Manchester City midfielder İlkay Gündogan, 30 years old, worked with Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp at Borussia Dortmund between 2011 and 2015. While they enjoyed much success in the field, winning the Bundesliga, the German cup and reaching the final of the Champions League, they also had some tense moments behind the scenes.
Players of the Signal Iduna Park team, as a rule, they had to inform the club doctor if they presented discomfort to avoid injuriesBut when he woke up with a pain in a tendon, the Turk decided to avoid telling it because he thought it was just a little scare.
Gündogan explained it in The Players Tribune: “I managed to piss off Klopp once. But he was really angry. It was in my second season in Dortmund. We were bad in the Bundesliga, but we had a chance in the Champions League. An hour before training, just to be safe, I asked the doctor to check my tendon. Jürgen came in and was not happy. He kept saying we couldn't take risks. I kept saying I could train. “
The story does not end there. Gündogan continues it: “You know when Jürgen has those eyes wide open and clenches his teeth? Well, he looked at me that way and yelled: 'do what you want to do!' Then he slammed the door and left“.
About half an hour later, İlkay he laced up his boots and walked to the training ground. Jurgen approached him. The Turk expected a sermon, but the one from Stuttgart put his arm around him. “My friend, do you know why I was so angry? I only care about you. And I don't want you to hurt yourself.”Klopp told him.
Then he gave her a big hug. “I was surprised. We had had this fight, and then he was talking to me about the way a father talks to his son. That showed me what kind of person he is: very emotional, of course, but also very open and honest.“Gündogan said.
Jürgen gave a lesson that day to İlkay: always try to be honest. Both with others and with yourself.