Ilkay Gundogan reveals that Jurgen Klopp was the first to congratulate him
After Manchester City defeated Liverpool to win the Premier League title on Sunday, Ilkay Gundogan said that Jurgen Klopp was one of the first to congratulate him.
Gundogan scored twice off the bench as City fought back from 2-0 down to beat Aston Villa 3-2 at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday. The victory kept Klopp’s Liverpool a point behind City in the Premier League title chase, but that didn’t stop the 54-year-old from reaching out.
Between 2011 and 2015, Gundogan worked under Klopp at Borussia Dortmund before the latter moved to Anfield, and the 31-year-old admitted that his former boss was quick to put his personal aspirations aside.
“He was one of the first,” Gundogan told Sport1. “We have always treated each other with the utmost respect. He had another very good season with Liverpool and made life extremely difficult for us. He’s just an outstanding guy and coach, and he’s shown that over the years.
“That was absolutely unbelievable. The fact that we won the title in front of a home crowd in this way was really picture-perfect. The stadium literally exploded, we just cried out our joy and relief.
“We had to play our absolute maximum for 38 games and couldn’t afford to be careless because Liverpool were lurking at every second. It was a great end to a long and nerve-wracking season.”
In the absence of Sergio Aguero, City’s midfield has had to shoulder more responsibility in terms of goal production, and Gundogan has been a consistent contributor in that area, following up his 13 goals last season with eight in this season in the league. He considers his winning goal to be the most meaningful of his career after reflecting on the triumph over Villa and the larger context of the game.
“Based on the ending, I would say yes – and definitely one of my most emotional ones,” Gundogan said. “The goal in the 2013 Champions League final for BVB against Bayern [Munich] was also important, even if it wasn’t enough in the end.
“On Sunday, a great deal of pressure was lifted because we struggled so much over the entire 90 minutes and we knew that Liverpool were breathing down our necks.”
