5 top players who have played for Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola
Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp are two of the greatest tacticians in modern football, with a combined 38 titles. They also share four World’s Best Club Coach accolades, having won two each.
Guardiola has transformed Manchester City into one of the best teams in Europe, and the club even have a potential European treble on the cards this season.
Despite a minor setback against Chelsea in their recent encounter, Manchester City remain clear favorites to lift the Premier League title. The Cityzens will get an opportunity to avenge their defeat in the upcoming UEFA Champions League finals against the Blues.
Meanwhile, Klopp has etched his name as one of the greats in Liverpool’s illustrious history, having guided the Reds to their first league title in three decades last season.
The German manager reshaped a largely mediocre Liverpool squad upon his arrival in 2015 and has won four major titles at the club.
On that note, let’s take a look at five of the best players to have played for both Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp.
5 best players to have played under Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp
#5 Mario Gotze
Mario Gotze was one of the biggest names in world football in the early part of the 2010s, playing a vital role at Borussia Dortmund to end Bayern Munich’s dominance.
The Germany international joined Borussia Dortmund as a youth player and made his first senior appearance under Jurgen Klopp in 2010. He played a pivotal role in the club’s consecutive title wins in the 2010-11 and 2011-12 seasons as well as their dream run to the 2013 Champions League finals.
The current PSV Eindhoven forward was involved in 75 goals across all competitions (31 goals, 44 assists in 116 games) for Jurgen Klopp's Borussia Dortmund.
There were huge expectations from Gotze when he arrived at Pep Guardiola's Bayern Munich on a £35 million transfer in 2013.
The 28-year-old did not thrive under the management of Pep Guardiola, spending just three seasons at the club before returning to Signal Iduna Park. However, he still had 60 goal involvements in 114 appearances for Bayern Munich across all competitions.
#4 Xherdan Shaqiri
Xherdan Shaqiri was under the mentorship of Pep Guardiola for three seasons at Bayern Munich and is now part of Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool squad.
The Switzerland international joined Bayern Munich in the summer of 2012, a year before Guardiola’s arrival at the club. He made 42 appearances under the Spaniard in two seasons before being loaned out to Inter Milan. He was permanently sold in 2015.
After spending just over a month at Milan, Shaqiri signed for his first Premier League club, Stoke City.
Jurgen Klopp was appointed as Liverpool manager in 2015 and signed Shaqiri just three years later.
During his time at the Merseyside club, Shaqiri has lifted the Premier League trophy and the Champions League title. He has made 62 appearances for the Reds and has been involved in 17 goals, including a memorable brace against Manchester United in his debut season.