Known for his candor, Jurgen Klopp reminisced with former Reds stalwart Ragnar Klavan as the pair shared memories from their Liverpool days.
Klopp, a bonafide Anfield icon after nine years at the helm, watched Klavan evolve into a cult figure following his modest $5.7 million (£4.2m) acquisition in Klopp's first Anfield transfer season as Liverpool boss
Now venturing into football politics, the 39 year old retired Estonian is striving to become the head of Estonia's football association, and he recently collared Klopp for an enlightening interview covering a breadth of absorbing football topics, reflecting Klavan's ambition to uplift Estonian football.
Capping off the YouTube video, Klavan handed Klopp a bespoke 'Team Klavan' shirt bearing the inscription 'football is for everyone' - only for Klopp to jest: "Two things: it is fine."
He then mocked in horror: "But this is Schalke blue – are you kidding me?!" referring to the hue associated with fierce rivals of Klopp's ex-club Borussia Dortmund.
While articulating his motives behind running for the presidency to Forbes, Klavan acknowledged the odd transition post-retirement, musing over a career spanning two decades that requires tremendous dedication for those who reach the pinnacle.
Ragnar Klavan playing for Liverpool Legends.
Ragnar Klavan playing for Liverpool Legends. (Image: Getty Images)
"This means that they sacrificed a lot, and then it stops at the age of 35 or 40 when you are at your peak as a human. Suddenly, you are told that you are useless. The question is, are you willing to go all in again and start learning?".
"There was always talk about how the Estonian FA is run under Aivar Pohlak. It's a little bit dark. When you are not shown the whole financial budget as a board member - how it has been run, then I have a lot of question marks."
Meanwhile, Pep Guardiola has revealed he spoke to Klopp before appointing ex-Liverpool coach Pep Lijnders as his new No.2 at Manchester City.
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“We had a conversation with Jurgen but not about Pep Lijnders,” said Guardiola. “We just talked on our subject, it was as always a long conversation in certain moments and I suggested that I was thinking about Pep.
“He gave me his opinion, it was, of course, so highly of him because he was his right hand in one of the most successful periods of Liverpool.
“I asked for permission from Jurgen, of course, I didn’t want to interfere much but I said to him ‘would it be a problem for me to talk to him?’ and he said ‘absolutely not’, and we talked and decided in one or two days.”