Jurgen Klopp has banned six Liverpool stars from touching the famous ‘This Is Anfield’ sign before matches.
The ‘This Is Anfield’ sign is iconic, having been celebrated across European football since being first installed by Bill Shankly some 50 years ago.
The statement piece underpinned one of Shankly’s most famous quotes: “It’s there to remind our lads who they’re playing for and to remind the opposition who they’re playing against!”
Despite being replaced three times over the years, the sign has managed to hold onto its historic significance to this day.
It has witnessed Liverpool’s 19 league titles, 6 European Cups, 9 League Cups, 8 FA Cups, 4 Super Cups, and 1 Club World Cup in just the last ten years.
As they enter the field, the current crop of players touches the sign in a ritualistic manner.
However, as things stand, six players have not yet earned the privilege to do so.
Back in 2016, during the early days of his Liverpool tenure, Klopp said: “I’ve told my players not to touch the ‘This Is Anfield’ sign until they win something!
“It’s a sign of respect. I touched it when I was manager of Borussia Dortmund, but we lost 4-0.”
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Summer signings Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Wataru Endo, and Ryan Gravenberch are all prohibited from touching the sign should the restriction still be implemented.
Cody Gakpo, who joined the Reds in January, and youngster Stefan Bajcetic are also prohibited from touching the tunnel sign because the Reds failed to win any trophies during the previous season.