Following his final game in charge of the Reds at Anfield on Sunday, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola gave an impassioned tribute to departed Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp.
After his team defeated West Ham United 3-1 in their season-ending match on Sunday, Guardiola led the Citizens to an unprecedented fourth Premier League title in a row.
Under Guardiola, Man City has dominated English football for the past seven seasons and won six Premier League titles. The only team to stop them throughout this incredible run was Klopp’s Liverpool team in 2019–20.
Over the course of an 11-year period, the two coaching masterminds of the modern era—Guardiola commanded Bayern Munich and Klopp managed Borussia Dortmund—have built a strong but respectful rivalry.
After leading Liverpool to victory in 299 of its 491 games across all competitions and winning eight trophies during his nine illustrious years at Anfield, Klopp has now stepped down from his position.
The German’s time on Merseyside came to an end on Sunday when Liverpool defeated 10-man Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-0 at home in their season-ending match. Goals from Alexis Mac Allister and Jarell Quansah in the first half sealed the victory.
Before his farewell game at Anfield, Klopp stated,
“Whatever happened at Man City with the 115 charges, Pep Guardiola is the best manager in the world. Put any other manager in the world at that club, they do not win the league four times in a row!”.
After the match Guardiola was informed of those remarks made by Klopp and he nearly broke down in tears when praising the German as ‘a really important part of his life’.
“I will miss him a lot. Jurgen has been a really important part of my life. He brought me to another level as a manager. We respect each other incredibly.”
“I have the feeling he will be back and thank you so much for his words, but he knows that behind me there is a lot that this club provides me with, otherwise alone I can’t do it. I’m humble enough to understand that.”
“He helps me with his team, he has been a huge competitor in my life. I didn’t discover the way I can punish them like I can find for other teams. With him it has been so difficult.”
Guardiola further added, saying:
“[Klopp] made Liverpool recognised with his stamp, and the incredible pride of being a Liverpool fan. It’s not just about titles, there are personalities that when they arrive in one place they stay forever and Jurgen and Liverpool will be part of the level of [Bill] Shankly and [Bob] Paisley and these incredible legends.”
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