5 greatest Liverpool players of the Jurgen Klopp era (Ranked)
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp is set to manage his last game at the club when his side face Wolverhampton Wanderers at Anfield on Sunday, May 19. The Anfield faithful will be gutted to see the German tactician bring a close to his nine-year tenure at the club.
Klopp joined Liverpool on October 8, 2015, replacing Brendan Rodgers in the process. Over the years, he transformed the Reds from a mediocre squad to Premier League champions, cementing his place in Merseyside folklore.
Under Klopp's tutelage, Liverpool have played an exciting, gegenpressing style of play with high emphasis on quick transitions, high intensity, and scoring goals. He has overseen 490 games across all competitions, winning 298, drawing 109, and losing 83 with a win percentage of 60.8 percent.
Moreover, Klopp has led the Reds to eight major honors, including the 2019 UEFA Champions League as well as the Premier League title a year later. So without further ado, let's take a look at the five greatest Liverpool players who played under Klopp to deliver the aforementioned accolades back to Anfield:
5) Sadio Mane
Sadio Mane joined Jurgen Klopp's Reds from Southampton in the summer of 2016. The Senegal international was a destructive, versatile winger who could be deployed on the left flank, as well as up front. Known for his dribbling, speed, heading, creativity, finishing, and high defensive work-rate, Mane scored 120 goals and provided 42 assists in 269 appearances across all competitions, winning seven trophies.
Mane chose to leave the Reds in 2022, joining Bayern Munich. However, he failed to find much individual success there and opted to join Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr the following summer.
4) Alisson Becker
Before the arrival of Alisson Becker prior to the 2018-19 campaign, the Reds were notorious for not having the best of shot-stoppers. This was made evident on a global stage when Loris Karius made two massive errors, leading to Liverpool losing the 2017-18 UEFA Champions League final against Real Madrid.
However, Alisson has established himself as one of the best goalkeepers in the world during his time at Anfield. Renowned for his distribution and one-on-one ability, the Brazilian has kept 113 clean sheets in 262 appearances across all competitions, winning the PL Golden Glove on two occasions.
3) Roberto Firmino
Roberto Firmino is the only player in this list to have joined Liverpool prior to Jurgen Klopp's arrival at the club. However, it was the latter who brought out the very best from the former Hoffeinheim star. The 32-year-old was effectively deployed as a false nine, enabling the likes of Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah to thrive.
In addition, Firmino was known for his incredible work-rate, dribbling, vision, and technical ability, registering 111 goals and 75 assists in 362 appearances in total. He decided to leave Merseyside as a free agent last summer, joining Saudi Pro League side Al-Ahli.
2) Virgil van Dijk
Virgil van Dijk has arguably been Klopp's most important signing following his £75 million deal from Southampton in the middle of the 2017-18 campaign. The Dutchman completely transformed Liverpool's defense, bringing out the very best of the likes of Joel Matip, Joe Gomez, and Dejan Lovren - allowing the Reds to find success.
The 32-year-old boasts of impressive defensive attributes such as his aerial prowess, pace, impeccable passing, strength, and his ability to to read the game well. Van Dijk has also been the best center-back in the world in his prime, narrowly missing out on the 2019 Ballon d'Or - finish second to Lionel Messi.
1) Mohamed Salah
While Van Dijk has a good shout, Mohamed Salah has been Liverpool's greatest player under Jurgen Klopp. The Egyptian King has shown remarkable consistency over the past seven years, netting 211 goals and registering 89 assists in 348 appearances across all competitions.
Salah has been a vital component in the Reds finding so much success with his blistering pace down the right flank, exceptional finishing, and dribbling. In addition, he has won the PL Golden Boot three times, and has been named the PL Player of the Year on two occasions - making his £35 million fee from Roma a bargain.