Jurgen Klopp “cannot forget the moment” when Liverpool first expressed interest in securing his services, with a moment that was almost passed up proving to be a momentous one for both him and the club.
Back in October 2015, the Reds found themselves in need of inspiration from somewhere.
Brendan Rodgers had been ushered through the exits at Anfield and the market was scoured for the best coaching talent available.
Former Borussia Dortmund boss Klopp was quickly identified as the man to fill a sizeable void on Merseyside, with the charismatic German considered to be the perfect fit for a giant of English football.
Five years on and that decision has been vindicated in style, with Liverpool savouring Champions League, Club World Cup and Premier League title triumphs.
Klopp has made the desired impact, with all concerned happy with the big calls they made at a historic crossroads, although he admits to almost snubbing an initial approach while taking in a well-deserved break.
“I cannot forget the moment when I got the call from my agent that Liverpool is interested. And the feeling I had in that moment,” Klopp told the Reds’ official website after reaching his fifth anniversary at the helm.
“I said it a couple of times, I was completely in a holiday mood; we were in Portugal, in Lisbon, with the family, both boys were with us. Ulla and I were sitting in an outside coffee bar.
“Actually I didn’t take a lot of phone calls in that time, it was like: ‘Come on, don’t bother me'. But then I saw it and it was like I had a feeling it could be something interesting. So I take the phone and he tells me, and I felt the excitement inside.
“But because of all the things I said before to my family, I couldn’t immediately say: ‘Yes! Let’s do it!’ I had to ask: ‘What’s your opinion?’ I still remember both boys were like: ‘Yes!’ We look at Ulla and she looked at all three of us: ‘Oh, it looks like the holiday is over!’
“It was just a really nice moment to have it together. There was nothing decided in that moment, it was not that I spoke to anybody else. We flew home, Mike Gordon called me then two days later, one day later, whatever. Then I flew over to New York and all that stuff.
“But this very first moment when I got aware of the interest of Liverpool was already pretty special. And from that moment on it got better and better.”
Liverpool are currently in the process of trying to defend their Premier League crown, with a Merseyside derby date with Everton on October 17 set to present them with an opportunity to shake a humbling 7-2 defeat at Aston Villa from their system.