Former Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp has previously revealed the best player he has ever coached—and it’s not Mohamed Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold, or Virgil van Dijk.
Throughout his career at Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool, Klopp, 57, has managed some of the finest players of the last two decades. During his time at Anfield, he won every major trophy available and fiercely challenged Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City in a historic rivalry.
Given his success with Liverpool, many might assume his top choice would be one of his former Reds players. However, when speaking to the German outlet BILD in 2021, Klopp named Robert Lewandowski as the best player he has ever managed.
“It wouldn’t be fair to say that about anyone else but Lewy [Lewandowski],” Klopp said. “What he has made of his potential, how he pushed himself to become the player he is today—that’s extraordinary.
“If every player developed like Lewandowski did when I first saw him at Lech Poznań, the football world would be completely crazy. Every player would win all their duels, full-backs would perfect their crosses, midfielders would dominate one-on-one battles, and wingers would excel in tackling and delivering precise long balls.”
Klopp coached Lewandowski at Dortmund from 2010 to 2014 before the striker moved to Bayern Munich, where he played under Guardiola. Over the years, Lewandowski has cemented himself as one of the greatest forwards in football history, scoring over 600 goals in 812 club appearances. He currently plays for Barcelona.
It’s worth noting that Klopp’s comments were made over four years ago, so his opinion may have changed since.
Lewandowski, now 36, has previously expressed admiration for both Guardiola and Klopp. In a 2020 interview with ESPN, he described Klopp as having “two faces” — both a fatherly figure and a demanding manager.
“His coaching ability is incredible,” Lewandowski said. “But not just as a coach—also as a person.”