Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has admitted to being stunned by Paul Pogba’s physical ability. The German has drawn parallel comparisons between the Manchester United player and the Olympic legend Usain Bolt, further reminiscing days of football great Diego Maradona, all of whom he believes belong to a category of unbelievable athletes.
Klopp also revealed his penchant for watching the Olympic games, however, he added his disappointment of missing out on much of the latest edition due to clashing schedules.
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Opening his discourse on the perfectionist tendencies of players who are known to be the best, Klopp believes it requires a deeper understanding to articulately point out the reasons behind their outstanding successes.
Citing Usain Bolt, winner of three consecutive Olympic Gold medals and regarded as the fastest human ever, Klopp added that it is not just about training extra or exploiting one’s talent. Klopp also divulged and explained his interest in watching the Games.
“This summer was the first Olympic Games I did not see too much,” he told the Daily Mail. “The timings were just wrong for our pre-season.
“Usually, I watch everything. The slow horse-riding, anything. I have no idea what they are doing, but I like it. I like each kind of sport, every kind of challenge, these people who train so hard for four years and then it all comes down to a matter of seconds. Everything.
“And it all has to go right; Usain Bolt, every time, it has to be right. That’s not just about being quick: three times in a row, 12 years, always right.
“That’s not just talent. In my managerial career, I learned some of the best players have a physical ability you cannot train. A better base: they don’t fall. It’s not that they work 500 per cent harder. They might have a little bit of that, but it’s more complex.”
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Paul Pogba, shattered the world record transfer with his 89.3 million pounds return to Manchester United under Jose Mourinho. Pogba made his debut playing full minutes in United’s win against Southampton and Klopp was so impressed watching him play that he claimed he is as ‘different’ as Diego Maradona.
Further, Klopp shared an anecdote of how he had adorably watched the legend play effortlessly in Germany.
“We all saw Paul Pogba. He was here, he was there, selfie, selfie, 9,000 of them, all summer. And then he comes to Manchester United has, what, two training sessions, and plays 90 minutes against Southampton. You think, how?
“They’re different. Diego Maradona was different. He never really trained. He would warm up with his shoes undone. I saw him playing in Stuttgart with Napoli when I was 21. Watching him warm up, I could not close my mouth. It was so low intensity. He was walking. And then he went and outplayed the whole stadium. Unbelievable.”
