Justin Sullivan

“When I decided to step away, it was because I felt my energy disappearing little by little. Football takes everything from you — your mind, your emotions, your time. There were moments when I came home and didn’t even have the energy to be a proper husband. And that hurts more than losing any football match. My family suffered from it. My wife suffered from it. There were difficult moments where she even started thinking maybe our life was going in the wrong direction, maybe even divorce. And honestly, I understood her. She was right to feel that way because football had taken too much space in my life. That was when I realized sometimes you must choose life over the game. You must protect the people you love before it is too late. So when I hear Pep wants to rest, I completely understand him. I’m actually very happy for him. Football can wait. Trophies can wait. Tactics can wait. But time with your wife and children? You never get that back. I hope he goes home, enjoys simple mornings, laughs with his children, spends beautiful time with his wife, and remembers there is a world outside football. At the end of the day, we are not only coaches. We are husbands, fathers, friends, and human beings. And we deserve to enjoy life beyond football.”—Jurgen Klopp Source [The Sun Football]