Alan Shearer claims Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola's off-the-field duel is comparable to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo's rivalry
Alan Shearer has drawn parallels between the rivalry of Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola and that of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. This has come after Klopp announced his decision to leave Liverpool at the end of the season.
Speaking on "The Rest is Football" podcast, Shearer weighed in on how the two managers have continually pushed each other. The former player suggested a connection between the managerial duo and their counterparts Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo (via Liverpool Echo):
"We have kept on saying over the years how Messi and Ronaldo have pushed each other, Jurgen and Pep have done the same in the world of management," Shearer said.
"They’ve pushed each other to the extreme where one has won one trophy and the other has come back and won that. They’ve gone head-to-head and pushed each other along in terms of greatness for their particular football clubs."
Klopp and Guardiola became rivals when they crossed paths in the Bundesliga. The German tactician was leading Borussia Dortmund, while his Catalan counterpart was in charge at Bayern Munich.
Klopp eventually left the Bundesliga and joined Liverpool in the Premier League in 2015. Guardiola followed soon after, joining Manchester City in 2016. Since then, they evolved to become the hegemony other clubs struggled to overcome. Both managers have won the Premier League, UEFA Champions League, Club World Cup, FA Cup, and Carabao Cup.
Currently, Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool are strong favorites to win the Europa League, while Pep Guardiola's Manchester City could well win a consecutive Champions League trophy. Both managers will face each other for what could be one last time on March 9, when Anfield will invite the Cityzens for a Premier League clash.
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo set for one more legendary showdown in Riyadh Season Cup
Football legends Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are about to gear up for another face-off, potentially their last.
Messi, playing as Inter Miami's captain and Ronaldo, leading Saudi Pro League's Al Nassr, will both participate in the friendly tournament, alongside Neymar's Al-Hilal. However, the Brazilian superstar is out of contention due to a long-term injury, and he will not play.
This isn't the first time the Riyadh Season Cup has hosted the two legends. In 2023, the event was a single match between Paris Saint-Germain, who still had Messi, against a Riyadh All-Stars team captained by Ronaldo.
It might have been guised as a friendly, but the match quickly became a spectacular clash that included a red card and ended in a 5-4 victory for PSG. Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice, while Lionel Messi scored once, and both players will be looking forward to getting on the scoresheet in this upcoming clash on February 1.