Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has been appointed global head of soccer at Red Bull. The 57-year-old German will begin the role on the 1st of January 2025.
Energy drinks brand Red Bull owns RB Leipzig in Germany’s Bundesliga. Also Major League Soccer side New York Red Bulls, and Austrian side Red Bull Salzburg. Red Bull says Klopp will not be involved in day-to-day operations. However, he will advise teams on playing philosophy, transfer strategy and coaching development.
Klopp won eight trophies in nine years at Liverpool. This includes the Premier League and Champions League, before stepping down at the end of last season. He began his managerial career at Mainz in 2001 before joining Borussia Dortmund in 2008, where he won two Bundesliga titles and reached the 2013 Champions League final.
Klopp will also contribute to the global scouting process and assist with coach development. On his return, he stated: “After almost 25 years on the sideline, I could not be more excited to get involved in a project like this. The 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, Klopp aims to “develop, improve and support” the talented players they have. He believes this can be achieved by applying Red Bull’s expertise and learning from other sports and industries.
“Together we can discover what is possible. I see my role primarily as a mentor for the coaches and management of the Red Bull clubs. But ultimately I am one part of an organisation that is unique, innovative and forward looking. As I said, this could not excite me more.”
Klopp’s new position is similar to the role Michael Edwards had at Anfield after Klopp left. Edwards is now Fenway Sports Group’s “CEO of football,”. Clubs like Manchester City and Chelsea are also adopting a network model. Oliver Mintzlaff, “CEO Corporate Projects and Investments” at Red Bull, praised this as Red Bull’s biggest move in soccer so far.
He said: “We are very proud of this outstanding and certainly the strongest signing in Red Bull’s soccer history. Jurgen Klopp is one of the greatest and most influential figures in world soccer, with extraordinary skills and charisma.
“In his role as Head of Soccer, he will be a game changer for our involvement in international soccer and its continued development. We are hoping for valuable and decisive impulses in key areas to make the clubs even better, both collectively and individually.”
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