Ilkay Gundogan has revealed Jurgen Klopp was one of the first people to congratulate him on Manchester City’s title win despite his Liverpool side finishing an agonising second.
Gundogan came off the bench to score twice as City hit three goals in an extraordinary five-minute spell to come from 2-0 down to beat Aston Villa 3-2 at Etihad Stadium on Sunday.
The dramatic win meant City topped the table by just one point from Klopp’s side – but that did not stop the German manager from reaching out to his compatriot.
What did Gundogan say about Klopp?
Gundogan knows Klopp well having played under him for four years at Borussia Dortmund between 2011 and 2015, before the former Mainz boss made the move to Anfield.
The midfielder left for City a year later and has gone on to lift 11 trophies, including four Premier League titles.
Next Match
Reflecting on his latest success the 31-year-old revealed his former boss had been in touch to congratulate him.
“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.”
Reflecting on the match itself, Gundogan agrees that his winning goal was perhaps the most important strike of his career.
“Based on the ending, I would say yes - and definitely one of my most emotional ones,” he added.
“The goal in the 2013 Champions League final for BVB against Bayern 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.
“The fact that we won the title in front of a home crowd in this way was really picture perfect.
“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.”
.jpg?auto=webp&format=pjpg&width=640&quality=60)