by A Liverpool FC fan’s dream came true after she was unexpectedly invited to star Jurgen Klopp’s leaving party.
The German’s incredible era in charge of the Reds came to an end yesterday with a 2 – 0 win over Wolves at Anfield. A celebration was held at the Titanic Hotel later that evening to honor the 56-year-old’s remarkable nine-year reign.
Great clips emerged of Klopp dancing on stage with John Barnes and members of the squad surrounding him on the dance floor. One fan was lucky enough to see it in person as Roopa Vyas received a last minute invite to the bash from her friend who works at the club.
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The 27-year-old told the ECHO: “I was staying over in Liverpool [after the match], I came back to my hotel and then had a last minute call. ‘Do you want to come?’ It was obviously a talking point and I wasn’t going to say no.
“I was not prepared for it, I had no inkling of a possible invitation. I did not pack any nice clothes. I literally got out of the hotel and went to town for the party.”
Roopa is from South Wales and a lifelong fan of Liverpool FC, having lived in the city for many years while studying at university. She travels home and away to support the team and even had her face on the Kop when she was part of the Converse campaign last year.
However, yesterday was the first time she was able to see her heroes in red in such a casual setting as she said: “The vibe just had everyone buzzing, especially after the launch good on the field. The players were ready to party and it was quite relaxed.
“I have never been in this kind 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 is John Barnes. It was crazy and beyond my wildest dreams.”
Roopa didn’t want to be too aggressive at the party as she was one of the few present who wasn’t employed by the club. However, this meant she almost missed the chance to meet the man of the day as she was worried Klopp left the party before she could introduce herself.
However, Roopa was delighted to learn that the iconic manager was still partying the night away when he took to the stage next to Barnes. Roopa took the opportunity to introduce herself as the German left the stage and said it was “unreal” to meet Klopp in person.
Roopa wanted to thank the manager for everything he did for the club and tell him about her work as an ambassador for the anti-sexist campaign, Her Game Too. She said: “My goal was to give him a badge so I had to fish it out of my pocket to give it to him.
“He put his arm around me, gave me a hug and said ‘Anything that supports equality, I love this.’ He took the badge and hugged it.
“I know it’s so small, but, for me, Her Game Too, it’s something I do on the side and I’m so passionate about it.” She said: “The fact that I met him was literally the last chance I had to meet him. I don’t think I’ll ever get over it.”
However, Roopa said her favorite interaction of the night was with Reds goalkeeper Alisson Becker, who was very apologetic after accidentally knocking over her drink. She said: “He’s so tall and I’m so small he probably didn’t see me but he knocked my drink into me.
“And he was like ‘I’m sorry’. I said ‘it’s fine, but to make up for it we can have a selfie’. He was just so nice and then every time I walked past he kept on at say ‘I’m sorry’.
Roopa also shared a snap with Virgil van Dijk, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Sir Kenny Dalglish. She said the opportunity to meet the current Reds captain was very special as she said: “From the first day we signed him, I’ve loved the man.
“His character is very similar to Klopp. He’s a people person but he’s also very quiet and that’s the character of a captain. I met Virgil, life is over now.”
The evening was scheduled to go on until 4am and Roopa said former assistant manager Pep Lijnders was the life and soul of the party. She said: “He was having the time of his life on the dance floor.
“I don’t think he left the dance floor. He was going on stage, bringing everyone together and he was living his best life.”
Roopa made the trip back to Wales today and said the whole incredible experience is still sinking in. She added: “All I’ve done since I got home was look through my camera roll.
“I can’t believe what happened. I think I must have slept and realized when I woke up that it wasn’t a dream.”
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