Jürgen Klopp named head of global soccer at Red Bull

Former Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund coach Jürgen Klopp is set to become head of global soccer for soft drink firm Red Bull. But the move is controversial and surprising to many.

German coach Jürgen Klopp has been appointed head of global soccer for Red Bull, the company said on Wednesday. It will be his first job since leaving Liverpool earlier this year.

Red Bull is the owner of several clubs, including Bundesliga side RB Leipzig.

The former Liverpool, Borussia Dortmund and Mainz head coach will provide strategic vision, support scouting and develop coaches. He will not be involved in the everyday running of the Red Bull clubs, which stretch from Leipzig and Salzburg to the USA, Brazil and Japan.

"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 organization that is unique, innovative and forward looking," Klopp said in a statement.

Klopp, who ended a successful nine-year stint with Liverpool earlier this year, will be starting on January 1, 2025.

The 57-year-old German coach left Liverpool having won a Champions League and one Premier League since joining in 2015.

Why has Klopp signed on with Red Bull?

Just a week after receiving Germany's highest civic order where Klopp was met with plenty of adoration, this news comes a major shock.

Klopp's decision to take the job is a surprise, and not only because it comes just four months after he took a sabbatical. While the 57-year-old is famous for being the face of plenty of brands, his coaching career was spent with traditional clubs who sit in opposition to everything Red Bull stands for and the news will likely upset many of his fans. Despite being a traditionalist, Klopp has spoken out in favor of RB before and the job could be seen as a bridge towards taking the Germany head coach job in the future.

"I know how much the idea of RB Leipzig is criticized by football traditionalists. I am also a traditionalist. However, I think Leipzig hasn't taken anything away from traditional clubs. They just went a new path," he said two years ago.

"Right at the beginning, in the third or fouth division, money played a big role. But now they don't have more money than any other Bundesliga club. They qualify for the Champions League, so they have more money at their disposal, sure. Their wage budget isn't higher than Dortmund's, or Bayern's."

Why is it controversial?

The Austrian company owns a number of football clubs around the world, invests heavily in extreme sports promotion and owns two Formula 1 teams. Red Bull have faced opposition in German football in particular, where the creation of RB Leipzig in 2009 was met with widespread uproar by fans across the country who opposed the club's perceived circumvention of the country's 50+1 ownership rules, designed to give a club's paying members ultimate control of the clubs. The club's rise has continually been accompanied by intense protests from football supporters across Germany who consider the newcomers to represent the embodiment of the creeping commercialization of the sport.

What has been the reaction?

One of the first to comment has been Hans-Joachim Watzke. The Dortmund CEO was Klopp's boss at Dortmund and also holds prominent positions at the DFB (German Football Association) and UEFA, which runs European football.

"I wish Jürgen, as always, the best of luck with his new job,"he told press agency SID. "It wasn't a surprise to me because we had spoken about it."

Can he still be Germany head coach?

According to reports from Sky Germany, his contract includes a clause that would allow him to become Germany head coach in the future. If Julian Nagelsmann does step down after the 2026 World Cup, then Klopp could step in for the 2028 Euros, which will be hosted in England, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

Edited by: Matt Pearson