Jürgen Klopp said goodbye to Liverpool on Sunday by singing the name of his successor, Arne Slot, in front of the club's fans.
Klopp's eight-and-a-half-year reign as manager came to an end with a 2-0 win against Wolverhampton Wanderers at Anfield, with first-half goals from Alexis Mac Allister and Jarell Quansah sealing a 305th win in his 491 games. in charge.
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Feyenoord coach Slot confirmed on Friday that he will replace Klopp at Anfield next season. After Klopp was presented with a series of miniature trophies to reflect those won since he took charge in October 2015, he told Liverpool fans to follow him by chanting Slot's name.
“I want you to sing his name, the new coach,” Klopp said. “Arne Slot, na na na na na! When next season starts, go full throttle with the new coach. When you start, you keep believing. Don't stop believing.
“I saw a lot of people cry, the same for me too, but change is good. If you go with the right attitude, everything will be fine.
“There's been a long lead up to this day and it was really intense. I had my bad moments too but, thank God, not today. I'm just grateful for what happens. When you're in this, sometimes you forget how great it is. You take it for granted. Now that I'm here, I'm very happy to be part of the club's history.
Liverpool won every major honour, with the exception of the Europa League, under Klopp, and the club's success in the 2019-20 Premier League ended their 30-year quest to be English champions.
After revealing his decision to resign in January, they have been preparing for Klopp's final game as manager in recent weeks. The 56-year-old said it's been an emotional rollercoaster for him lately.
“I'm surprised I'm not already in pieces,” he said. “I'm so happy, I can't believe it. The atmosphere, the game, being part of this family, how we celebrate in this stadium. Thank you very much.
“It doesn't feel like an end, it just feels like a beginning. I saw a team full of creativity, desire. For a few weeks now I've had too much attention, but in this time I realized many things.
“People told me that I turned you from a disbeliever to a believer, that's not true. Believing is what you do yourself, you did it. Nobody tells you to stop believing, this club is in a better moment than it has been in a long time.
“We decide if we are worried or excited. We decide if you believe or don't believe, trust or don't trust. From today I am one of you and I believe in you,” Klopp said.
“The other clubs, with more money and the best coaches, win it. We didn't have the best coach and we never had the best team, but for a while we played the best football and I love that.
“We're a rock-solid club and we don't spend too much. People say, 'You didn't spend enough'. What the hell do you want? I get it the Liverpool way.”
Meanwhile, Feyenoord coach Arne Slot coached his final game for the Dutch club before taking charge of Liverpool next season, and was greeted with banners emblazoned with “go on, walk”, a line from the anthem shared by his former and the fans of the new club.
Feyenoord bid farewell to their manager on Sunday with an empathic 4-0 home derby victory against Excelsior, two days after Slot confirmed he would be the next manager at Anfield.
Fans chanted Slot's name for most of the match in a moving farewell as Feyenoord finished second behind PSV Eindhoven in the Dutch league standings.
Slot, 45, had led Feyenoord to just a second championship in 23 years when they won the title at the end of the 2022-23 season.
