Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp said it was 'extraordinary moment' when his players took a knee in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.
The Reds boss revealed it was the players who spontaneously decided on Monday they should group together to make a stand following the death of African American George Floyd, who was killed in US city of Minneapolis on May 25.
There have been demonstrations and protests across the world after a white police officer continued to kneel on Mr Floyd's neck for several minutes, even as he said he could not breathe.
Klopp told German broadcaster Sky Sport: 'For us, dealing with each other and Black Lives Matter is very natural - especially if you look at our team: we have players from Africa, from England and so on with a corresponding background. It is already so natural for us that at first we didn't even think about sending a message.
'But then the boys were struck. Then they spontaneously decided on this action. I've been very proud of the guys for a long time, but that was another extraordinary moment. When I saw them there and this picture was taken. Then I was really proud because it is also an important message.'
The Liverpool squad made a powerful gesture in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement during their training session at Anfield on Monday.
Each of the players took a knee around the centre circle, facing the camera higher up in the stand. A point was made of the stars wearing different versions of the club kits with some decked out in red, others in the away black shirt and a handful wearing training gear.
Georginio Wijnaldum shared the affecting image on social media, writing: 'Unity is strength'.
It was the first training session Jurgen Klopp's side have had at Anfield as a team since the season was suspended due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and they chose to stop the session to make a powerful statement.
They were the first Premier League side to offer up a collective act of support for the Black Lives Matter movement but a host of sport stars have also voiced their support.
Source: m.allfootballapp.com