Ilkay Gundogan recalls the moment he made his former Dortmund boss Jurgen Klopp ‘REALLY ANGRY’ and was told: ‘do whatever the f*** you want to do’ after Man City star refused to sit out a training session due to a hamstring issue
- Ilkay Gundogan signed for Borussia Dortmund in 2011 under boss Jurgen Klopp
- However, the pair came to blows in the midfielder’s second season at the club
- The midfielder had refused to sit out a training session due to a hamstring issue
- Klopp was frustrated at Gundogan, shouting at him before ‘slamming the door’
- The pair did make up on the pitch with Gundogan admitting he ‘learnt a lesson’
Ilkay Gundogan has outlined the details behind the argument that saw former Borussia Dortmund manager Jurgen Klopp shout ‘do whatever the f**k you want to do!’.
Having been signed from Nurnberg in the summer of 2011, Gundogan and Klopp came to blows during the midfielder’s second season at the club.
The German international refused to sit out a training session due to a hamstring issue – causing Klopp to storm out of the room, ‘slamming the door behind him’.
Ilkay Gundogan signed for Borussia Dortmund in 2011 under former manager Jurgen Klopp
Speaking of the incident, Gundogan told The Players Tribune: ‘I once managed to make Jurgen Klopp angry. Like, really angry.
‘It was in my second season at Dortmund. We were trailing in the Bundesliga, but we had a shot at the Champions League. The staff had this rule that if you felt bad before a training session, you had to report it to the team doctor. That way we would avoid injuries, and Jurgen would know that you might not be able to train.
‘So one morning I woke up and felt my hamstring a bit. Did I have a muscle problem, or was I just tired? I couldn’t tell. I probably should have texted the doctor. But I thought, ‘It’s probably gonna be alright’.
‘Like always, I came to the training ground an hour before the session started. And just to be sure, I asked the doctor to take a look at my hamstring.’
However, the pair came to blows in the midfielder’s second season at the German club
The midfielder had refused to sit out a training session due to a hamstring issue
The Manchester City midfielder refused to sit out of training despite the doctors concerns.
The medical staff were adamant that no risks could be taken and that the German manager needed to informed.
However, Gundogan insisted he would be fine to complete the session and refused to listen to the advice he was given – much to Klopp’s dismay.
He said: ‘Jurgen came in and he was not happy. I was trying to find a way out of it, even though I knew I was wrong. Jurgen kept saying that we couldn’t take any risks. I kept saying that I could train.
‘And then he snapped. You know when he gets these intense eyes and grits his teeth?
‘He gave me that look and shouted, ‘DO WHATEVER THE F*** YOU WANT TO DO!’ Then he slammed the door behind him.’
The current City player and Liverpool boss did, however, make up on the pitch afterwards
The pair did, however, make up shortly after the incident by hugging it out on the pitch.
Gundogan said: ‘About half an hour later, I put my boots on and walked on to the pitch. Jurgen came up next to me,’ the 30-year-old added. ‘I was expecting a lecture, but he put his arm around me.
‘He said, ‘My friend, do you know why I was so angry? I just care about you. And I don’t want you to get injured.’ Then he gave me a big hug.
‘I was shocked. We had had this fight, and now he was talking to me the way a father might talk to his son.’
Gundogan also admitted that the experience ‘taught him a lesson’, saying: ‘Jurgen taught me a lesson that day: Always try to be honest. Both with others and yourself.’