he can proudly claim to be a planetary champion.
8. Divock Origi winner in Merseyside derby
The admiration held for Liverpool cult hero Divock Origi is arguably close to that of the departing Klopp, and the Belgian attacker triggered an iconic pitch invasion from his manager during a December 2018 Merseyside derby with Everton at Anfield.
The Christmas contest would ostensibly end without the net rippling once, but as Jordan Pickford made a meal out of a sliced Virgil van Dijk volley in injury time, who else but last-minute saviour Origi was on hand to nod home.
As Anfield erupted into a chorus of cheers, Klopp took the celebrations one step further by storming onto the field of play and giving goalkeeper Alisson Becker a bear hug, before surging back to his technical area and giving his coaching team the same treatment.
Of course, Klopp's unbridled joy landed him in hot water with the FA - a misconduct charge and £8,000 fine came his way - but that financial penalty was a drop in the ocean for the elated German.
7. 2024 EFL Cup final
The kids were more than all right for Klopp in the 2023-24 EFL Cup final, where Liverpool arrived at Wembley to tackle Chelsea with absentees in the double figures, including the revered Mohamed Salah, defensive stalwarts Alisson and Trent Alexander-Arnold and ever-chaotic Darwin Nunez.
Academy products were plucked from the Reds' Kirkby ranks to fill their dugout, where Klopp and co witnessed both the Reds and the Blues each have a strike chalked off; the former far more questionably so as Van Dijk's header was disallowed for Wataru Endo's alleged impediment on Levi Colwill from an offside position.
However, the towering Dutchman was not to be denied in the additional 30 minutes, meeting a Kostas Tsimikas corner and once again triumphing in the air to spark familiar celebrations on the Wembley soil for Liverpool, who by that point had all of Jarell Quansah, James McConnell, Jayden Danns and Bobby Clark on the field.
Liverpool's EFL Cup triumphs count ticked over into the double figures with their beating of Chelsea, which ultimately did not translate into a fantastical quadruple, but Klopp at least has one more winners' medal to pack into his suitcase.
6. 2022 FA Cup final
Breaking Chelsea hearts at the home of English football has been a theme for Liverpool during the Klopp era, as after also besting their capital counterparts on penalties in the 2021-22 EFL Cup final, Wembley lightning struck twice in the FA Cup showpiece.
Bidding to end a 16-year drought without success in the prestigious knockout tournament, Liverpool kept Chelsea at bay for 120 minutes in the sunshine but also failed to draw any blood from the Blues, so another 12-yard shootout would be required to decide the destiny of the crown.
While only Mane fluffed his lines from the white spot for Liverpool, both Cesar Azpilicueta and Mason Mount - the latter of whom was denied by Alisson - were off target for Chelsea, allowing the Greek Scouser Tsimikas to make history for Klopp.
By keeping compatriot Thomas Tuchel under his spell, Klopp became the first German-born head coach to win the FA Cup, while Chelsea were left to lament a third final defeat in as many years.
5. Alisson Becker goal vs. West Bromwich Albion
Little can shock a manager of Klopp's calibre and experience any more, but the Liverpool boss admitted that he had never seen anything like Alisson Becker's "unbelievable" header against West Bromwich Albion in May 2021.
With their dreams of back-to-back Premier League crowns already in tatters, Liverpool were simply scrapping for Champions League qualification during the closing stages of the 2020-21 season, where Hal Robson-Kanu and Salah netted at an empty Hawthorns in May 2021.
Liverpool's last-chance saloon came from a corner five minutes into second-half injury time, where Alexander-Arnold's delivery was on the money for an unmarked Alisson, who flicked his noggin and found the far corner to become the first-ever goalkeeper to score a competitive goal for Liverpool.
The historic occasion was particularly poignant for Alisson, who had lost his father in a tragic drowning accident just a few months before, and Klopp could hardly be more accurate when saying that the Brazilian's incredible contribution meant "the world" to everyone associated with Liverpool.
4. Liverpool 7-0 Manchester United
Revenge was the special dish on the Anfield menu in March 2023, as Klopp's crop sought to atone for their 2-1 loss at Old Trafford earlier in the Premier League season, and they did so with a sensational seven-goal slaughter.
Erik ten Hag's troops were on the verge of getting to half time with their clean sheet intact, but the floodgates burst open in the 43rd minute, and a six-goal flurry in the second 45 rewrote many pages of desired Reds records and unwanted Man United history.
Salah, Nunez and Cody Gakpo both found the back of the net twice alongside Firmino's closing act, as Liverpool condemned Man United to their heaviest-ever Premier League defeat and joint-biggest loss in their entire league history.
Klopp rejoiced in Liverpool's best performance in a "long, long, long, long, long, long time" under the Anfield lights but toned it down to a "freak result" before December's goalless draw, where another 7-0 scoreline would not have been beyond the realm of possibility had Liverpool actually converted their chances.
3. Barcelona remontada
After suffering Spanish-inflicted heartbreak in the 2017-18 Champions League final, Liverpool's dreams of European stardom were seemingly destined to come to an end versus another La Liga superpower, as Barcelona arrived at Anfield for the second leg of their 2018-19 semi-final with a 3-0 aggregate advantage.
However, 14 years on from the miracle of Istanbul, Lionel Messi and co were left dumbstruck at becoming the victims of the miracle of Merseyside, which was put into motion when Origi pounced with just seven minutes on the board.
A quickfire brace from Georginio Wijnaldum early in the second half remarkably got Liverpool back on level terms, before the quick-thinking Alexander-Arnold caught a dilly-dallying Barcelona unawares from the corner flag; Origi was not napping, though, readjusting his feet and curling into the top corner to give Barcelona a taste of their remontada medicine.
At full time, erstwhile Liverpool defender Dejan Lovren humorously remarked that Klopp implored his players to "show f*cking balls", motivational words which preceded one of the greatest turnarounds the Champions League has and will ever see.
2. Sixth Champions League title
Just over three weeks on from spectacularly sending Barcelona back to Catalonia with the gloomiest of expressions, Liverpool would trek to Madrid's Wanda Metropolitano to fight for continental stardom with Tottenham Hotspur, who had also completed their own scarcely-believable fightback versus Ajax.
Many wondered whether the favourites tag would weigh too heavily on Liverpool's shoulders against their unfancied North London opponents, without any form of major silverware since 2008, but the outstretched arm of Moussa Sissoko quickly helped to settle any nerves.
Salah crashed home that controversially-awarded spot kick with just 106 seconds on the board, and after security ejected a pitch invader whose leotard left little to the imagination, who else but the inevitable Origi rubber-stamped a 2-0 victory in Liverpool's magical night in Madrid.
Klopp broke out into song in his post-match interview as Liverpool talked about six (baby), which also represented the German's maiden trophy with the Merseyside giants and one that can arguably only be topped by our top pick.
1. Winning the Premier League
There is certainly a case to regard the Champions League conquest of 2019 as Klopp's greatest Liverpool moment, but the Reds had already conquered the continent five times before his arrival, whereas the Premier League box remained unticked for almost 30 years.
Leicester City, Chelsea and Manchester City had all been crowned kings of the land in the earlier years of Klopp's Anfield tenure, but the German's team were the irrepressible force of the 2019-20 campaign, albeit one with the caveat of the devastating COVID-19 pandemic.
Either side of the enforced hiatus, though, Liverpool were almost always looking down on the other 19 Premier League teams and sealed their first-ever Premier League title with a record seven games to spare thanks to Chelsea's beating of Manchester City on June 25.
While no fans were permitted inside the stadium to witness Liverpool's long-awaited trophy lift, many defied social distancing regulations to celebrate long into the night outside the grounds, as the revered Klopp achieved a feat that none of his eight Premier League predecessors at Anfield managed.
body check tags ::
