Rugby World Cup winner Siya Kolisi reveals Reds inspiration on Anfield visit
World Cup-winning Springboks captain and Liverpool fan Siya Kolisi has revealed how Jürgen Klopp's European champions helped inspire him.
The South Africa skipper won international rugby union's top prize in Japan earlier this month and realised another dream this week when he watched the Reds live at Anfield for the very first time.
Invited to Wednesday night's Champions League clash against Napoli after a chance meeting with Klopp in a Cape Town restaurant, Kolisi explained ahead of kick-off the impact the club has had on him.
"I get inspired by the players and what they do," Kolisi told Liverpoolfc.com. "What we did last year, to come back against a team like Barcelona from 3-0 down, nobody expected it.
"To see the boys fight like that and not concede a single goal. Mohamed Salah was wearing the jersey saying you must believe [Never Give Up] and that kind of stuff, you can't buy that.
"And that's what motivates us in other sports as well."
A big Liverpool fan, Kolisi admits he was starstruck when he bumped into Klopp in mid-November, despite having just won the Rugby World Cup.
"I was sitting there with Faf du Plessis, the South Africa cricket captain, and I almost fell off my chair when I saw him walk in because I couldn't believe it," the 28-year-old explains.
"He went to the bathroom and I was standing outside waiting for him to come out.
"I was too scared to ask him [for a chat], so I just gave him my phone as I knew someone who knew him. Then he came over and said, 'Mate, you could have asked. I know who you are, we watched the final'. So that completely touched me.
"Then he spoke to us for 40 minutes.
"When he invited me here, I couldn't miss the opportunity. It's always been my dream to be here. I honestly can't believe it. I'm smiling like a kid the whole way."
Kolisi's love of Liverpool began when he first started to watch football in his native South Africa and was captivated by the way Steven Gerrard skippered the team.
"He really touched my heart – the way he led, and the way people loved him," he recalled. "I tried football, but I wasn't so good! I couldn't kick the ball straight, so I moved to rugby."
It wasn't a bad decision.
