South Africa’s Test captain Faf du Plessis has revealed that enigmatic Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp inspired him when both of them had met.
Du Plessis met Klopp over a meal courtesy of a common friend and had a conversation with the German manager who has turned Liverpool into world champions within years after the club went through an extended period of trophy drought and rough form.
“I was really impressed by him. For him to be that famous as a football coach, he’s a great guy,” Du Plessis was quoted as saying by SA Cricket Mag.
“That is what real leadership is about. Connecting with people, having great relationships with people. I’m not a huge football fan but I am a supporter of him,” he added.
Under Klopp, the Reds of Merseyside won the UEFA Champions League in 2019 and recently became the second English club to clinch the FIFA Club World Cup. Liverpool are also favourite to win the ongoing season of English Premier League and are at the top of the points table with a gap of 10 points with the second-placed Leicester City.
South Africa cricket team, who have a new coach in the form of Mark Boucher and a new batting coach in Jacques Kallis, have had a rough year on the field with one after another disappointing performance.
In a bid to regain the lost glory in international cricket after the retirement of veteran cricketers like AB De Villiers, Hashim Amla and Dale Steyn, South Africa are desperate to win the home series against England.
Speaking about the same, Du Plessis said that the team have done all the right things in their preparation for the series against England but admitted that they will mean nothing if not executed properly on the field.
“Whatever we have done before the start of the series means nothing. We will get measured on the way we’ll play. We’ve done the right things this week as a team and now it’s about going out there,” said the 35-year-old.