“Pinch me moment… what an absolute legend" - Stephen Bunting meets his hero, iconic former Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp

Stephen Bunting is in the middle of a demanding Premier League Darts campaign, but away from the oche, the Liverpool fan took time to share a moment that clearly meant more than most results.

The former BDO world champion posted a photo alongside Jurgen Klopp, with his son also present, describing the meeting as a long-awaited personal milestone. “Pinch me moment. They say ‘never meet your heroes’, but what an absolute legend. Everything I expected him to be,” Bunting wrote on Instagram.

For a player who has never hidden his connection to Liverpool, meeting Klopp was not just another celebrity encounter. It was the chance to meet a figure who has defined one of the most successful modern periods in the club’s history. Klopp led Liverpool to both Premier League and Champions League glory and became a central figure in reconnecting the team with its supporters, which explains why he remains such a revered figure among fans.

Having his son alongside him surely only added to the significance of the moment, turning it into a shared experience rather than a simple meeting and underlining the personal importance behind the post.

The timing of the post comes during a Premier League campaign that has already swung both ways for Bunting. He opened the season slowly and was without a point after the opening weeks, before producing a standout response in Belfast.

That night remains the clearest example of his level this season. Bunting defeated Luke Humphries with a 106 average, followed it with a 6-0 win over Jonny Clayton, and then beat Gian van Veen in the final to secure his only nightly victory so far.

Since then, however, the pattern has shifted. Bunting has suffered a string of early exits, including multiple quarter-final defeats, with only one semi-final appearance in the weeks that followed. His level has not collapsed, but results have not matched the standard he showed in Belfast.

That contrast was underlined again in Berlin, where he averaged over 107 in defeat to Luke Littler. Performances of that level would often be enough to win matches, but Bunting has repeatedly found himself on the wrong side of fine margins.

He remains within reach of the top four but without the consistent run needed to close that gap, leaving his campaign defined by a high ceiling and uneven returns.