Jurgen Klopp's 'talent of the century' could end up spoiling his Liverpool farewell
Not many players can claim to have given Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool a torrid time during the German's near nine-year Anfield reign.
Harry Kane, Sergio Aguero and Jamie Vardy are among the select few strikers who have repeatedly troubled the Reds' backline since October 2015, though Kane and Aguero have since moved on and Vardy is now operating at Championship level.
Other individuals have taken on the mantle of primary pain inducers in more recent times, including Leandro Trossard (six goals in 11 appearances) and Marcus Rashford (seven goals in 17 appearances).
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But the one man above all who has appeared hell-bent on giving Klopp post-match nightmares ever since arriving in England five years ago is none other than Arsenal's Gabriel Martinelli. The Brazilian first faced off against Liverpool in a Carabao Cup fourth-round tie at Anfield in October 2019, scoring twice in a game which ended 5-5 before Klopp's side prevailed on penalties.
Taken aback by the display he had just witnessed, the Reds' boss labelled Martinelli as a "talent of the century" after the game before adding: "He's really unbelievable. So young, looks so mature already, is a proper threat. Yeah, he looks like a really decent player. I didn't want to put any backpack [pressure] on his back with this thing but I just really like good football players and obviously he's a very good one."
The admiration for one another was clearly mutual, with Martinelli telling Marca in 2020: “I feel very proud that one of the best tacticians in the world speaks well of me. Now I have to remain firm,
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