Jurgen Klopp: The maverick who helped Liverpool conquer the world
The HinduJurgen Klopp was two months into his tenure as Liverpool manager when he strode onto the Anfield turf, cajoled his players into lining up with him at the edge of the penalty area, and made them thank fans in The Kop with an arm-swinging salute. READ: Four-and-a-half years later, Klopp has attained legendary status in the port city in northwest England as the man who returned Liverpool to the top of English game after a 30-year wait for a 19th league title. Chelsea's 2-1 win over Manchester City saw Liverpool clinch its first championship since 1990, ending one of the most unforeseen droughts in British sports. READ: Klopp had earlier said he'd never splash those kind of sums - "Other clubs can go out and spend money and collect top players, I want to do it differently," he said in 2016 after United bought Paul Pogba for $116 million - but he eventually succumbed to the realities of the modern-day game and abandoned those principles. The result has been spectacular: back-to-back Champions League finals, winning one and losing one; a 97-point league season - the third-highest in Premier League history - that left Liverpool a point behind City in the 2018-19 campaign; and now what could statistically go down as the greatest ever top-flight season.