Jürgen Klopp insisted that returning to Borussia Dortmund for a testimonial was a ‘dream come true’.
The German was at the helm of the Bundesliga club for seven years between 2008 and 2015, winning two league titles and the DFB-Pokal.
After moving to Liverpool he would go on to further success, spending nine glittering years on Merseyside before stepping down as Reds manager at the end of last season.
For the first time since leaving Liverpool, Klopp stepped into the dugout on Saturday to pay tribute to two of his former players, Lukasz Piszczek and Jakub Blaszczykowski.
Klopp led Blaszczykowski’s team during the testimonial and put a number of his former players through their paces during a training session earlier this week.
Jurgen Klopp spoke at length about his joy at returning to Borussia Dortmund to coach a testimonial match
The 57-year-old took charge of a team featuring Dortmund legends and was met with a roaring reaction from the fans in attendance
Klopp added that he considers the three teams he has coached in his career as his children
After the match, Klopp expressed his gratitude to be able to return to Signal Iduna Park.
“It’s a lifelong dream come true,” Klopp said. “I wanted to experience that again.
‘Just a few months ago I had an emotional farewell in Liverpool, today it was very emotional again.
“Some people might say that today he is like this and tomorrow he will be like this. I explain it like this: when you have three children, you love them all. And that goes for my three clubs too. I love them all.”
Since Klopp left Anfield, speculation about his future in football has continued.
Earlier this summer he claimed he was unlikely to return to top-level management but would consider a career in football after his sabbatical.
The former Liverpool manager also spoke about his life since retiring from management
When asked how he fills his time since leaving management, Klopp replied: ‘I work, but not as much as before.
‘I don’t just do nothing, but sometimes I do. I don’t miss anything!’