Wednesday 25 August 2021, 00:00

Wenger crowns The Best Klopp

Liverpool had a special visitor to their training centre on Tuesday as FIFA's Chief of Global Football Development Arsene Wenger was there to hand out trophies to manager Jurgen Klopp and four of his players.

Klopp was given the The Best FIFA Men’s Coach Award for 2020, while Virgil van Dijk, Alisson Becker, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Thiago Alcantara were handed awards as part of the 2020 FIFA/FIFPro Men’s World11.

Klopp paid tribute to his squad as he reacted to his success, saying: "Without the boys, the players, it would not have been possible. Arsene Wenger said it exactly right when he asked: what do you have to be, to be a good coach? He said it at the end but I think it helps in the beginning as well. A world-class team helps! And I have that, thank God.

Arsene Wenger handed over the 2020 The Best FIFA Men's Coach award to Jürgen Klopp

"I work in a sensational club, get all the support you need, have only great people around me," Klopp continued. "So we come here, even in difficult times, every day with a smile on our face.

"It all makes it easier and makes it possible. I said a couple of times I’m not the biggest believer in these kind of individual awards for coaches but meanwhile I learned we just take it for all of us.

"We can obviously not change the world – one face gets the prize but it’s for all of us and I’m really proud of that."