Such is the legacy of Jurgen Klopp's Borussia Dortmund reign, even a below-par final season at Signal Iduna Park failed to detract from his popularity at the club.
Klopp's seven-year stint came to an end with defeat to Wolfsburg in the DFB-Pokal final following a rocky campaign that promised plenty but quickly turned sour.
Some shrewd signings threatened to offer Dortmund a greater chance of challenging Bayern Munich's dominance but Klopp quickly found himself in a battle to avoid the Bundesliga drop.
A Ruckrunde revival ensured Dortmund a respectable seventh-place finish and UEFA Europa League football but the season's difficulties perhaps signalled it was the end of the road for Klopp's era at Dortmund.
Robert Lewandowski's move to the Allianz Arena had long been known and Klopp wasted little time in bringing the likes of Ciro Immobile and Ji Dong-won in to help cover the loss of goals.
"BVB is like a family. I am proud that she never forgot me and I again belong to them," Kagawa commented on his return.
A 2-0 defeat at Eintracht Frankfurt in November left Dortmund's players physically and mentally at their lowest ebb.
While Sven Bender stated after the defeat that "the mood is at rock bottom", Klopp's frustrations began to show as two poor goals added to his side's "cabinet of curiosities".
Following an 11th league defeat of the campaign, Hummels stated: "If one is in this position after 19 games then it would be unacceptable not to have understanding for the fans' reactions."
While Dortmund's league struggles showed little sign of abating, Klopp's men continued to push ahead in Europe.
October's 4-0 win over Galatasaray in Istanbul was Dortmund's biggest victory of the campaign but Klopp warned he would "not break out into euphoria".
"We are no longer in the mire," Klopp asserted after an unbeaten domestic run in March, which included DFB-Pokal progression against Dynamo Dresden.
"It was not easy, I had tears in my eyes. I love this stadium," Klopp said of his farewell.
Pokal defeat mars Klopp's exit
However, Dieter Hecking's Wolfsburg - who assumed Dortmund's mantle as Bayern's main challengers - showcased their superiority in a 3-1 success.
"Over the course of the last seven years an incredible amount has happened, I've learnt so much, it has just been so emotional, so special," Klopp told a post-final farewell party.
