Oscar-winning Belfast director meets ‘proper gentleman’ Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp

Ross White and Jurgen Klopp

Oscar winner Ross White has added to his bucket list yet again this year, after he got to meet Jurgen Klopp following Liverpool’s 3-1 win over West Ham at the weekend.

Earlier this year, the Reds boss sent a video message to Ross and Tom Berkeley, Ross’s co-creator of An Irish Goodbye, which won the 2023 Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film.

In the short clip, which came ahead of the movie’s win, Klopp wished Ross and Tom ‘good luck’ while brandishing a statuette of Bill Shankly, the legendary former boss at Liverpool FC, with the German gaffer joking that it was the club’s version of an Oscar.

He also invited the film-making duo to his office to admire each other’s trophies.

In the video, Klopp exclaims “and the Oscar goes to” before adding: “Congratulations for what you have already achieved. Winning a Bafta award is massive.”

Klopp added that despite not being in the film industry he watched a lot of movies “so I am on the other side of the screen and I admire good film-makers a lot”.

“If Ross especially – I think he is a Liverpool supporter – wants to touch this once, he is invited to my office and then we can maybe exchange,” he added.

“No, I would never give that away but at least we can touch. You can touch this, I can touch the Oscar.

“So I wish you all the very, very best. Good luck and don’t forget, you will never walk alone.”

Now, nearly half a year later, Ross took Klopp up on his offer and was able to meet the manager of his favourite team at Anfield after Liverpool’s impressive Premier League win on Sunday.

"What a day meeting the world’s best gaffer,” the Belfast-born director posted on Instagram.

"Proper gentleman, just as you’d expect. Told him I could still put