The news had the effect of a bomb on the football world. On October 9, the Red Bull group announced the arrival of Jürgen Klopp in its organizational chart. The 57-year-old German, who was still without a club since his departure from Liverpool, has therefore found a somewhat surprising position: “Jürgen Klopp will take up the new role of Director of Global Football at Red Bull, effective January 1, 2025. It is his first appointment since leaving Premier League giant Liverpool after a successful stint. In his new role, the charismatic German will oversee Red Bull’s international network of football clubs. He will not be involved in the day-to-day operations of the clubs, but will provide strategic vision, helping individual sporting directors to advance the Red Bull philosophy. Additionally, the 57-year-old will support the organization’s global recruiting operations and contribute to coaching training and development.we could read in the press release in which Jürgen Klopp had already explained his decision.
In the podcast Einfach mal Luppen Presented by brothers Toni and Felix Kroos, the former Liverpool and BVB manager said of his own Red Bull role: “basically, I’m a consultant. Someone who can hopefully bring calm in various situations, who can assess things correctly in other situations, and who is willing to work with the coaches. I just want to support, not interfere, because I also know how stupid it is. But I want to pass on my experience and stay in the field that I know best“. Today, exactly three weeks after the decision was made official in the various world presses, Jürgen Klopp defended his choice and revealed who will be his closest colleague in the Red Bull offices: “my closest colleague will be Mario Gomez, none of us would have imagined that this would happen at some point. Two Swabians are at the start. It will be great. Of course, I’ve already spoken to Mario. But not in terms of content. It starts on January 1st. The plan is for me to take a vacation until then“.
Klopp doesn’t care about criticism
Former Bayern star Mario Gomez (39, German champion from 2009 to 2013) was hired as technical director within the Red Bull galaxy in January 2022. Jürgen Klopp will work in a strategic position of “responsible for world football” from January 1, 2025: “it was always clear to me that I wasn’t going to do anything. And that’s when the Red Bull story came up, so for me it’s exceptional, I have to say it honestly. It must be made clear that I have never followed the Red Bull story so critically. I certainly didn’t want to step on anyone’s toes. And personally, I love all my old clubs. I don’t know exactly what I could have done to make everyone happy.“, he said. Football romantics in particular are criticizing Jürgen Klopp’s decision. The point of the criticism: the Austrian company uses its millions to buy its success, and football is only used to advertise an energy drink. The legendary coach was not surprised that criticism was leveled against him when he arrived at the German brand’s offices.
Even with a little hindsight, Jürgen Klopp is convinced that his retraining and his arrival in the Red Bull organization chart was the right decision for him: “it was clear that this would be perceived differently in Germany than abroad. German football is different from other leagues. You cannot make your decisions dependent on the reactions of others if you are at peace with that. I am over 50 years old. If I couldn’t handle it today, it would really be a bit stupid. But I have the right to say that this is not of great importance to me“. The Stuttgart native applauds Red Bull’s sporting philosophy and the notable successes of Leipzig and Salzburg. When he played against RB Leipzig in the Champions League, there was no player that other big European clubs wouldn’t afford. Elements like Willi Orban, Kevin Kampl and Yussuf Poulsen are ‘absolute club legends’. Young players like Dayot Upamecano, Ibrahima Konaté and Christopher Nkunku were recruited when they were still rough diamonds to be polished. With a thinking head as prestigious as Klopp, there is no doubt that the Red Bull galaxy will continue to expand to the four corners of the world.
