South Africa's rugby team Captain Siya Kolisi (C) is interviewed ahead of the UEFA Champions league Group E football match between Liverpool and Napoli at Anfield in Liverpool, north west England The story of how massive Liverpool fan and Springbok captain Siya Kolisi met Jurgen Klopp is a fascinating tale shared by the German tactician. Photo: Paul Ellis/AFP
Just like the 1989 hit When Harry met Sally, the tale of how Siya Kolisi met Jurgen Klopp is like something out of a Hollywood movie.
In a post on his Instagram profile, the former Liverpool coach Klopp explained how a chance meeting at a restaurant in Cape Town not only led to him changing his allegiance from the New Zealand All Blacks to the Springboks, but also saw him become fast friends with South Africa’s skipper.
Not originally a rugby fan as a German, the Premier League title-winning coach explained how the two were put in touch.
Though he didn’t reveal when the meeting occurred, Klopp said at the time he couldn’t quite remember Kolisi’s name but his face did indeed ring a bell.
“It was very funny. We were in a restaurant in Camps Bay, Cape Town. I was there with friends. As a German guy, we are not so much into rugby,” said Klopp.
“But my friend is French, he's much more into rugby. He came back from the restaurant and said, ‘My God! Siya Kolisi is sitting right there!’
“What? Who? I walked there just to have a look. I knew the face from different matches when I watched the game. At the same time, Siya saw me. I didn't know that Siya was a massive Liverpool supporter.”
Klopp went on to say his agent quickly became involved and the rest is history.
“Since then I'm really into rugby. It's not an easy one, because I had my kind of rugby story. I saw a documentary a few years ago, about the All Blacks. When I was a young manager at Mainz, I made us the All Reds. When we arrived at the stadium, we played the song ‘The Haka’.
“When the bus door opened, it was ‘Carime!’ I used to be an All Black, now I’m a Springbok. That's how it is, and how we became real friends.”
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