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Manchester City found it entirely appropriate to feature former Liverpool boss Jürgen Klopp in special artwork marking Pep Guardiola's decade at the club.
Guardiola took charge of his last City game on Sunday, wrapping up the 2025–26 Premier League campaign with a home loss to Aston Villa. With nothing at stake, the occasion was all about Guardiola, along with departing players Bernardo Silva and John Stones.
Before the match got underway, the club released a post honoring Guardiola's ten years at the helm and the extraordinary success it delivered to east Manchester. Sharing the poster on X, supporters were invited to "pinch and zoom to catch every detail."
It was packed with images of Guardiola and the many City players who have defined this era in the club's story, including Vincent Kompany, Kevin De Bruyne, Phil Foden, Erling Haaland, Fernandinho, Rodri and many others. The only person featured with no connection to the Sky Blues was Klopp.
The greatest to ever do it. Thank you, Pep 🩵
Pinch and zoom to catch every detail 🔎✨ pic.twitter.com/gadD2idjSO
Guardiola vs. Klopp Rivalry Defined an Era
Klopp's Liverpool pushed Guardiola's City to the limit. In 2018–19, the two sides were locked in a fierce Premier League title battle, with City needing to string together 14 consecutive victories to pull ahead of Liverpool, who themselves won their final nine games. City ultimately triumphed with 98 points, while Liverpool's 97 remains the highest points total ever recorded by a non-champion side, and still the fourth highest in the entire history of English league football.
The following season, Liverpool were crowned dominant champions with 99 points, while 2021–22 brought yet another tense contest in which both clubs surpassed 90 points once more. City edged it again. Liverpool didn't challenge City every time Guardiola claimed another title, but it was precisely in those seasons when Klopp and the Reds came hardest that City raised their level the most.
Had it not been for Guardiola, Klopp would almost certainly have won more than a single Premier League title, and the mutual admiration between these fiercely competitive rivals has been evident for many years, stretching back to when they faced each other on opposite sides of Germany's Klassiker—Bayern Munich vs. Borussia Dortmund.
Klopp acknowledged in 2024 that the two are not close personally, but noted that "for a rivalry, we don't need to be disrespectful." When the German decided the time had come to leave Liverpool, Guardiola credited his rival with contributing to his own and City's greatness. "We cannot define our period here without him ... without Liverpool. Impossible."
Recognition of what Liverpool and Manchester City have meant to each other over the past decade was expressed by Andy Robertson on the occasion of his final appearance for the Reds. The left back took a moment after the final whistle of the 1–1 draw with Brentford at Anfield to pay tribute to Guardiola.
"Pep Guardiola pushed us to completely new limits," Robertson said live on Sky Sports. "I think both will agree with that. And, probably, we should have won more Premier Leagues if it wasn't for that man. What a servant to Manchester City, and I wish him all the best."
Will Guardiola, Klopp Ever Face Each Other Again?
Klopp has not returned to management since departing Liverpool two years ago, instead taking on a Head of Global Soccer position at Red Bull. Guardiola is also set to step back, having already confirmed he will move into an ambassadorial and technical advisory capacity with the City Football Group.
But ruling out a future reunion on opposing touchlines would be premature.
Should Guardiola return to club management, a national team role appears more likely, given his long-standing desire to one day lead a side at a World Cup. Spain is seen as an unlikely destination even by Guardiola himself, possibly due to his backing of Catalan independence, but numerous options could present themselves—both within Europe and further afield.
Despite being forced to deny any contact from Real Madrid earlier this year, Klopp has not closed the door on coaching again: "As a coach I'm not completely finished. I haven't reached retirement age."
Ambitious Ligue 1 outfit Paris FC, who have potential connections through Red Bull, have signaled their interest in luring Klopp back to the dugout. However, reports suggest that Klopp, much like Guardiola, has his sights set on international football, with the Germany national team his primary target.
Current Germany head coach Julian Nagelsmann is contracted through to the end of Euro 2028, and Klopp, largely out of respect for the current incumbent and the country, is in no rush. But when the position next becomes available, he is expected to be first in line. It mirrors the approach Zinedine Zidane has taken with the France job since leaving Real Madrid for the second time in 2021—holding out for the role he truly wants and waiting patiently, even if it has taken five years for Didier Deschamps to finally step down.