Georginio Wijnaldum has revealed that Liverpool players were not allowed to touch the Anfield sign in the tunnel until they won a trophy under Jurgen Klopp.
The Reds ended their seven-year silverware drought when securing the Champions League trophy at the end of last season, with their previous success being back in 2012 when they won the domestic League Cup.
Dutch international Wijnaldum shared the rule brought in by Klopp on a post on his personal Twitter account, where he added a picture of him touching the sign and saying, “now is the time.”
Boss wouldn’t let us touch the sign until we won a trophy… now is the time. #ThisIsAnfield ? pic.twitter.com/JxNIKmy1oG
— Gini Wijnaldum (@GWijnaldum) August 11, 2019
Liverpool won the Champions League after beating fellow Premier League side Tottenham 2-0 at the end of June.
OPINION
This is definitely something that sounds like one of Klopp’s rules. The German is known for his sense of humour in the media but when it comes to the football he is all action and stands for nothing more than full commitment on the pitch – both in training and on match day. His hard exterior rubs off on his team and he has still managed to create such a happy family-like atmosphere around the club which has evidently had a great effect on the Reds, who have become near unstoppable in the previous two seasons. Something as little as preventing his team from touching the sign could add an extra incentive for his team to succeed, especially with how iconic the ‘This is Anfield” sign is at the Merseyside club. It may seem like a small gesture but obviously has given his Liverpool side an extra boost, with the former Borussia Dortmund boss taking the Reds to another level every single season he is in charge of the club.
