It was a moment that had been years in the making. And Jurgen Klopp was determined to drink it all in.

The Liverpool manager was snapped on Tuesday afternoon standing on the Kop in front of an almost deserted Anfield, alone only with his thoughts as he prepares for his last hurrah on Sunday.

Certainly, there will have been plenty of good occasions on which Klopp could reflect, such has been the manner in which he has successfully rebuilt the fortress during his tenure. In front of supporters, Liverpool have lost just two Premier League matches in more than seven years.

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And for Klopp himself, it was the realisation of an ambition he had first stated before claiming the first of eight trophies during his glittering spell in charge.

"I always wanted to stand one time at Dortmund in the Yellow Wall and so far it has never happened because I was too short of time," he said back in 2019. "But I would do exactly the same here."

The supporters weren't there in person but their spirit would surely have been felt by Klopp, who also took time to stand in the centre circle and gaze at the famous end, which will be packed to the rafters to wave him off when Wolves visit in his final game in charge at the weekend. The afternoon is likely to be both memorable and difficult in equal measure.

It says much about the length of time that Klopp has been in charge that the stadium itself has undergone such a transformation during his era in the dugout, first the £110m Main Stand and then £80m Anfield Road Stand, bumping up the capacity by more than a third from the 45,000 when the German first arrived in October 2015. Now in excess of 60,000 are inside on matchday.

Those, though, while impressive and influential in helping Liverpool return to being one of England and Europe's leading clubs, are mere bricks and mortar. The beating heart of the club has been Klopp and the staff, the vast majority of which have worked away from the spotlight as part of the 'LFC family' the departing manager was intent on fostering from his first major team presentation, when he ensured the players knew the names of every member of staff at the training ground.

Such small touches were key in making a big difference to the day-to-day running of the club. While Anfield has been the matchday home, it's at Melwood and later the AXA Training Centre in Kirkby where the hard graft has truly been put in, the foundations for success laid.

Indeed, the reason Klopp was at Anfield on Tuesday was for a staff event where those behind the scenes wanted to thank him for his huge impact at the club.

While an understandably very emotional occasion for the staff with the acknowledgement an end of an era is approaching at Liverpool, the mood was understood to also be one of celebration.

Klopp, while the subject of the event, instead turned the event on its head and used it as an opportunity to show his gratitude to those present. And there was also a full staff photograph sat with Klopp in the Main Stand, surrounded by the fruits of their collective labour with replicas of the Premier League, European Cup, FA Cup, League Cup, UEFA Super Cup, Club World Cup and Community Shield.

"Other managers collect trophies," said Klopp last month when contemplating his Liverpool career. "I collect relationships."

Fortunately for supporters, there have been an awful lot of the former. But for those who have worked closest with the departing manager, it's the latter which will linger long after the sheen of that shimmering silverware has faded.