Alan Shearer Says Jurgen Klopp & Pep Guardiola Have Mirrored Cristiano Ronaldo & Lionel Messi’s Rivalry to ‘Push’ Each Other to EPL Glory

‘I will sleep better but he will be missed‘, were the words of Pep Guardiola following Jurgen Klopp’s sudden announcement. The German has called time on his spell at Merseyside and tributes are pouring in. EPL’s all-time leading goalscorer, Alan Shearer, did the same while also pointing out the role Guardiola played in Klopp’s success. An interesting opinion, considering that the Spaniard was the one who halted the glory run at Anfield.

It was in April 2022 that Jurgen Klopp signed a contract extension until 2026. Therefore, his sudden decision to leave earlier than anticipated has shocked everyone from fans to pundits and there is plenty of chatter regarding the German’s storied tenure at Liverpool.

After fiery h2h battles, Pep and Klopp’s ‘greatness’ lauded by Shearer with iconic Messi-Ronaldo analogy

Newcastle icon, Alan Shearer believes the Pep-Klopp duo played a part in each other’s success. On the Rest is Football, he explained, “Do you know we keep on- over the years we’ve said the way Messi and Ronaldo have pushed each other. Jurgen (Klopp) and Pep (Guardiola) I think have done the same in the world of management.” After making the iconic comparison, Shearer further believed that the two managers played a role in each other’s success with the level of competitiveness they had in the EPL.

Shearer explained, “They’ve pushed each other to the extreme whereas one’s won one trophy and the other ones come back and won that and that they’ve gone head-to-head and I think they’ve pushed each other along in terms of greatness for their particular football clubs.” Just as Messi and Ronaldo have been two very successful players in modern times, Jurgen Klopp and Pep have been the most dominant tacticians in English soccer for close to a decade.

The last 6 titles were won by either of their teams. Even this season, Liverpool and Manchester City are the Top 2 on the table. In head-to-head meetings, there is very little to separate them with 11 wins for Pep and 12 for Klopp. It’s not Shearer alone who believes that the duo pushed each other to success. Even Pep Guardiola himself attributed his growth as a manager to Klopp.

‘By far’, Guardiola admitted Klopp pushed him the most!

In his illustrious career, Pep Guardiola has faced lots of iconic managers. He chose to name Jurgen Klopp as his most difficult rival back in November. Replying to the question, the Spaniard said, “Yeah, by far, far. It’s because we face a thousand million times each other. By far, yeah.”

Read More: Jurgen Klopp ‘Got Tired’ of American Billionaire Owners of Liverpool, Says Club Icon Jose Enrique

Despite managing iconic Barcelona & Bayern Munich sides, Pep’s best-ever league performance came in 2017/18 when Manchester City touched 100 points. A season where Liverpool was in fine form, having reached the UCL final. That showed how much Pep rated the German manager after being continuously challenged by Liverpool. The Spaniard currently has a contract until 2025. Will the departure of his long-time rival affect his plans for a contract extension? Worth the wait, we’d say.

Do you agree with Alan Shearer’s comments? Tell us below.

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