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Forget Tottenham beating an upstart Ajax side; the football world is still struggling to grasp how a Liverpool squad, shorn of some of their most talismanic elements, managed to silence the greatest player of all time and vanquish the mighty Barcelona in Tuesday’s historic 4-0 Champions League semifinal victory.
Even the Reds manager Jürgen Klopp had trouble processing what was arguably the most incredible and improbable comeback Anfield had ever witnessed. In an instantly iconic post-match interview, the only words the German could think of to describe his heroic squad ended up being of the four-letter variety:
These boys are fucking mentality giants. pic.twitter.com/0sD0xG2R33
— Box2Box Football (@_box2box) May 7, 2019
Ever the trendsetter, others across the sporting world seem to coming to Herr Klopp’s epiphany that there aren’t many other ways to talk about great performances. Three-time NBA championship-winning coach Steve Kerr of the Golden State Warriors referenced Klopp and the historic comeback in a press conference following his team’s 104-99 win over the Houston Rockets in game five of their playoff series.
“Our guys are f***ing giants,” Kerr told reporters.
“I don’t know if you’re a soccer fan, but Liverpool yesterday came out with just one of the great wins in soccer history.
‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️ AMAZING NIGHT FOR THE REDS. WOW‼️‼️ #YNWA❤️ https://t.co/n9tuwtaj8z
— LeBron James (@KingJames) May 7, 2019
“After the match their manager Jurgen Klopp said: ‘The young kids in Liverpool are probably asleep by now, so I’m just going to go ahead and say it, but our boys are f***ing giants.’
“That’s what he said. I know how he feels. I apologise to my mum who is probably watching, but our guys are f***ing giants. That was an unbelievable victory tonight.”
Steve Kerr curses on TV while quoting Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp "Our boys are fucking giants" pic.twitter.com/kqmHqGrWqy
— gifdsports (@gifdsports) May 9, 2019
However this whirlwind of a season ends for Liverpool, with a Champions League trophy and a potential last gasp Premier League title still to play for, that will be the one thing Red supporters will remember about this squad: They Be Giants.