Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has insisted he would not regret ending his career without taking responsibility for Real Madrid.
The Reds face Madrid in the first stage of the quarter-finals of the Champions League on Tuesday at the Estadio Alfredo di Stefano, with Los Blancos boss Zinedine Zidane under pressure to deliver silver this season.
Klopp was asked if he would like to deal with Real one day in his press conference before the match, but his answer was definite.
“I said that if at the end of my career I only had three clubs that would be Mainz, Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool, it would not be so bad,” he said. “I would not regret it [never managing Real Madrid].
“You asked if I would regret it if I never managed Real Madrid, I do not think so.
“But when I got off the plane today, I already regret that we do not live here because the weather is so much better here! We froze. I have a gilet with me so you are blessed. We do it the hard way.”
Mohamed Salah missed much of the 2018 final with a shoulder injury | Etsuo Hara / Getty Images
Liverpool were beaten 3-1 by Real in the 2018 Champions League final, in part due to two errors from Loris Karius and an early injury to Mohamed Salah.
But Klopp said he is not looking for revenge and his only focus is simply to qualify for the semifinals.
“We are not on a revenge trip here, but it would be nice to get through. We feel in a good moment. Now we hope to be able to keep pace, “he added.
“My motivation is at the highest level because this is the Champions League. We want to go to the next round. We play Real Madrid, this has nothing to do with 2018.
Klopp insists he does not seek revenge | Catherine Ivill / Getty Images
“But when we got the draw, because this is the first time we have drawn Real Madrid since then, I naturally remember the game.
“I said it after the game then, if someone asked me at a press conference a week later, a month later, if I were to invite Sergio Ramos to my 60th birthday, I would have said ‘no’.
“I did not like what happened that night, it was a strange night, it was completely normal but it was a long time ago. I can not get that feeling back, that anger.”
