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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.
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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.
#3 Thiago Alcântara
Thiago Alcantara is the only one on our list to represent three clubs coached by Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp.
Thiago enjoyed two spells under Pep Guardiola - the first of which came at Camp Nou, where he made his senior debut. The two-time Champions League winner featured in a bit-part role in his first full season at the club and failed to nail down a starting spot the following season.
Thiago made 64 appearances for Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona (featuring as a substitute on most occasions) in four seasons at the club.
The 30-year-old then established himself as one of the best midfield operators during his time at Bayern Munich. He spent seven seasons with the German champions, making 235 appearances for the club. However, he made just 80 appearances in Guardiola’s three seasons at the club.
Thiago joined Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool at the start of the 2020-21 season and has made 25 appearances in his brief stint at the club.
#2 Ilkay Gündogan
Unlike most players on the list, IIkay Gundogan has enjoyed massively successful stints with both Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp, winning a combined total of 13 titles under the two managers.
Gundogan arrived at Signal Iduna Park as a 20-year-old and quickly earned a regular starting spot under Jurgen Klopp. The Germany international won the 2011-12 Bundesliga title in his debut season at the club, scoring four goals and providing four assists from 37 appearances.
Over the next five seasons, Gundogan donned the Black and Yellow of Dortmund on 157 occasions - with 35 goal involvements (15 goals, 20 assists) to his name. Klopp departed the club in 2015, and Gundogan made a move to Manchester the following year.
After a career-threatening injury that kept him on the sidelines for almost two seasons, Gundogan has established himself as one of the first names in Manchester City’s star-studded starting XI.
In 207 appearances under Pep Guardiola, the German has been involved in 64 goals (38 goals, 26 assists). The two-time Premier League winner is arguably having his best season at the club, with 16 goals and four assists in the club’s potential European treble-winning season.
#1 Robert Lewandowski
Robert Lewandowski got his first real opportunity in European top-flight football under Jurgen Klopp when Borussia Dortmund signed him from Polish club Lech Poznan.
Lewandowski made his debut in German football in the 2010-11 season and showcased his immense potential by scoring eight goals in 33 Bundesliga appearances. The Poland international went from strength to strength, notching up 32 goal involvements (22 goals, 10 assists) in the succeeding 2011-12 season.
Lewandowski played a decisive role in Borussia Dortmund’s consecutive Bundesliga titles as they became the only club other than Bayern Munich to win the Bundesliga Meisterschale in the last decade.
Despite desperate attempts to hold on to their star performer, Lewandowski departed Dortmund for Der Klassiker rivals Bayern Munich on a free transfer.
The 32-year-old prospered under Pep Guardiola, making 100 appearances in two seasons with the Spaniard. He scored 67 goals and provided 19 assists, winning two consecutive Bundesliga titles under the Catalan coach.
