JUST IN: Legendary Liverpool Manager Jurgen Klopp to Step Down at the End of the Season

(AP Photo/Jon Super, File)

Legendary Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has announced that he is stepping down at the end of the season, sending shock waves in the football world.

Under his leadership, Liverpool enjoyed a resurgence in competitive and financial standing, winning both Champions League and Premier League titles.

Klopp told LiverpoolFC.com,

I can understand that it’s a shock for a lot of people in this moment when you hear it for the first time, but obviously I can explain it – or at least try to explain it.” He added “I love absolutely everything about this club,

I love everything about the city, I love everything about our supporters, I love the team, I love the staff. I love everything. But that I still take this decision shows you that I am convinced it is the one I have to take.

It is that I am, how can I say it, running out of energy. I have no problem now, obviously, I knew it already for longer that I will have to announce it at one point, but I am absolutely fine now. I know that I cannot do the job again and again and again and again.

After the years we had together and after all the time we spent together and after all the things we went through together, the respect grew for you, the love grew for you and the least I owe you is the truth – and that is the truth.

Klopp enjoys a unique standing in the Premier League, where competitive rivalries are so fierce that gaffers across clubs are largely loathed unanimously. Klopp’s charm and good nature have made him one of the more popular figures in international football, and his stepping down as Liverpool gaffer is a significant loss to fans of the world’s most popular sport.