One Liverpool fan received a surprise late invitation to Jurgen Klopp’s leaving party as the club bid farewell to their manager.
On the final day of the Premier League, the German’s tenure ended with a 2-0 victory over Wolves. Tributes then poured in at an emotional Anfield, before club members partied late into the night, including Roopa Vyas.
Clips from the event show Klopp dancing on stage with John Barnes as the outgoing manager and members of the squad gathered on the dancefloor. Roopa was fortunate to be able to witness everything firsthand thanks to a last-minute invitation to the party from a club employee.
The 27-year-old told the ECHO: “I was staying in Liverpool [after the match], returned to my hotel, and then received a last-minute call. Do you want to come? Obviously, it was a no-brainer, and I wasn’t going to decline.
Alisson knocked over the fan’s drink – but they made up with a selfie
“I wasn’t prepared for it, I didn’t have any inkling of a potential invitation. I didn’t pack any nice clothes. I just literally got out of the hotel and got to town for the party.”
She also added: “The vibe was just everyone was buzzing, especially after a good send off on the pitch. The players were ready to party and it was quite relaxed. I’d never been in this sort of environment so it was quite surreal. I walked in and immediately walked past King Kenny [Dalglish], Ian Rush is on the other side and then there’s John Barnes. It was just insane and beyond my wildest dreams.”
Roopa seized the opportunity to introduce herself once Klopp had a moment and said it was “unreal” to meet the German in person. She was conscious not to be too intrusive at the party since she was one of few in attendance who weren’t employed at the club
Roopa wanted to thank the outgoing manager for everything he had done for the club and also tell him about her work as an ambassador for anti sexism campaign. “My goal was to give him a badge so I had to fish it out of my pocket to give it to him,” she said.
“He put his arm around me, gave me a hug and said ‘Anything that supports equality, I’m all for. I love this.’ He took the badge and hugged it.” She also beamed: “The fact I met him on literally my last opportunity to meet him. I don’t think I’m ever going to get over it.”
One of the more entertaining interactions during her unforgettable night was when goalkeeper Alisson knocked over her drink before being incredibly apologetic. She said: “Him being so tall and me being so small he probably didn’t see me but he knocked my drink into me. And he was like ‘I’m so sorry’. I said ‘it’s fine, but to make up for it we can have have a selfie’.”