There was a hint of irony behind Jurgen Klopp’s decision to return to football at the top of the vast Red Bull spiderweb just months after he declared he was running out of energy toward the end of his illustrious nine-year stay at Liverpool.
The energy drink company pulled off one of the sport’s biggest coups by luring Klopp, who wore the stresses and strains of the job on his face as his time at Anfield drew to a close, back into work and away from his sprawling villa in Mallorca.
That toothy, pearly-white grin stubbornly refused to fade but he lacked the same energy. Retiring, if only for a year or so, to soak up the sun on the island seemed a natural next step and his luxury property, worth £3.4million, certainly helped.
Rolling beaches and palm trees beckoned and Klopp made the decision to rebuild his mansion, placing his wife Ulla in charge of the sprawling refurbishment. The villa is believed to have been transformed into a state-of-the-art, low-energy house.
But Red Bull, in a push believed to have been driven by Oliver Mintzlaff, the company’s CEO of corporate projects and investments, tabled a proposal that even a battle-weary Klopp could not turn down. He will begin work officially in January.
His new role will see him act as the brand’s global head of soccer, effectively meaning his days of pacing dugouts have given way to flashy boardrooms.
‘After almost 25 years on the sideline, I could not be more excited to get involved in a project like this,’ Klopp said in Red Bull’s statement, released on Wednesday.
‘The role may have changed but my passion for football and the people who make the game what it is has not.’
Red Bull own several clubs worldwide, including RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga and MLS side New York Red Bulls. They also sponsor Red Bull Salzburg.
Klopp is expected to hold a crucial role, and a significant amount of influence, in each of these camps.
The company also snapped up a minority stake in Championship outfit Leeds United and, controversially, became their front-of-shirt sponsor.
Klopp will not be involved in day-to-day operations at these clubs and he will instead act as an advisor on their playing philosophy, transfer strategy and coaching development.
In layman’s terms, he will spearhead their strategic vision. Red Bull’s vast global scouting operation will also fall inside his wheelhouse.
It is a multi-faceted role that will see Klopp across several important components of running a club and, at least on paper, looks a perfect match. After all, Red Bull’s clubs are infamous for their heavy metal style of play, Klopp’s preferred approach.
He appears, then, to be taking on a role similar to that of Michael Edwards at Fenway Sports Group, Liverpool’s owners. Edwards, who worked alongside Klopp as sporting director at Anfield, was tempted back into the fold two years after leaving.
FSG have embraced a multi-club ownership pathway, an increasingly popular trend in football, and Edwards was crowned as their chief executive of football with one eye on identifying teams to become part of their network.
Like Klopp, Edwards holds a wide remit encompassing a number of duties. However, it is the German who holds the early advantage with Red Bull having branched out and extended their feelers across the globe several years ago.
Klopp will also reunite with his former Liverpool No 2 Pep Ljinders, now Red Bull Salzburg’s head coach, when he begins work next year. Vitor Matos and Andreas Kornmayer, also part of Klopp’s backroom staff, work alongside Ljinders.
There are deeper connections, too. One of the main influences behind the Red Bull philosophy is Ralf Rangnick, who, like Klopp, has made a high-pressing, high-octane style his hallmark – aside from a nightmare interim spell at Manchester United.
Rangnick became Red Bull’s head of sport and development after acting as sporting director at both Salzburg and Leipzig and he is an occasional confidante of Klopp.
There were fleeting signs of a burgeoning mutual respect between Klopp and Red Bull, dating back to 2022. Speaking after a pre-season friendly between Liverpool and Salzburg in July, Klopp openly praised the organisation.
‘What Red Bull is doing is a really interesting project, I have to say,’ he said. ‘They kind of change every year, they sell players but still a good team.
‘It’s really interesting what they are doing. The football philosophy is not too far away from ours as well.’
All the signs point toward Klopp remaining in the role for years to come but there is believed to be a clause inserted in his contract that would allow him to quit to become the head coach of Germany’s national side, should they make an approach.
He has made no secret of his desire to take up the position one day and that, perhaps, is the only coaching role big enough to take him back into management.
But now, his focus is solely on Red Bull. Their blueprint – identification of young, talented players, developing big names and a high-energy approach on the pitch – matches perfectly up to his, making the move nothing short of a masterstroke.
‘Together we can discover what is possible,’ he said. ‘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.’
Red Bull have seen the value of sprinkling some of Klopp’s irresistible magic on their brand but there is no escaping the fact he is inexperienced in roles beyond the confines of the day-to-day duties of managing one of the world’s biggest clubs.
He has recharged his batteries, though, having spent the past five months relaxing at his Mallorca home and playing padel, a sport close to his heart. Klopp was also spotted watching matches at Euro 2024 and attending the Paralympics in Paris.
Now reinvigorated, Klopp’s talk of a premature retirement seems a world away.