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Rarely has there been a manager quite so delighted at winning a trophy.

Rarely has there been a manager so beloved by his players.

Rarely has there been a manager at one with his club's fans.

Rarely, though, has there been a manager like Jurgen Klopp.

The Liverpool boss etched his name in the annals of Anfield history by guiding his team to Champions League triumph against Tottenham Hotspur in Madrid.

Klopp had long since earned his place in the affections of the players, the club staff, the supporters in the stands and across the world for the infectious enthusiasm he has brought to his work.

But for all the praise, there was that one nagging doubt, that one criticism gnawing away.

Klopp hadn't won anything with Liverpool.

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Not any more.

Claiming the Reds' sixth European Cup was deserved reward for three-and-a-half years of constant progress for Klopp since taking over in October 2015.

Each season, the steps were clear. The League Cup final and Europa League final in his first season. Champions League qualification the following campaign. The Champions League final the next.

Yet the setbacks were similarly obvious, silverware eluding Klopp as he took his overall tally, including those at Borussia Dortmund, to six straight final defeats.

(Image: Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

So to this term, a campaign that will live long in the memory of those privileged to have attended a Liverpool match, whether it be at a boisterous Anfield or as part of a rocking away support.

Each game felt like an event. Each game made supporters feel as though they had a part to play.

And that was all down to Klopp, setting the tone for the feelgood factor that has long coursed through the club, from Melwood to Kirkby to Anfield and beyond.

The Premier League was, as the Reds boss himself might say, wild. One defeat in 38 games, a record 97-point tally. However, it still wasn't enough to depose Manchester City.

In Europe, though, matters were slightly different. The group stage was a struggle, Klopp masterminding the most Italian of 1-0 wins against Napoli to reach the knockout stages.

Then came the personal satisfaction of seeing off old rivals Bayern Munich in their own backyard, and another rout of Porto.

To Barcelona. Klopp prompted furrowed brows in certain quarters by his insistence Liverpool couldn't have played much better in the 3-0 defeat at Camp Nou, but the signs were there.

A second-leg miracle wasn't entirely impossible. And so it proved, Klopp gifting Anfield arguably its greatest ever night with a remarkable comeback for the ages.

The final was never going to live up to that, but it didn't matter. Learning from the disappointment of Kiev 12 months earlier was the aim, and Liverpool were too cute, too clinical and too calm-headed to be undone by Tottenham.

Again, it all came from Klopp. And the outpouring of delight after the final whistle was, by the manager's own admission, tinged with a heavy sense of relief.

Finally, he and his team had the deserved reward for all their hard work.

Klopp was given the bumps by his players, thrown high into the Madrid night air in the same manner the Reds boss had thrust the European Cup moments earlier.

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It was impossible to wipe the smile off his face, just as it was in the joyous parade around Liverpool the following day.

Jurgen Norbert Klopp, manager of Liverpool. There really isn't anybody quite like him.