Amid the emotional farewells at Anfield on Sunday, Liverpool’s Harvey Elliott and Alexis Mac Allister, as well as Jurgen Klopp, were presented with special awards.
With much of the crowd having already left, the players did eventually return to the pitch with their families after Klopp’s more formal goodbye was concluded.
As has become tradition, the fans’ Golden Samba award, started on the The Rattle internet forum, was presented to Liverpool players deemed worthy of recognition come the end of the campaign.
This season’s winners were Elliott, Mac Allister and Klopp, who received the award “for services to Liverpool FC,” as was engraved on his prize.
Mac Allister received The Rattle’s Player of the Season memento and was undoubtedly a deserved recipient of the fans’ adulation.
Across the campaign, he has consistently shown immense technical ability, along with determination to win the ball back, and has already proved a successful signing from Brighton.
• READ: Liverpool FC 2023/24 awards – Player of the season, best goal & more
He capped an impressive first year for Liverpool, in which he has often played out of position as a holding midfielder, by scoring a surprise header in the Reds’ 2-0 win over Wolves on the final day.
Upon being presented with the award by young supporter Paddy Manning, Mac Allister proceeded to give him his match-worn boots in exchange for the golden trainer!
Golden Samba winner Alexis MacAllister giving the presenter his boots pic.twitter.com/93ouyqDmDT
— The Anfield Wrap (@TheAnfieldWrap) May 19, 2024
Meanwhile, Elliott received the Golden Samba for Young Player of the Season, which he held up alongside his Man of the Match award after full-time on Sunday.
In a first for the prize – which was initially handed out to Lucas Leiva in 2011 – the manager received the shoe for his services to the club.
It was a special moment for the founder of the award, Chris Maguire, who posted a photo presenting the prize with young fan Will Bannon.
For those who aren’t aware, the Golden Samba was founded 13 years ago by Maguire on the Red All Over The Land internet forum.
In 2011, he told the Liverpool Echo: “I put the poll on the forum and Lucas got about 75 percent of the votes. We started debating whether to get him something and someone said with him being Brazilian get him a Samba.
“Scousers are famous for their love of Adidas trainers and I was put up to the task of sorting it out. I bought a pair, got one spray painted gold and then mounted.”
Thirteen years on, some of the world’s greatest players, including Luis Suarez, Mo Salah and Steven Gerrard, have one in their trophy cabinet.
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