Jürgen Klopp on his new role at Red Bull, success with Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool, and more

Over a decade has passed since Jürgen Klopp called time on an unforgettable seven-year spell in charge of Borussia Dortmund, but the image of one of football’s most charismatic figures punching the air and puffing his cheeks on the touchline – baseball cap firmly in place – remains etched in the memories of Bundesliga fans the world over.

Nowadays, Klopp’s role is very different. On 1 January 2025, the 58-year-old was appointed Red Bull’s Head of Global Soccer and placed in charge of the company’s international network of football clubs, including Bundesliga high-flyers RB Leipzig.

For someone who had spent the best part of 25 years on the training pitch and in the coaching dugout, it was a step into the unknown – but one which, in Klopp’s words, “could not excite me more”. One year on from his appointment, Klopp’s enthusiasm is undimmed.

“I love it,” Klopp said on a visit to Leipzig over the weekend. “I love being part of it, not in the middle of it. I’m in a place as a person [where I’m] completely at peace with where I am. I don’t want to be somewhere else.”

Jürgen Klopp was in the stands for RB Leipzig's Matchday 18 defeat against Bayern Munich. - IMAGO/Michael Taeger

Rather than being in charge of the day-to-day running of a football club, Klopp is primarily responsible for helping Red Bull’s eight clubs develop their philosophy, assisting with scouting and educating coaches.

“My idea with the coaches […] is to be the guy I never had in this business,” explained the former Mainz, Dortmund and Liverpool boss. “I sat in my office very, very often, very, very alone.

“All my assistants were my friends. I never had to go through difficult times alone, but making decisions means you’re alone. Now, in moments when I know they are alone or feel alone in this moment, I want to be there. Talk to me! I will not judge – because I know.”

Jürgen Klopp will work closely with Ole Werner at Leipzig, among other Red Bull coaches. - IMAGO/PICTURE POINT / Sven Sonntag

With two Bundesliga titles, a DFB Cup, a UEFA Champions League, an English Premier League title and a FIFA Club World Cup crown among the silverware on Klopp’s glittering CV, the Stuttgart native naturally has a treasure trove of experience to fall back on.

That does not mean, however, that he is no longer picking up new things along the way.

“I learned a lot in the last year,” said Klopp. “I went to business plan meetings – so many words I’ve never heard before in my life!”

Jürgen Klopp guided Borussia Dortmund to the Bundesliga title in 2011 and 2012. - imago sportfotodienst/imago/ActionPictures

Elaborating on the ever-evolving global football landscape, Klopp added: “At the start at Mainz, my assistant was a goalie coach. Where I ended up, I can’t really count how many people I had around me.

“It was a lot. From there to there, to scouting completely with DVDs, [to] this. They cut you [a clip of a player] in a second. I first had a video, then a DVD, and now all this. I’m still here. I’m really ready to learn.”

That thirst for knowledge has served Klopp well in a career in which he often had to embrace the role of underdog, from his early days at Mainz – the club he led to Bundesliga promotion in 2004 – all the way through to his spell at Liverpool in the Premier League.

Watch: Jürgen Klopp - Made in the Bundesliga

Crucially, at Mainz, Dortmund and Liverpool, Klopp was given at least seven years to build a successful team – a luxury few modern coaches can even dream of.

“Why did I get time? Of course, I cannot answer that 100 percent,” said Klopp. “I think it was always clear that there’s a development, step by step by step. The situation was not [ready]-made.

“At Mainz […], if we go up in the first year to the Bundesliga, we go down [immediately] – 1,000 percent. We would have got a proper knock, but the development was clear."

Watch: Jürgen Klopp's Bundesliga 2 journey

After leaving Die Nullfünfer, Klopp helped Dortmund to back-to-back Bundesliga titles in 2011 and 2012 before guiding the club into the 2013 Champions League final, where they lost narrowly to Bundesliga rivals Bayern Munich at Wembley Stadium.

Borussia’s success did not come overnight, though.

“In the first year, we were ready for Europe,” Klopp said. “We didn’t qualify, but then we [improved] slowly but surely. In our first year in the Champions League, we were out after the group stage. We played brilliantly, but nobody can remember it."

Watch: Jürgen Klopp - the Borussia Dortmund years

It was a similar story at Liverpool, who eventually blossomed into one of Europe’s most fearsome sides under Klopp’s stewardship, winning the Champions League in 2019 and the Premier League the following year.

When success did come his way, Klopp was reluctant to take centre-stage in his team’s celebrations, preferring instead to let his players enjoy the limelight.

Jürgen Klopp won the Premier League with Liverpool in 2020. - PHIL NOBLE/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

“You might see pictures where people give me a trophy,” he said. “OK, I’ll take it.

“I would love to have a different personality. Losing was 1,000 percent my responsibility, but winning? [I was a] passenger. I didn’t have to be in first spot. I loved to celebrate, obviously, with the supporters, but the rest, the trophy ceremony, was not my thing.”

Jürgen Klopp spent eight-and-a-half-years in Liverpool. - Peter Byrne via www.imago-images.de/imago images/PA Images

Would he consider a return to the dugout, when the time is right? Klopp isn’t ruling anything out – although a coaching comeback is certainly not on the list of his immediate priorities.

“At the moment, I would say no, but I cannot say never, never, never,” he said. “All the things I did in the past have led me to being really well suited for this job.

“At the moment, I’m completely happy with what I’m doing.”

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