Jurgen Klopp hailed "exceptional" Pep Guardiola as his greatest-ever rival after pipping the Manchester City boss to the FIFA Men's Coach of the Year award this week.
The Reds boss was handed the honour in Italy on Monday night after leading the club to a Champions League triumph in June when they beat Tottenham 2-0 at the Wanda Metropolitano.
That sixth European Cup followed on after Klopp had guided Liverpool to 97 Premier League points that saw them finish runners-up to Guardiola's treble-winning City by a single point.
After winning the award ahead of Guardiola and Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino in Milan, Klopp talked up his Premier League title rival as the best manager he has come against in his career.
Klopp said: "I respect them a lot. What [Mauricio] Pochettino did last year was so exceptional. Many times when you don’t win a title, people don’t remember you but he was extremely impressive. He has built his team step by step, keeping the team together.
"Pep Guardiola...what can I say? He has won so many titles, the way his teams play. He’s so exceptional; hands down, the best manager I’ve coached against. It was an honour to be nominated alongside them."
Klopp was also asked by FIFA.com to name his favourite moment of last season, with the Liverpool manager plumping for the 4-0 win over Barcelona in the second leg of the semi-final over the victory against Spurs in Madrid.
"It was the outstanding moment for sure," Klopp added. "A lot of experts, myself probably included, wouldn’t have bet money on us. Because being 3-0 down against a team with [Lionel] Messi, [Luis] Suarez and all those players looks like a death sentence.
"We didn’t believe we’d win, we just knew we had a chance, and we believed in that chance. It was massive. The support we had in the stadium. Looking back we could say we won the Champions League in that game. All of us will remember it forever.
"What did I say to my players? A lot of things, but the key words were at the end. I said. 'I normally wouldn’t think it’s possible, but because it’s you, we have a chance.'
"That was exactly what I thought and what I felt. And from the first minute we were literally all over Barcelona. And at that moment, I thought 'we are ready at least', and it’s very difficult to cope with a team like us and the atmosphere in the stadium in moments like this."
