Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has previously explained why he “doesn’t like” a current Premier League midfielder following an incident during the 2018/19 campaign.
To the surprise of many, Klopp decided to step down from his role at Liverpool at the end of the 2023/24 season – a decision he put down to “running out of energy” amid an eventful campaign.
One of the final games of his nine-year reign was a Premier League clash against Spurs, which saw Mohamed Salah, Andy Robertson, Gody Gakpo and Harvey Elliott find the net as they sealed a 4-2 win.
In that game, Klopp was reunited with former Leicester City midfielder James Maddison, a player he has previously spoken about because of an incident that happened in 2019.
Klopp’s tenure on Merseyside was filled with success. He lifted seven major trophies, including a first league title in 30 years and a sixth Champions League crown, but a memorable missed opportunity still lingers.
Back in May 2019, then-Manchester City defender Vincent Kompany made headlines against Leicester, when he found the back of the net with a long-range strike to essentially hand the Citizens a league title.
City would trump Liverpool to the Premier League title by a single point and almost five years later, Klopp said he still holds a grudge with Maddison for giving Kompany time to shoot.
Speaking to Redmen TV in 2024, he said: “The moment when Vincent Kompany touched the ball there, I am really happy I didn’t get a stroke in that moment as that’s how it must feel.
“I remember exactly how I was lying on the sofa watching and thinking ‘Maddison block him, close him down’.”
“Since then I don’t like Maddison,” he joked. “I was angry with Brendan [Rodgers] that day because he should have taken him off, he was tired. Leicester played really good first half, after that they should have scored.
“It’s just a personal thing, I have no problem with him, but when I see him it’s… and now I saw him again last weekend.”
