PSG star left for Liverpool before being punished by Jurgen Klopp over 'respect'

As Liverpool prepares to face Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday, we look back at Mamadou Sakho's time at Anfield, where he went from hero to villain under Jurgen Klopp

Jurgen Klopp clashed with Mamadou Sakho at Liverpool(Image: Getty Images)

Mamadou Sakho remains one of the more intriguing figures from Liverpool's recent past.

The French defender was recruited to Anfield by former boss Brendan Rodgers in September 2013 in an attempt to bolster the club's defensive line. Signed from Paris Saint-Germain, the team the Reds are set to meet in Wednesday's Champions League quarterfinal, Sakho became Liverpool's most costly center-back acquisition to that point.

Yet his time at Anfield would swing between acclaim and controversy, as then-boss Jurgen Klopp eventually lost patience with the defender's conduct off the pitch. Sakho's maiden season nearly secured the Reds their first Premier League crown in nearly 25 years.

Nevertheless, he appeared in merely 18 Premier League matches as Liverpool's defense conceded 50 goals, a figure which proved crucial to their downfall.

The Frenchman faced widespread censure and never fully won over Rodgers. Following the Northern Irish manager's departure in October 2015 and Klopp's appointment, Sakho initially earned his new boss's confidence.

Yet that rapport soon deteriorated. Sakho was notoriously dismissed from Liverpool's pre-season tour of the United States in 2016, after it transpired that he had arrived late for the club's flight, a team dinner and a treatment appointment while rehabilitating from injury.

Sakho joined Liverpool from Paris Saint-Germain(Image: Getty Images)

The center-back's conduct in California proved the final straw for Klopp, whose tolerance had been tested by a string of indiscretions. Sakho was relegated to the U23 team and never appeared for the first team again, exemplifying one of Klopp's harshest sanctions during his tenure at the club.

The Premier League-winning manager also addressed the incident at the time, highlighting the defender's absence of "respect." The German stated: "It's not that serious. He missed the departure of the plane, he missed a session and then was late for a meal.

"I have to build a group here, I have to start anew, so I thought it maybe made sense that he flew home to Liverpool and after eight days, when we come back, we can talk about it. But it's not that serious. It is how I said, we have some rules and we have to respect them. If somebody doesn't respect it, or somebody gives me the feeling he is not respecting it, then I have to react, that's all."

Sakho left Liverpool in January 2017, completing a loan move to Crystal Palace. His performances in south London were so outstanding that the Eagles even smashed their transfer record to secure him permanently in summer 2017. Offering his perspective in 2025, Sakho told the ECHO that he maintained a "good relationship" with Klopp.

He said: "I always respect. I like his type of football. Small things are always good to take as an excuse. But the reality wasn't this. But it's fine, you know? But seriously, because a player is late to eat, the time's 7.15 and he comes at 7.18, now he leaves the club? Come on.

"I never talk and I would not speak for the moment because it's not important. I really enjoy my time in Liverpool. Yeah, it was a really great moment for me in my career. And that's it. I told you, I'm a positive man. So I don't like to speak about the inside of football, you know?

"I will speak about it one day, of course. Of course, one day I will speak. But not now, it is not the right moment. When I do my documentary of my career and of my life, all the truth will go out in that moment, just for fun."

Sakho left Palace during the summer of 2022. He subsequently turned out for Montpellier and ultimately Torpedo Kutaisi in Georgia's top flight before hanging up his boots earlier this year, bringing the curtain down on an eventful playing career.