Sir Alex Ferguson's "outstanding" gesture for Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool farewell sums him up
Sir Alex Ferguson enjoyed a fierce rivalry with Liverpool but did not let his Manchester United allegiance stand in the way of a warm relationship with ex-Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp.
The former United boss won 13 Premier League titles during his time at Old Trafford, a trophy the club has failed to lift since, and been required to watch local rivals Man City and Liverpool dominate the division for much of his retirement. While Ferguson is unlikely to have taken much joy in seeing his side struggle, his respect for Klopp has been evident.
As the German coach said goodbye to Anfield after almost nine years in charge of the club with the end of the Premier League season, his time has been punctuated with fitting tributes. Manager, supporters and players alike have enjoyed emotional moments in Klopp's farewell.
With a plethora of goodbyes to get through, meeting Ferguson was on Klopp's agenda during his final week on Merseyside. Speaking in a Q&A event with members of Liverpool staff, the 56-year-old revealed he would not be able stay for drinks as Ferguson was in his diary.
The pair enjoyed what Klopp described as an 'outstanding' evening together for dinner. The culmination of years of respect between the duo.
It has been a common theme, despite Klopp being manager of Liverpool with Ferguson suggesting after the Reds' title win in 2020: “The performance level of the team was outstanding. I’ll forgive you for waking me up at half past three in the morning to tell me you’d won the league.”
When issuing the award for LMA Manager of the Year in 2022, Ferguson said: “This is agony, absolute agony!”. The Scot joked that he wished he did not provide Klopp with the advice to go to a club with history, said: "I should have told him to go to Scunthorpe United."
Klopp only picked up one Premier League title, but many feel he could have won more
Klopp on the other hand has described meetin Ferguson as 'like meeting the Pope'. Ferguson is not the only rival that Klopp has commanded the respect of however.
Pep Guardiola's voice wavered as he discussed the contributions of Klopp to the Premier League over the last decade. "I will miss him a lot," Guardiola said.
"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.
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