The Scousers simply adore Jurgen Klopp. The Bavarians are worshipping Robert Lewandowski. The duo mentioned above has been an integral part of every ‘world’s best’ list for the last ten years. And it all started back in 2010 when the two of them teamed up at Signal Iduna Park. It was the match made in heaven, with then-promising coach transforming the Polish forward into one of the deadliest strikers out there. Klopp: ’Lewandowski is the best player I’ve coached’To do so, Klopp had to intervene with some odd methods, which Lewandowski now revealed in his short comic-backed story for The Players Tribune…”Jurgen Klopp was not only a father figure to me… As a coach, he was like the ‘bad’ teacher. And I meant that in the best sense of the word. It was 2010, and I had been a few months at Borussia Dortmund. I was desperate to make my mark, and Jurgen wanted to challenge me. So, we made a little bet. If I scored ten goals in a training session, he’d give me 50 euros. If I didn’t, I gave him 50 euros. The first few weeks, I had to pay up almost every time. But after a few months, the tables turned. I was raking in cash. “Stop! OK! That’s enough. You’re ready now.” He was not content to let you be a B student, you know? Jurgen wanted A+ students. He didn’t want it for him. He wanted it for you.##EDITORS_CHOICE##”I remember one time we were in the dressing room after having a weekend off. There’s a classic trick when a player has been out drinking… Eat a lot of garlic the morning after so that your breath doesn’t stink of alcohol. So Jurgen came in before training and began sniffing around. He was like a hunting dog. ‘I smell… something. Is it garlic?’ The lesson: Never try to fool Jurgen Klopp. The man’s too smart!” ##NAJAVA_MECA_5985013##
