Jurgen Klopp’s Emotional Anfield Return: The Story Behind the Scenes The Historic Return

Jurgen Klopp returned to the AXA Training Centre on Saturday, May 24, 2025, 373 days after his final training session as Liverpool manager. The German came back to Anfield for the first time since stepping down to watch Liverpool lift the Premier League trophy under new manager Arne Slot.

Klopp was in Merseyside to feature as a guest speaker at the LFC Foundation’s Gala Ball at Liverpool’s Anglican Cathedral on May 23, having been appointed the foundation’s first-ever honorary ambassador. The timing proved perfect, as Liverpool clinched their 20th league title under Slot in his first season.

Perhaps the most pivotal moment in modern Liverpool history came in 2013, thanks to Ulla Sandrock-Klopp. Ulla convinced Klopp to spurn Manchester United’s advances in 2013 when he was a candidate to replace Sir Alex Ferguson. According to former Liverpool star Phil Thompson, Klopp told him he could have taken over Manchester United, but his wife said it wasn’t right.

Two years later, when Liverpool approached him, Ulla’s response was the polar opposite—she told him it was right. Thompson noted: “There is something strange there. It is as if he’s created for Liverpool.”

Ulla was also central to convincing Klopp to extend his Liverpool contract in 2022, which was initially supposed to take him through to 2026. When announcing the extension, Klopp jokingly explained: “Why? Because Ulla wants to stay. As a good husband, what are you doing when your wife wants to stay? You stay!”

The couple sat in their kitchen when Ulla said, “I can’t see us leaving in 2024,” to which Klopp responded in surprise. She emphasized the connection with “all the people about” in Liverpool.

According to reports, Klopp was close to quitting midway through last season when it appeared his magic had dried up, but Ulla convinced him to reconsider and stay to oversee the regeneration of his squad.

During the Covid pandemic in April 2020, Ulla handed out £1,000 worth of food vouchers to supermarket staff at Waitrose in Formby as a “thank you” for their frontline work. She distributed 20 separate £50 vouchers to staff on duty.

One staff member said, “This was an incredible thing to do. Typically, Ulla didn’t want to make a fuss, or receive any recognition, and just wanted people working in shops to get the recognition they deserve”.

During Klopp’s final match at Anfield in May 2024, Ulla was visibly moved and was seen chatting with a Liverpool employee in a quiet corridor during the game. When asked if she was feeling okay, Ulla emotionally replied: “No, not really”.

After leaving Liverpool, the couple settled into a £3.4 million eco-friendly villa in Mallorca, with Klopp taking up padel tennis while Ulla has reportedly tasked him with learning to cook. Klopp admitted he would need to learn cooking, joking: “I was raised in the Black Forest with two sisters, the only reason I knew where the kitchen was because the smell came from there!”

Earlier in 2025, Klopp had revealed his plans to return when “it’s decided” Liverpool would be champions, explaining: “I didn’t want to go earlier to be honest because I didn’t want to jinx it! They win all the time and I’m the first time in the stadium and they lose!”

At the Foundation gala, Klopp defended Trent Alexander-Arnold against fan booing, saying: “I don’t tell you you should not be disappointed, you should not be angry, I tell you don’t forget [what he’s done for this club]. This club doesn’t forget”.

The story of Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool is incomplete without acknowledging Ulla’s profound influence—from steering him away from Manchester United to convincing him to stay during difficult times, she has been the quiet architect behind one of football’s greatest managerial tenures.