German football legend Jürgen Klopp joins Red Bull to the disappointment of his fans
Jürgen Klopp was football coach at FSV Mainz 05, Borussia Dortmund, before joining Liverpool FC in 2015, where he remained until the end of the 2023/24 season
October 2024: Juergen Klopp, who is already a legend at Liverpool, was awarded the German Order of Merit on 1 October 2024. At the award ceremony, German President Walter Steinmeier said: “Success and fame have never deterred Juergen Klopp from turning his attention to each athlete and seeing the human being in them. He has thus become a great role model for many – and an outstanding football ambassador far beyond the world of sport.” Now, the Austrian soft drinks manufacturer Red Bull has recruited him as an ambassador for its brand. “Klopp will work for Red Bull as ‘Global Head of Soccer,” said a company spokesman. It is not known whether Germany’s President was told of Klopp’s link to Red Bull.
Jürgen Klopp, who had every coaching job in the world open to him if he wanted it, has now committed himself to the world of commerce, even if he perhaps doesn’t see it that way. “After almost 25 years on the touchline, I couldn’t be more excited to be involved in a project like this,” Klopp said in Red Bull’s corporate statement. “My role may have changed, but my passion for football and the people who make the game what it is has not.”
“By joining Red Bull at a global level, I want to develop, improve and support the incredible football talent we have at our disposal. There are many ways we can do this, utilising the cutting-edge knowledge and experience that Red Bull has and learning from other sports and industries. Together, the Red Bull team and I can discover what is possible,” the former Liverpool and Dortmund manager explained.
Above all, Klopp wants to pull the strings behind the scenes. “I see my role primarily as a mentor for the coaches and management of the Red Bull clubs, but ultimately, I am part of an organisation that is unique, innovative and future-oriented. As I said, this couldn’t excite me more.”
At Red Bull, Klopp is likely primarily responsible for the international network and the strategic orientation of all football clubs under the Red Bull umbrella. In addition to the clubs RB Leipzig and RB Salzburg, Red Bull also operates New York Red Bulls, Brazilian club Red Bull Bragantino and Omiya Ardija (Japan). Red Bull’s latest football acquisition is a 15% stake in the French second-division club Paris FC, which is majority-owned by the Arnault family (LVMH).
Juergen Klopp’s appointment as Head of Global Soccer for Red Bull has prompted a strong reaction from football fans and the international sports press.
ZDF (German national broadcaster)
“There’s no question that when Jürgen Klopp becomes ‘Head of Global Soccer’ at Red Bull on 1 January, it will be a punch in the gut for football romantics. Especially as Jürgen Klopp has always emphasised in interviews that he is a football romantic.” But the broadcaster adds: “But how much purity, how much romance is there left in this football, in which simple sports clubs have developed into globally operating football companies, with many listed on the stock exchange?”
Focus (German news magazine)
For the traditionalists among football fans, Juergen Klopp’s move is a blatant betrayal of everything he has stood for throughout his career. FSV Mainz 05, Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool FC were his stations. Big fan scenes, rough working-class towns, pure passion, accompanied by the anthem of all anthems, ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’. Klopp was the broadly grinning face of football romance. The magazine adds: ‘In financial matters, Klopp is an opportunist. Thanks to his popularity, he landed himself heaps of advertising deals over the years. The job at Red Bull should also be seen in this light.”
Frankfurter Rundschau (German daily newspaper)
“For many, the Red Bull brand, which stands for the commercialisation of professional football like no other, is not suited to Klopp, who worked exclusively for traditional clubs during his coaching career. Klopp has ‘sold his legendary status to Red Bull’, commented a stunned fan under an Instagram.”
The Salzburger Nachrichten (Austrian daily newspaper)
“Klopp coup: No Red Bull transfer has ever been bigger. Watching Jürgen Klopp at work has inevitably made me want to play football. He can give Red Bull football a soul.”
The Guardian (British daily newspaper)
“Jürgen Klopp shakes English football’s god delusion with embrace of Red Bull. This feels like the kind of thing you do when you’re still not sure what you want to do. Grandiose job title aside, the brief itself feels reassuringly vague. “I want to see, feel and figure out what is useful for football,” Klopp said. “Developing football a little bit as well.” As a sacred mission statement, ‘turning doubters into believers’ this is not.”
Daily Mirror (British daily newspaper)
“Jürgen Klopp takes on his first job since leaving Liverpool FC. It is unlikely that Klopp will immediately return to the front line of football in his new role. Instead, he will lend his expertise to the Red Bull football group.”
The Athletic (British sports magazine)
“When an emotional Klopp bid farewell to Anfield in May, he insisted he wanted to take a full year off to recharge his batteries. (…) Given his passion for football and the numerous job offers he has received, it is hardly surprising that the 57-year-old has decided to end his sabbatical early.”
Gazzetta dello Sport (Italian sports newspaper)
“Role change. Klopp is back.”
Marca (Spanish sports newspaper)
“The global energy drinks group, which has made a name for itself as a patron of numerous sports, has been able to win over the sought-after German football coach Jürgen Klopp to lead the strategic vision for Red Bull football clubs around the world.”
Blick (Swiss daily newspaper)
“Footballing hammer. Red Bull gets Jürgen Klopp. Germany’s iconic coach Jürgen Klopp has a new job: he is joining Red Bull’s football organisation.”
Jürgen Klopp was coach at FSV Mainz 05, Borussia Dortmund, before joining Liverpool FC in 2015, where he remained until the end of the 2023/24 season. He was named World Coach of the Year in 2019 and 2020. Commenting on his last position as a coach, the Office of the German President said: “From Liverpool, the most popular German in Great Britain has made a significant contribution to a positive image of our country.”
BACK TO TOP
ON OTHER PAGES: Tears flowed as Freiburg said goodbye to football coach Christian Streich | German Football Index | German football news |
