One of the standout managers of the modern era, Jurgen Klopp, has enjoyed success in each of his three managerial roles. He first helped Mainz secure promotion to the Bundesliga, before establishing the club in Germany's top flight. After eight years with the club, he moved to Borussia Dortmund in 2008, where Jurgen Klopp would truly make his name on the world stage. Winning two league titles, a German Cup and two German Super Cups between 2008 and 2015, he also led the club to a Champions League final.

Klopp's achievements at Dortmund earned him widespread recognition, and after Brendan Rodgers' dismissal by Liverpool, he was swiftly appointed as his replacement at Anfield. Going on to win nearly every major trophy available to him with Liverpool, Klopp restored the Reds to their former stature and established them as one of the strongest sides in world football.

Winning the Champions League in 2019 and the Premier League in 2020 were obvious highlights, but his wider transformation of the club was just as impressive. Having managed five European Finals, Klopp has faced many of the greatest players of all-time throughout his career, and has now revealed the best footballer he ever watched live.

Klopp Revealed the Best He Has Faced

After spending years managing at the highest level, Klopp has come up against virtually all of the modern game's biggest stars. The former Liverpool manager was asked to name the greatest player he had faced, and his answer was, perhaps unsurprisingly, Lionel Messi.

Klopp has faced the legendary Argentine just twice, but Messi's extraordinary quality was impossible to overlook. Those encounters came during the famous Champions League semi-final in 2018/19, when Liverpool produced one of the competition's most remarkable comebacks. After suffering a 3-0 defeat in the first leg at Camp Nou, with Messi scoring twice, the Reds produced a stunning 4-0 victory in the return fixture before going on to lift the Champions League trophy.

Calling Messi "the best player I've ever seen", Klopp's admiration for the Argentine was obvious. After Argentina's World Cup triumph in 2022, the German was full of praise for the Barcelona legend, telling Liverpool FCTV (via Bolavip):

“The way he plays soccer at his age… His performance could give us an idea of how long players can continue to compete at the highest level. It also serves as a reminder that we shouldn’t be too quick to close the book on a player’s career. It was a pleasure to watch him at the World Cup.”

A player responsible for an extraordinary collection of records, Messi has consistently left fans and fellow professionals amazed whenever he takes to the pitch. It is therefore little surprise that Klopp selected him as the best player he has ever faced.

As a footballer capable of producing moments few others could replicate, Messi's free-kick against Liverpool in 2019 perfectly captured his extraordinary talent and may help explain why Klopp holds him in such high regard. That strike remains one of the enduring memories from that unforgettable night at Camp Nou.