Jurgen Klopp is, without a doubt, one of the best managers to ever grace the Premier League, and so, when the 58-year-old German speaks, many tend to listen. And once, when still in charge of Liverpool, he named his three greatest players of all time.Starting off at Mainz as a lesser-known manager, it didn’t take long for the charismatic chief to pique the interest of some of Europe’s elite clubs such as Borussia Dortmund, who announced him as his compatriot Thomas Doll’s successor in 2008.In his native Germany, the Stuttgart-born manager – who is now working as Red Bull’s Global Sports Director – won a plethora of silverware before taking Liverpool from the periphery to title challengers, winning the Premier League in 2019/20 and the Champions League the campaign prior.GIVEMESPORT Key Statistic: Under Klopp, Liverpool achieved their highest-ever points tally (99) in a league campaign in 2019/20.Jurgen Klopp Leaves Ronaldo Out of GOAT DebateLionel Messi made the cutBefore stepping down as Liverpool manager ahead of his side’s Champions League group stage clash with Atalanta in 2020, Klopp was asked all manner of questions, including who he considered to be three of the greatest footballers to ever live.The likes of Ronaldo Nazario, Johan Cruyff, Cristiano Ronaldo and Ferenc Puskas are all names that are thrown into conversation – but Klopp, recognised as one of the greatest managers in the long and storied history of Liverpool, snubbed the aforementioned quartet.When it came to naming the three best players to ever play, Klopp did not hesitate as he had no room for the mentioned names. Simply put, per Barca Universal, he said: “For me, [the three greats are] Maradona, Messi, Pele.”greatest players-1Related40 Greatest Football Players Of All Time (2026)29Albeit being before his time, he managed to name-drop the goalscoring phenomenon that we all know and love as Pele, while he also picked out the late Diego Maradona – one of the most technically gifted footballers of all time – as one of his personal favourites.Paying tribute to Maradona following his passing, the German said: “It’s like, I’m 53 years old and it feels like my entire life, he was part of it. When I was very, very young – maybe eight or nine, 10 years old – I saw him for the first time, and he was 16 or 17.“In any video, juggling the ball, from that moment on he was the player for me.”Pele holding the FIFA World Cup.Argentinian forward Diego Maradona celebratesLionel Messi named three best goalkeepers he facedAs expected, Rosario-born Lionel Messi was also the third name chosen by Klopp. A record-breaker of the highest order, the dainty Argentine has won all there is to win at club and international level – and he deserves his flowers, of course.Elsewhere, highlighting the brilliance of his longevity at the top of the game, Klopp once said: “The greatest footballer in my lifetime, Lionel Messi, the way he plays football in this age should give us all a hint at how long footballers can perform at the top level. We shouldn’t close the books too early. It was a joy to watch him.”
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