Pep Guardiola moved to tears in eye-watering tribute to departing Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp | OneFootball

The exit of Jurgen Klopp from Liverpool moved Pep Guardiola to tears, after the Manchester City boss paid tribute to the German following his top-flight title triumph.

The two legendary Premier League bosses have gone head-to-head for the best part of the last decade in the English top-flight, with their respective Manchester City and Liverpool squads being widely regarded as some of the best to grace the game.

While it has often been City who have come out on top in Premier League title battles, Pep Guardiola has often spoke about how he feels that Liverpool’s challenge has been the crucial factor behind his own relentless attitude towards competition and improvement.

The iconic rivalry between the two comes to an end this season however, with Klopp departing Anfield and making way for Arne Slot from the start of the new campaign, with Guardiola himself entering into the final year of his own contract.

Speaking to the media after Manchester City’s Premier League title triumph courtesy of a 3-1 win over West Ham on Sunday afternoon, Pep Guardiola was moved to tears as he offered a heartfelt tribute to the German coach.

“I will miss him a lot,” Pep Guardiola told the media. “Jurgen (Klopp) has been a really important part of my life. He brought me to another level as a manger and we respect each other incredibly.”

The Catalan boss continued, “I want to say thank you for his words and he knows that behind me there are people at this Club that support me. He has been a huge competition in my life. In many moments, I didn’t find a way to finish them like I can with other teams.”

However, as part of his tribute, Guardiola was keen to point out that there is already a manager within the Premier League ready to continue to ‘legacy’ of Klopp in terms of relentless pursuits of English top-flight glory.

“Mikel (Arteta) will continue his legacy I am sure,” said Guardiola. “Hopefully his final game was special for him, he deserves it. He made people proud to be a Liverpool fan. They arrive in one place and they stay forever.

“Jurgen and Liverpool will be there with (Bill) Shankly and (Bob) Paisley.”

Pep Guardiola’s own future is likely to be decided midway through next season, with showdown talks between the legendary Catalan and Manchester City’s hierarchy expected for the purpose of essential forward planning at the Etihad Stadium.