- Pep Guardiola has been crowned football’s most influential manager
- He was ranked ahead of several other big names including Jurgen Klopp
- City-Liverpool is tough to referee… but our campaign is up and running – IAKO
Pep Guardiola has been crowned the most influential manager in football, according to fans.
The Spaniard has pipped several big names throughout the world of football to claim top spot in the rankings, including Jurgen Klopp, who he’ll come toe-to-toe with in the dug out during Saturday’s huge Premier League clash between Manchester City and Liverpool.
The game is one of the biggest rivalries in the top-flight, with the pair currently two of the best coaches in the game.
Throughout their careers, Guardiola and Klopp have met on 28 occasions, with their first head-to-head coming in the DFL Super cup in 2013.
According to LiveScore, the German manager in fact leads the way, having beaten his counterpart in 46 per cent of the games they’ve played, with Guardiola winning 35 per cent of those matches.
Klopp has also interestingly beaten Guardiola more than any other manager in football, but Liverpool come into this match having been beaten 4-1 by Man City last time out at the Etihad.
Only one point separates the two sides at the top of the Premier League standings, with Liverpool having only beaten City twice at the Etihad since Klopp was appointed their manager back in 2015.
But football fans have voted to give their opinion on who is the most influential manager of the past 25 years, with supporters between the ages of 18 and 24 believing Guardiola is the most influential manager of the last 25 years, according to LiveScore.
The Spaniard received the most votes, notably beating Saturday’s opponent, Klopp, who placed fifth in the rankings.
While the pair have shared a long-standing rivalry, the pair share a mutual respect for the love of the game, with Klopp having previously lumped praise on the Man City manager.
‘He has told me when we are not in charge of any club any more we will sit together and have a glass of wine, even though I am not a big wine drinker,’ the German said on Guardiola back in 2022.
‘I am not [Roger] Federer and Pep is not [Rafael] Nadal but they compete on the highest level and are [still] best friends. Pep and I are not best friends because we don’t know each other, but I respect him a lot and I know he respects what we are doing as well, so that’s fine.’
The data also suggests that Guardiola’s influence also trumps some of football’s most legendary managers.
Fans claimed that his influence trumped former Manchester united legend, Sir Alex Ferguson, who won 13 Premier League titles and two Champions Leagues.
Ferguson was the first English manager to win a Treble, with Guardiola following his lead last year.
Former Arsenal boss, Arsene Wenger was next on the list, having lead Arsenal to three Premier League titles, including their infamous ‘Invincibles’ season, as well as seven FA Cup titles.
Jose Mourinho comes next in the rankings, finishing above Klopp in last place, with the Roma boss having won three Premier League titles and two Champions League’s during his coaching career.
Equally, fans have ranked their most influential players of the Premier League era, in terms of their impact on the game.
And according to LiveScore, Kevin De Bruyne comes out on top ahead of Mohamed Salah. Fans also believe that the pair both outshine the likes of Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs and Frank Lampard.
Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
