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A 10-year-old Manchester United supporting schoolboy from Donegal, who wrote to Liverpool boss Jürgen Klopp to ask him to stop winning games, was “very shocked” to receive a personal reply from the German.
Daragh Curley wrote the letter in January, complaining that Liverpool, “are winning too many games.”
He asked Klopp “not to win the league or any other match again” because, as a United fan, Liverpool’s success is “very sad.”
Liverpool are currently 22 points clear at the top of the Premier League and closing in on a first title in 30 years.
Daragh Curley appeared on Newstalk Breakfast with Shane Coleman this morning and said that Klopp was “very nice in fairness to him” to make the unexpected gesture:
“When I got the letter, I was like, ‘oh it might be Jürgen Klopp because it had Royal Mail on it,’ he said.
“Because I don’t know anyone in England who would send me a letter so I said it might be Jürgen Klopp – but I wasn’t being serious.
“Then when I opened the letter it was Jürgen Klopp. It was a personalised letter from Jürgen Klopp.”
Klopp wrote that:
“Unfortunately, on this occasion, I cannot grant your request, not through choice anyway. As much as you want Liverpool to lose it is my job to do everything that I can to help Liverpool to win as there are millions of people around the world who want that to happen so I really do not want to let them down.
“Luckily for you, we have lost games in the past and we will lose games in the future because that is football.
“The problem is when you are 10 years old you think that things will always be as they are now but if there is one thing I can tell you as 52 years old it is that this most definitely isn’t the case.”
“Having read your letter, though, I think I can safely say that one thing that will not change is your passion for football and for your club. Manchester United are lucky to have you.
“I hope that if we are lucky enough to win more games and maybe even lift some more trophies you will not be too disappointed because although our clubs are great rivals we also share a great respect for one another.
“This, to me, is what football is all about. Take care and good luck, Jürgen.”
Daragh says he likes Liverpool a little bit more now:
“If they lose 5-0 I’ll be sad but if they lose 4-0 that’ll be alright,” he said.
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