It was quite emotional for Pep Guardiola as he bid farewell to one of his biggest rivals in the Premier League – Jurgen Klopp, MySportDab reports.
Klopp, 56, announced in January 2024 that he will draw the curtain on his nine-year spell with Liverpool. And in his final match against Wolves, emotions rent the air as football fans and managers bid farewell to the Liverpool legend.
Pep Guardiola joined the fray of well-wishers and admirers who bid Klopp farewell.
Speaking a few minutes after winning his 6th Premier League title with Manchester City, Guardiola admitted in an emotion-laddened tone he will miss Jurgen Klopp.
According to him, Klopp’s influence has played a big role in his career and he holds the German tactician in high regard.
“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.”
🥺👋🏻 Pep gets emotional while talking about Jurgen Klopp… pic.twitter.com/TgKfMBS66E
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) May 19, 2024
Jurgen Klopp ended his spell with Liverpool on a high note, defeating Wolves 2-0 to finish third on the Premier League table.
It was a not-so-stellar final run for the German, having crashed from chasing a quadruple to settling for the EFL Cup only. However, he still earned his plaudits for a heroic managerial career at Merseyside that returned Liverpool to a Premier League giant.
He was regarded as one of the best managers in the Premier League and the closest rival to Pep Guardiola in the English top-flight.
Klopp led Liverpool to interrupt Manchester City’s serial success in the English top-flight when he won the Premier League title in the 2019/20 season.
He also added eight major trophies to his Liverpool collection after returning the team to the elite cadre in the Premier League.