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Mother of a young Liverpool fan ‘blown away’ by Klopp’s kind act

Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool
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The mother of a young Liverpool fan was ‘blown away’ by Jurgen Klopp’s thoughtful response to a letter her son wrote to him.

Lewis Balfe, 11, from Maidenhead, Berkshire, experienced anxiety over starting at a new school in September and confessed his fears to Klopp in a letter.

To the surprise of the boy’s entire family, the Liverpool boss replied in a very heartwarming letter of his own. He told young Lewis that even he gets nervous and offered him some advice on the matter.

“He’s really excited and I was completely blown away because I thought you might get a standard response from the club or you might get some acknowledgment, but I didn’t think you’d get a letter so personal,” said Lewis’ mother, Milena Balfe, on the Maidenhead advertiser.

In the letter itself, Klopp wrote to the boy: “Can I start by telling you a secret? I get nervous.

“To be totally honest, I would be worried if I did not get nervous because when it happens it gives me the chance to turn that energy into something positive.”

The Reds gaffer added: “I know it might be strange for a boy of your age to think that the Liverpool manager can feel the way that you do but I do.

“From your letter it is clear that you are very thoughtful and also very caring and when you have these qualities, it is very hard to avoid getting nervous.

“You asked me what I do when my players feel this way and the answer is simple — I remind them of how important they are to me and how much I believe in them and I have no doubt that it will be exactly the same for your family with you.

“You do not need to worry about bad things happening. As you know, I lost more than a few finals and this isn’t a good feeling but with the help of my family and friends I kept going and in the end, we were able to enjoy some really good times.

“If I had dwelled on the bad moments I know that this would not have been possible so please be positive about yourself and look forward to the brilliant time that I know you will have growing up.

“Your support means a lot to me and to everyone at LFC, so I hope that this letter shows that we support you too.”

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