Manchester City has highlighted Liverpool legend Jurgen Klopp's rivalry with Pep Guardiola amid the Spaniard's final game in charge of the Premier League-winning side
Will Jenkins
16:48, 24 May 2026
Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola made history together
Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola made history together(Image: Oli SCARFF / AFP)
Manchester City has paid tribute to the iconic rivalry between former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp and departing boss Pep Guardiola on the final day of the Premier League.
The Etihad Stadium is set to be an emotional place today as City supporters say their goodbyes to Guardiola. The 55-year-old manager made a surprise announcement earlier this week, saying he would leave the club at the end of the season. This comes despite Guardiola having signed a two-year contract extension last season, supposedly keeping him at the club until 2027.
Ahead of his final game in charge of Manchester City, the club shared a poster showcasing Pep’s 10-year tenure across a series of images and moments, including Klopp.
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Among the various players and trophies on the poster, an image of Klopp and Guardiola embracing can be seen, highlighting the mutual respect between the two managers during their intense rivalry.
The two managers pushed each other to their limits across multiple seasons.
The 2018/19 season is particularly iconic. Despite amassing an incredible 97 points across the campaign, Liverpool fell short by a single point to City’s 98. That 97-point total is the highest ever for a team not to win the English top-flight title.
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Klopp’s side again fell short by one point in the 2021/22 season with 91 points, as Manchester City took the title with 92. That tally is the second-highest ever for a team not to win the league.
The Reds eventually got over the line during the COVID season with an extraordinary 99-point campaign. Klopp’s side lost just three games all season and conceded the fewest goals in the league.
But despite that impressive 99-point total, City remains the record holder for most points in a single season with the club's famous “Centurions” side, which reached 100 points.
To show how dominant Guardiola and Klopp were during their time, four of the five highest points totals in Premier League history are shared between them. Chelsea’s 95-point season in 2005 is the only exception.
Although Klopp only won one Premier League title with Liverpool, Guardiola has previously admitted that his time at Manchester City cannot be defined without the German. In 2024, the City manager said: "I will sleep better [when Klopp goes]. The games we play before against Liverpool were almost a nightmare.
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"Of course he will be missed. It was a shock [to hear the news]. I felt when I heard it that a part of Man City … we will lose something. We cannot define our period here without him … without Liverpool. Impossible.
"They have been our biggest rivals. And personally he has been the best rival I ever had in my life – in Dortmund when I was in Bayern, then here. I think the Premier League are going to miss him – the charisma, the personality and especially the way his teams play.
"Maybe it’s my opinion and he will not admit it but he will be back. I know it. Football needs managers and personalities like him. And I hope … it was our dream when we were together … hopefully now from next season we can have time to go to dinner together. Or have the drink that we deserve to take."