Jurgen Klopp is widely regarded as one of the best Premier League managers of all time, having transformed a struggling Liverpool side into a dominant force in both England and Europe over his nine-year stint at Anfield.
The German tactician’s arrival in 2015 brought immense success – he led the Reds to Champions League glory in 2018/19 and helped them win their first Premier League title a year later, when Liverpool finished on 99 points – their best result to date.
Synonymous with building successful and hard-working teams over his 25-year career in management, Klopp always had respect for his peers and coaches he had an opportunity to learn from.
He once called a fellow former Premier League manager ‘the John Lennon of football’ after having an opportunity to talk with him, while also praising him as ‘maybe the greatest ever’.
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Jurgen Klopp Praises Sir Alex Ferguson
‘Maybe he is the greatest ever’
Sir Alex Ferguson
After becoming Liverpool manager in 2015, Klopp revealed he had rejected an opportunity to coach Man United two years earlier, after being approached by Sir Alex Ferguson with an offer to succeed him in the Old Trafford dugout.
Klopp was unwilling to consider a move to England at that time as he was focused on planning for the 2013/14 campaign with Borussia Dortmund, and United subsequently appointed David Moyes as Ferguson’s successor.
The German tactician revealed he had an opportunity to speak with Ferguson when United were looking into appointing him and called it ‘a big honour’, praising the Scotsman as ‘the John Lennon of football’:
“It's a big honour to talk to Sir Alex. For a manager it's nearly the best thing you can do, to sit there and listen.
“Maybe he is the greatest ever - the John Lennon of football. From my side there is a big amount of respect. What he did is not easy for another manager to do.”
While Ferguson and Klopp never faced each other in a competitive match as managers, the aforementioned meeting in 2013 between the two legendary coaches was not their only encounter.
Famously, one of the first things Klopp did after leading Liverpool to their first-ever Premier League title in 2020 was to make a call to Ferguson at 3am.
Ferguson later recited the phone call when he congratulated Klopp on winning the 2020 LMA Manager of the Year award:
“Really thoroughly deserved. The performance level of the team, really outstanding. Your personality ran right through the whole club. I think it was a marvellous, marvellous performance.
“I'll forgive you for waking me up at half past three in the morning to tell me you'd won the league. Thank you. But anyway, you've thoroughly deserved it, well done.”
Ferguson is the most decorated manager in Premier League history, having won a record 13 titles, as well as five FA Cups and two Champions Leagues.
He is widely regarded as the greatest manager of all time and won a staggering 38 major trophies during his 26 years at Old Trafford.
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Statistics courtesy ofTransfermarkt. Correct as of 10-07-25.