LIVERPOOL: As Juergen Klopp prepares to bring down the curtain on his remarkable Liverpool reign the German said he will not forget a single day of his time in charge of the Anfield club.
"A decade in your life is a massive one but I will not forget a day in that time because I found the best people I ever met and I did it for the best club I ever imagined," Klopp told reporters in his final pre-match news conference.
Klopp, who joined the club in 2015, will sign off against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League on Sunday in what will be his 491st game in charge.
It will be an emotional occasion as Liverpool fans say 'auf wiedersehen' to a man who helped transform the club, delivered seven major trophies and took the port city to his heart.
Klopp announced in January that this would be his final season in charge, saying he had run out of energy. But the reality of his departure is now beginning to dawn.
"It's been the most intense week of my life, saying goodbyes to so many people. We don't have to pretend it's a normal week," Klopp told reporters. "The game (against Wolves), I'm a pragmatic person, this is the final game then holiday.
"So it's business as usual, but while knowing everything will be different.
"Saying goodbye is never nice, saying it without feeling hurt or sad would mean the time together was not great. I had a great time."
Asked to look back on his tenure, Klopp said he had no regrets despite twice missing out on Premier League titles by a single point to Manchester City.
"I'm absolutely fine. I know we could have won more, but I can't change that," he said. "Missing the title by a point was not a great experience but it shows you are really good.
"The nearly wins will not be in the history books, but you can't see it like that. You cannot do any better, or any different. Being in the Champions League final three times is an outstanding achievement. I would not be happy if I thought I could have done more, I couldn't.
"Could someone else have done better? Probably. But I couldn't. The rest will be judged by the people, and I'm sure most think we were absolutely fine."
Klopp said he had been inundated with messages from Liverpool fans in the build-up to his farewell game.
"People like you until you disappoint them, and I don't think we ever disappointed," he said.
"I have had so many emails and letters over the last few months. If I answer all of them I am here to 2028, so I apologise for not answering all of them.
"Some of those letters, I burst into tears reading about what the club has meant to some people." - Reuters