Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has paid an emotional tribute to Liverpool's departing boss Jurgen Klopp following his final match in charge of the Reds at Anfield on Sunday.
Guardiola has steered the Citizens to an unprecedented fourth Premier League title in a row after his side claimed a 3-1 victory over West Ham United in their final game of the season on Sunday.
Over the last seven seasons, Man City have dominated English football and have won six Premier League titles under Guardiola, but the only team to stop them during this remarkable run are Klopp's Liverpool side in 2019-20.
The two coaching masterminds of the modern era have developed an intense yet respectful rivalry spanning across an 11-year period, which began in Germany when Klopp was in charge of Borussia Dortmund and Guardiola led Bayern Munich.
Klopp now is stepping down from his Liverpool post after nine legendary years at Anfield, winning eight trophies as well as 299 of his 491 matches at the helm in all competitions.
The German ended his Merseyside reign on a high as Liverpool secured a 2-0 home victory over 10-man Wolverhampton Wanderers in their final fixture of the campaign on Sunday, courtesy of first-half goals from Alexis Mac Allister and Jarell Quansah.
© Reuters
Guardiola lauds Klopp as a manager and person
Ahead of his Anfield swansong, Klopp said that "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!".
Guardiola was informed about those comments from Klopp at his post-match press conference and was almost brought to tears when lauding the German as 'a really important part of his life'.
"I will miss him a lot," said the croaky Catalan coach. "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 added: "[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."
© Reuters
Guardiola is particularly pleased with how his Man City side have fought off stern competition from both Arsenal and Liverpool to come out on top in the Premier League once again.
"In terms of numbers, nobody has been better than us," Guardiola added. "The records, the goals, the points, the four in a row," the City boss declared.
"I said before, if you ask if you win six of the next seven Premier Leagues, I would say you are crazy. It is impossible. We have done something unbelievable.
"In this country with the amount of football, quality of managers and teams, the team surprised me. The organisation surprised me.
"Before was Liverpool to push us to our limits and now has been Arsenal. I want to congratulate them for an incredible season. They push us to our best. We competed incredibly well again and for little margin we won it. I am incredibly pleased."
Guardiola and co will now turn their attention to next Saturday's FA Cup final showdown with rivals Manchester United at Wembley Stadium.
Oliver Thomas
