Robert Lewandowski made his name as one of the best strikers in the world while playing under Jurgen Klopp at Borussia Dortmund between 2010 and 2014.
The Poland international notched 103 goals across 187 appearances before leaving to join Bayern Munich on a free transfer, and he has now revealed how his German boss kept him motivated in training.
The striker won two Bundesliga titles during his spell as the Westfalenstadion, something which the club have failed to do since he and Klopp departed.
“At Dortmund we bet that if I score 10 goals then Jurgen Klopp gives me €50,” Lewandowski told The Guardian.
“The first training sessions, I score three or four. Then after five, six, seven sessions I score seven, eight. Then after three months I score every training more like 10.
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“After a few weeks Jurgen said: ‘No more, it’s too much for me. I don’t want to pay you any more’.
“That was part of my mentality. That was very helpful for me. And good in another way.”
When asked what his relationship was like with the current Liverpool manager, Lewandowski had only good things to say about the 52-year-old.
"He is an amazing guy. It doesn't matter what he says: you believe him. Everything is from the heart," he added.
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"Before I had a lot of problems with my body language – being more a part of the game and training.
“My body language was the same. Sometimes you have to be more angry. For me that was never going to happen.
"I had to change. That was under Klopp. He told me sometimes he didn't know if I was angry or happy.
“Nobody likes changing something in yourself. That was not easy. But I knew if I wanted to be a better player and move to the next step in my career I had to start."
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The 31-year-old has gone on to score an incredible 229 goals in 274 appearances for the Bundesliga leaders, but he recently admitted that the move might not have happened at all.
"I was speaking with him [Sir Alex Fergsuson] after two years at Dortmund and at that time I was really thinking about a move to Manchester United," Lewandowski said.
"Because of Ferguson and because of Manchester United. Borussia Dortmund said: 'No, that's that.'
“That was the first time I was thinking about the move because if you get a phone call from Sir Alex Ferguson, for a young player it was something amazing. That was a special day for me."
- Bayern Munich FC
- Borussia Dortmund FC
- Jurgen Klopp
- Liverpool FC
- Sir Alex Ferguson
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