Jürgen Klopp's shocking return to soccer: his bold new role at Red Bull revealed

Jürgen Klopp is back in soccer, but this time in a completely new role. Charismatic former Liverpool manager to take on the role of global director of soccer for Red Bull from January 1, 2025. It is going to be one big change in the career of the German gaffer, who in 2024 stepped down as manager of the Reds after nine quite successful years at Anfield.

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Klopp's global command

It became a strategic move both for him and the company when Jürgen Klopp joined Red Bull in managing its five clubs around the world, including RB Leipzig, Bragantino, and RB Salzburg. Now, much more emphasis for Klopp will be on talent management and development. Unlike a coach, he is no longer on the sidelines or doing post-match interviews but behind the scenes, shaping what the future holds for the soccer operations of Red Bull.

He joins with a new mission: to contribute to the development of coaches and players with a strategic vision. Klopp himself will not be directly involved in the management of the clubs, but more as a mentor and in support of the sports directors of each team. His experience at Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool gives him the ideal blend to change how Red Bull's global soccer operations approach team management and the development of players.

Red Bull's soccer empire

As big as energy drinks and sport sponsorships have been for Red Bull, the company has, over these years, invested seriously in soccer. In addition to clubs in Germany, RB Leipzig, Brazil's Bragantino, Austria, RB Salzburg and FC Liefering, and the United States, New York Red Bulls, the brand has managed to put together something of a worldwide network of teams with one common philosophy: developing young talent and playing an offensive, dynamic style of soccer.

With Klopp driving the philosophy, that's going to be even more embedded. His experience of working with top talents and creating cohesive, aggressive teams is likely to impact how future Red Bull coaches are trained. Innovation has been the baseline for this brand, but with Klopp's arrival, that means a step toward being even more outstanding in the world of soccer.

From coach to executive

Most fascinating about Klopp's move into the Red Bull hierarchy is how he could apply himself to such an executive role, considering his managerial modus operandi has been set in stone for a long period of time through passionate and deliberative attention to detail. This, though, is a whole different paradigm-one in which he would be well above the training pitch, dictating affairs from high above to influence decisions for the long-term aspect.

This is a big transition to more managerial, but it does make sense at this stage of his career. Klopp has always been viewed as much more than a coach: he is a leader and a strategist, and one who knows how to build winning teams. That he can see soccer from a global perspective, coupled with having such a wide network of contacts, could make Red Bull even more influential on the international stage in soccer.

Klopp's global impact on Red Bull clubs

With Klopp sure to use his influence to accelerate the development of both players and coaches within Red Bull's clubs, he has already made it clear that he wants to serve as a mentor to the coaches and managers, helping them realize their full potential. It may be that clubs such as Bragantino in Brazil and RB Leipzig in Germany move further into the aggressive, high-pressing style that defined Klopp's teams at Liverpool and Dortmund.

Success for Klopp would be in unearthing and developing talents, just like he did with the likes of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mané, and Trent Alexander-Arnold, which could prove to be a game-changer for the teams under Red Bull. The brand has always invested in promising young players, and with Klopp at the helm of this process, it gets even brighter.