Klopp anecdote reveals Messi-Ronaldo preference

Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo? It is the great and endless debate of the modern footballing age. Almost everyone involved in the game in the media spotlight has been asked the question, and each one has their preference.

And Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has revealed his in an anecdote told during an interview for the club TV station, LFCTV. Not only does Klopp divulge his preference for Messi over Ronaldo; he also seems to suggest that for him, the Barcelona striker trumps Pelé as the greatest ever player in history, despite his heroic admiration for the Brazilian legend.

“My father always told me, whatever people say in the future, Pelé was the best. I met him actually at the World Cup in 2006. I’m not the type of guy to get nervous, but I was sweating like crazy in that moment, so for me it was obviously Pelé,” recalled the ex-Borussia Dortmund coach.

“But I have only one selfie on my smartphone and that’s with Messi. Cristiano was in the room as well."

Perhaps Klopp would have asked Pelé for a selfie back in 2006 had smartphones arrived on the market. But as it stands, Messi can boast to be the only person special enough to feature on the sole selfie on the German coach’s phone – something which Ronaldo fans, and perhaps Klopp’s wife, may have an issue with.