The rivalry between Pep Guardiola and Jürgen Klopp will remain one of the greatest in the history of the Premier League. One won everything, winning in the space of eight years with Manchester City while the other put Liverpool back on the map with an enticing game. Both coaches had similar ambitions, namely to finish as high as possible. Very identical in personality, respect was the key word between Klopp and Guardiola. In 2016, for once, the two men engaged in a merciless battle. The objective, to recruit Leroy Sané. Ultimately, the German international took charge of the Citizens but was in contact with the Reds: “Yes, I spoke with them too. Jurgen was also calling me, talking to me. It was before I joined City. He did a good job at Borussia Dortmund. I met him when he was there . He's a good guy, a nice guy, honest, he worked well with Liverpool.”reports the Daily Mirror. But all it took was a conversation with Pep Guardiola to tip the scales to the right side.
“Pep wanted me to be the new Messi”
If there is one thing that Pep Guardiola can boast of, it is that he blew up Lionel Messi when he was in charge of FC Barcelona. When he arrived at Manchester City in 2016, the Spanish technician had the idea of having a new Messi in his squad. And it was Leroy Sané who had the heavy responsibility of being: “I turned down Liverpool for Manchester City. Pep Guardiola wanted me to be his new Lionel Messi. I needed some time to settle in, to get to know the Premier League, the people here, what they are like and to know the players. I had to regain my confidence. Pep told me to play with freedom like Messi, but not like Messi. The advice seemed to pay off as Sané made 135 appearances over three seasons, scoring 39 goals and providing 43 assists in all competitions. But in 2020, the left winger preferred to return to Germany to Bayern Munich.
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To summarize
Leroy Sané made an incredible revelation about signing with Manchester City in 2016. A conversation with Pep Guardiola was enough to convince him to become the new “Lionel Messi”. Jürgen Klopp's Liverpool were also very interested in the German's services.
