Springboks captain Siya Kolisi and former Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp spent some time together during the German's recent visit
Image: Siya Kolisi / Instagram
For Jurgen Klopp, a trip to South Africa wouldn't be complete without a catch up with bosom friend Siya Kolisi.
Former Liverpool manager Klopp has been in Cape Town to attend the 10th anniversary of the Hout Bay United Football Community Trust, where he was the special guest.
Klopp is a patron of Hout Bay United FC, a small football club that services the impoverished communities in an area, where there is a great divide between the rich and the poor. Klopp linked up with Hout Bay United in 2017 and has helped to generate a lot of money for the non-profit organisation.
But in between all the charity work, Klopp met up with the Springboks captain Kolisi, who has developed a great friendship with the former Reds boss.
In a post on his Instagram page in November, Klopp explained how a chance meeting at a restaurant in Cape Town not only led to him changing his allegiance from the All Blacks to the Springboks, but also saw him become good friends with South Africa’s skipper.
“It was very funny. We were in a restaurant in Camps Bay, Cape Town. I was there with friends. As a German guy, we are not so much into rugby,” said Klopp.
“But my friend is French, he's much more into rugby. He came back from the restaurant and said, ‘My God! Siya Kolisi is sitting right there!’
“What? Who? I walked there just to have a look. I knew the face from different matches when I watched the game. At the same time, Siya saw me. I didn't know that Siya was a massive Liverpool supporter.”
Since that meeting, Klopp and Kolisi have become besties. Three years ago, the two also appeared in an advert for Adidas labelled "Klopp x Kolisi", where the Liverpool mentor gives the Springbok captain some football tips.
Klopp and Kolisi hooked up again during the German's recent visit, with Kolisi posting on Instagram: "Always special spending time with the Boss @kloppo ! Always welcome in ❤️ 🇿🇦 until next time."
Klopp quit coaching at the end of last season and is currently the head of football operations at Red Bull, which owns top clubs such as Leipzig, Salzburg and New York.
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