Jurgen Klopp's move to Red Bull to become a global soccer empire generates negative reactions

He left his mark on every field he stepped into with his energetic, passionate, and deeply dedicated style. He won the hearts of fans at Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund, most specifically. But the announcement that he will take on a strategic role within the Red Bull soccer club network was a bit of a surprise to everyone. Mixed feelings, and here he goes for this new challenge, where he is going to step back from coaching, focusing on a more strategic position.

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Of course, the change wasn't that easy for Klopp. "I really don't know what I could have done in order to make everybody happy," he said. And honestly, pleasing everybody is almost impossible for somebody with his history in traditional clubs. Klopp is aware of the weight of the decisions he makes, and he proclaims, considering this new challenge, that he never wanted to "step on anybody's toes." This season, a time of change both personally and professionally, he realizes fully well that this new chapter does not coincide with the fans' expectations, but it is meaningful.

Red Bull's Corporate Role in Soccer: The Debate Rekindled

Klopp's decision restarted talks about the participation of Red Bull within German soccer. The energy drink giant, with clubs spread across Europe and North America, has an evident goal: expanding its reach and impact within the sport. For many German fans, Red Bull represents something unsettling. Its presence is seen as a “corporate intervention” in soccer, which, to more traditional fans, can feel like an attempt to buy success. The highest degree of unease certainly surrounds RB Leipzig-a team which, following some recent successes, hasn't captured fans' hearts with a style of soccer that is supposed to be inauthentic.

To Klopp himself, however, the Red Bull model isn't quite so unforgiving. "I have never viewed the investment of Red Bull in soccer in such a critical way," he said, approaching his project with a certain optimism. “To me, it’s extraordinary.” Klopp also sees Red Bull’s efforts as playing a role in bringing top-tier soccer back to former East Germany with the Leipzig project, a positive contribution in his view. Yet, fans of his former clubs, like Borussia Dortmund and Mainz, don’t share this enthusiasm. Banners have appeared in the Mainz stands questioning his judgment, some even calling him "crazy" to make this choice.

Klopp's New Role and His Loyalty to Former Clubs

Klopp knows that fans are perfectly justified in being disappointed. He himself was a player and coach at Mainz, where he spent 18 years and developed a relationship of deep respect. At Borussia Dortmund, he won two Bundesliga titles and took the club to the Champions League final, where the bond with the fans is strong. However, for Klopp, the new role at Red Bull means helping and guiding coaches while giving support to professionals who face loneliness in soccer, according to him, unseen so often.

"I've always felt that coaches are, way too often, the loneliest people in the club," Klopp confided. And it is this empathy he would like to give in abundance now to the role of Red Bull in guiding the teams' coaches. Klopp also acknowledges the coaches' pressures, and he sees his new role very much as a behind-the-scenes one, working almost as an "advisor" type with respect to each team's needs and styles.