Klopp's attempt to turn Kolisi into a footballer
Boks captain says coach did improve his soccer skills
Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp knows how to take good players and make them great. Footballers, that is. Looking to challenge the globally acclaimed coach, sports apparel maker adidas paired Klopp with an entirely different challenge – South African national rugby captain Siya Kolisi.
The 2019 Rugby World Cup-winning captain joined the Liverpool manager on a collaboration that saw Kolisi exchanging his hands for his feet as he received pointers from Klopp on how to bend it like a pro footballer.
The meet-up took place in Liverpool in September and the excitement for those involved was palpable.
What type of magic would result when German precision was combined with South African flair? Would one of the finest football coaches of all time be able to unlock the Springboks captain’s football skills? Would Kolisi be able to master a penalty kick, a corner and a free kick? What resulted was powerful sporting entertainment.
After a chance meeting with Klopp one evening in Cape Town, Kolisi now considers him a close friend, saying: “It’s always fun to be in Jurgen’s presence. He has a way of making you feel so good about yourself. What people might not know is that he has a great sense of humour and he’s very family orientated.”
As a Liverpool fan, Kolisi admires Klopp’s ability to bring out the best in his players. “He focuses on building people up and has the ability to bring a diverse group of players together, which is something I really admire. In many ways he reminds me of Rassie [Erasmus].
“Jurgen is big on positive reinforcement. He loves a hug. And I love a hug too, so it’s high fives and positive vibes whenever I’m around him.”
When it came to the shoot, Kolisi said he was “very aware of training with Jurgen Klopp”. “I kept thinking: ‘I can’t mess this up.’ But then again, I taught him how to pass the rugby ball.”
As much as there are differences between footballers and rugby players, Kolisi shares an important similarity: “We may be different on the field in terms of skills and physicality, but off the field we all feel the same sense of responsibility to give people hope, to let them know that they can achieve anything they dream of.”
It was a great afternoon with sporting icons, but the question remains: Was Klopp able to improve Kolisi’s football skills? “I’d say yes, but he’d probably disagree,” quipped Kolisi.