Jurgen Klopp's final 24 hours at Liverpool were sentimental and stirring in equal command. 

On Sunday the Reds bade farewell to a king, a man whose reputation preceded him when he arrived in 2015 and will long outlive him in memories and songs and Merseyside murals. 

A legend who has left an indelible mark on this club was given a send-off befitting every inch of his stature, with Anfield in full voice and hanging on his every word. 

His last weekend as Liverpool boss saw him box up his office, hold back the tears, and deliver a memorable speech to the Anfield faithful. He also led a rousing chant to amp up the excitement for his successor Arne Slot and danced the night away with club legend John Barnes and his players. 

This is the story of Klopp's final 24 hours at Liverpool - or rather, the club's last 24 hours gifted with his presence. 

Jurgen Klopp's final 24 hours at Liverpool were brimming with emotion as he took charge of his final game 

Klopp led his final session at the AXA Training Centre on Saturday, which he described as 'strange and emotional'.

Virtually all the cast of players were involved, including Diogo Jota, Thiago and Ben Doak back on time after injuries. 

Joel Matip, one of Klopp's first signings for Liverpool back in 2016, was the only first-teamer to miss this last supper due to his severe ACL injury. 

Klopp was all toothy grin on a sun-drenched day in Kirkby and wasn't the only one saying goodbye.

It was the last time on the grass for multiple staff members, including assistant Pep Ljinders, as well as Thiago and Adrian. 

Afterwards, Klopp completed a mundane task for most people - packing up cardboard boxes. Yet somehow he made a hit Instagram video out of it, garnering almost 700,000 likes, on his 'kloppo' account launched on the same day. 

'So, here I am, last day in the office,' he says. 'Last session done and it was strange I would say. 

'Few of the coaches got quite emotional, I would say. I didn’t quite yet. I told myself that tomorrow’s a game and after that is holiday.

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'Obviously, I decide what I think until I get overwhelmed tomorrow. So, I will leave this place which is… erm… yeah… an interesting experience I would say.'

He then panned to the boxes, brimming with memorabilia and keepsakes, items priceless to many on Merseyside. 

Come Sunday afternoon and Klopp was given a messianic welcome as thousands packed the streets to welcome the team buses to Anfield. 

An expectant dim hummed from the gauntlet either side of the road, a noise breaking into song and the heartbeat of drums as the carriages pulled up in resplendent red. 

What other song to welcome him than 'Allez, Allez, Allez,' the song which seemingly emerged from a band of wayfaring Liverpool zealots in Porto in 2018.

That year saw Liverpool reach the Champions League final, where they lost 3-1 to Real Madrid, but the song became an anthem to inspire them on to greater glory.

That summer Klopp gatecrashed a performance by Scouse troubadour Jamie Webster in Michigan, singing 'Allez, Allez' Allez' and lifting his hands in the air with fans, beaming to be part of it. Klopp has always been a man of the people. The next year they lifted the Champions League. 

Red smoke perfumed the streets and fans gathered just yards from the vehicle bearing their hero. Kopites also sang 'I'm so glad Jurgen is a Red' to the tune of 'I feel fine' by The Beatles. 

Into Anfield and there the heart would beat faster. 

As Klopp emerged to the adoring masses he held his hand to his chest and smiled before a rendition of 'You'll Never Walk Alone' soaked with nostalgia and pride. And truth. A paean to his time with them. 

Klopp was fighting to hold back the tears and the entire ground was awash with the swell of emotion only a collective love can bring. 

The 56-year-old might look more gaunt and grey these days than when he first joined - like any presidential figure in before and after photos - but nine years of relentless pressure could not suppress his charisma and showmanship.

The German turned to the fans behind him and waved a wave they will remember forever, tracing that bond between sideline and stand with the flicks of a hand. 

Flags dedicated to Klopp filled the stadium and supporters spelled out the phrase: 'DANKE JURGEN YNWA'. Elsewhere, a banner referencing his 'doubters into believers' speech was held aloft.

The football itself was good but not vintage, free-flowing but not free-scoring. 

Alexis Mac Allister and Jarell Quansah performed the necessary act of scoring to give Klopp a farewell victory, a memento so often denied to Anfield greats. 

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Steven Gerrard lost 6-1 at Stoke in his final match for the club, with goals from former team-mates Charlie Adam and Peter Crouch twisting the knife. 

Though Liverpool squandered chances in the second half and could not add to their thrills, at least Klopp has a parting win to treasure. 

The last seven minutes at Anfield were deafening. Klopp clapped along, the conductor of the orchestra. 

In his last few moments Klopp started the bear hugs, of which there would be countless. 

Caiomhin Kelleher was the first player to be taken into his embrace as the two grinned and there were hearty words exchanged with opposition number Gary O'Neil. 

Again Klopp pressed his right hand to his heart but this time he would also blow a kiss to the Main Stand behind the dugout.

Virgil van Dijk was tearing up as he hugged Klopp. The Dutchman, who was named captain last summer, has been at Anfield since 2018. He ranks in the top three signings of Klopp's reign alongside Alisson and Mohamed Salah.  

We won't run through all the hugs, but there were extended cuddles for his long-time disciples in Trent Alexander-Arnold, Salah, Alisson, Andy Robertson, and Joe Gomez. 

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Right through from youth players to staff, he had time for everyone and looked delighted to see them before heading inside. 

Liverpool threw a grand ceremony for Klopp and his fellow departures.

Matip, Thiago, and members of his backroom team were honoured with their own segment and gifted tokens commemmorating the trophies they have won before Klopp finally re-emerged to the cauldron.  

Players lined up on either side outside the tunnel to give him a guard of honour and applauded along with almost 60,000 home supporters. 

The only player who did not clap was Darwin Nunez, as seen in the footage we have, although it was not known why.

Not content with merely going through and high-fiving one side of the guard, Klopp ran back around darted through it again to show his appreciation to the other half of players. 

Liverpool had gifts waiting for Klopp on the podium - replica trophies, as well as framed penants from cup finals, and pictures from the games. They then indulged the masses by handing this man a microphone.

In that speech, Klopp thanked fans and urged them to not be downcast.

Indeed, he insisted they must welcome his likely successor, Feyenoord boss Arne Slot, with as much warmth as they embraced him. 

'Arne Slot, la la la la la,' he sang to the tune of "Live is Life" by Austrian band Opus, taking the crowd with him. 

'The new manager, I want you to sing his name. You welcome the new manager like you welcomed me. When the next season starts, go full throttle into it with the new manager. And you keep believing and you push the team. Change is good.

'No one tells you to stop believing. This club may be in the best position ever.

'We decide if we are worried or excited. We decide if we believe. We decide if we trust or don't trust and since today I am one of you and I keep believing in you.  

'I saw a lot of people crying, same to me too, but change is good. If you go with right attitude and everything will be fine.

'There has been such a long lead-up to this day and it was really intense. I had my bad moments as well but, thank God, not today. I'm just thankful for what happens.

'When you are in it, you forget sometimes how great it is. You take it for granted. Now I stand here, I'm just so happy I'm a part of the club's history. It's wonderful.'

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'The atmosphere was great - thanks for ignoring my request to not sing my song!"

'If you sing it next year, that will be funny! It doesn't feel like an end. It feels like a start. Today, I saw a football team playing full of desire. That's one part of development. That's what you need.

'This attention is uncomfortable but in this time I realise some things. People told me that I turned them from doubters into believers - but that isn't true. We have this stadium, training centre and you - the super power of world football!'

Klopp added: 'I am one of you now. I love you to bits. I will never walk alone again - thank you for that.'

Love you to bits. It's a uniquely British phrase suggesting that every ounce of one's being is poured into the act. 

It's the sort of phrase Klopp might not have known on his arrival from Borussia Dortmund - even if 2022 he thought 'brain fog' was 'brain f***' - and it shows how he has transcended boundaries to become an adopted Scouser. 

'Thank you luv,' read the message on the front of his hoodie, alongside a heart. His wife, Ulla, was wiping away tears as his address reached its climax. 

The joviality didn't end there. Next came the fist pumps to each stands and the line of players stood before the Kop.

Klopp almost bowled over a camera man as he ran to join the huddle alongside Jayden Danns, making banterous conversation with a new boy on the block a third of his age. Other managers might not find many words to say to an 18-year--old peripheral figure. Klopp had plenty. 

Back in the dressing room there were more expressions of love, deep and direct. 

Many of his players looked drained and shell-shocked as he spoke, the reality of his impending exit dawning on them. Would they ever have another manager like him?

'The football you are able to play is absolutely ridiculous,' he said. 'I can't wait, watching you developing, making the next steps.'

After being told that Manchester City had won their fourth title in a row - with Liverpool the last team to stop them in 2020 - Klopp added: 'You can do that again. I said to you this morning. There might be some people that say to you: "That's not enough." I tell you, they don't have a clue about football.

'Could we have done better in moments? Yes, of course, that's always possible. But did we do better than you can usually expect? Oh yes, because it takes longer to become a top team again, and you did that like this (clicks fingers).

'Then my expectations went (high) and then we couldn't keep the pace. That's the problem a little bit.

'Guys, we come in third in the first season with Liverpool 2.0 and from now on with new energy from outside, with new influences, with new push, proving yourselves, that's good for squeezing everything out of your career.

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'I just want to say: I love you. 

'It was absolutely outstanding. Thank you for the ride, I'm so proud of you and I'm so proud that I have been allowed to be part of this.

'Thank you very much, and the sky is the limit for you boys.'

Poignant words packed with the power to carry their sails beyond his reach. As Klopp lets go of the wheel, he is well aware of the need to imbue his players and fans with the same devotion to Slot, who will move into the office he has left behind.

Klopp took a final photo with the few fans left in Anfield around three hours after the final whistle after extensive interviews. A portion of stewards boxed them in to their seats, lest there was some minor uprising in the 9pm breeze. There wasn't. But there were huge smiles under the setting sun. 

At this point you'd forgive Klopp for calling time on his day and putting his feet up, perhaps whipping out a bottle of Peroni as he loves and watching Match of the Day memorialise him. 

There was just one thing left to do: party.

The venue was the Titanic Hotel at the Royal Albert Dock, where he enjoyed a meal with players and staff. 

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Any decorum of a sit-down meal soon dissipated into a boozy night out on the town.

Wafted with rapture onl the night can bring, Klopp found himself on stage with none other than club legend John Barnes, who rapped as Klopp busted out his funkiest dance moves.  

His trademark cap was flipped backwards as he moved to the rhythm set by the music and Barnes, who performed a version of Rapper's Delight by The Sugarhill Gang.

The 56-year-old was also joined by the players and coaches on stage for a rendition of The Best by Tina Turner. 

Elsewhere, he had his arm around Liverpudlian MMA fighter Paddy Pimblett, while his other hand cradled a gin.  

This was Klopp at his 'normal one' best - it's hard to imagine some elite managers letting their hair down as much as Klopp, or even just having as much hair as he does considering the amount of stress he has been under. 

It'd be even trickier to pick out a manager who would bounce around in the middle of a mob of players in a nightclub, but don't put anything past Klopp.

Young Josh Koumas - a relation for former star Jason and current starlet Lewis - shared a now-deleted video of the German doing just that.

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At first looking slightly unsure, Klopp quickly gets into the groove as he is churned into the middle of the pack, bopping as egged on by Darwin Nunez, Luis Diaz, and others. 

'Had worse Sundays, what a man,' Koumas wrote on X, formerly Twitter, also sharing a photo with Klopp.

For some devotees, there would hardly be a better Sunday. 

Klopp's vision for his life now is radically different to this thunderous, chest-thumping, carousing, populist existence he has led on the pedestal of Liverpool, a de facto mayor and tribe leader and friend. 

He said in January that he was 'running out of energy'. Enough of the long hours, the frazzled emotional tether, and showmanship. 

He wants to learn to cook properly and take dance classes with his wife. In Mallorca they are creating an 'ecological family paradise' after buying a villa for £3.4million. Quiet moments will be spent there and in Germany, where he does not get back often enough for his liking. 

'It's not important what people think when you come in,' he said upon joining. 'It's much more important what people think when you leave.' 

In Klopp's final 24 hours at Liverpool he squeezed out every ounce of energy and love that he could. That way he has lived for the past nine years and beyond. 

That is how he arrived, that is how he will be remembered, and that it how he will continue to live - even if that's by pool rather than pitch.