The Austrian drinks manufacturer Red Bull has gained a famous face in Jürgen Klopp. From January 1, 2025, the former coach of 1. FSV Mainz 05, Borussia Dortmund and FC Liverpool will be ‘Head of Global Soccer’ and thus something like the head of football for the large company, which has also been represented in football since 2005.
With RB Leipzig, RB Salzburg, the training club FC Liefering, the New York Red Bulls, the Brazilian RB Bragantino and the Japanese club Omiya Ardija, a total of six teams are part of the Red Bull football empire. Red Bull has also owned shares in the English second division club Leeds United since May 2024.
Jürgen Klopp’s area of responsibility is broad, but overall relatively easy to explain. In summary, the cult coach, who only left Liverpool FC in the summer and will now dedicate himself to a task that was completely foreign to him, will be the face of all RB football clubs.
Red Bull’s official press release states that Klopp “will not be involved in the day-to-day running of the clubs, but will provide a strategic vision and support individual sporting directors in driving Red Bull’s philosophy forward.” The German’s sphere of influence will also extend to scouting, player training and coach development.
Klopp is something like the successor to Ralf Rangnick, who was ‘Head of Sport and Development Soccer’ at Red Bull from 2019 to 2020. The trained tactician initially took on the role of sports director at RB Leipzig and Red Bull Salzburg in 2012, where he installed an energetic style of football with young players. “The style of play should have a high recognition value, so that even on a bad day you can still tell what kind of football the team wants to play,” Rangnick once explained his philosophy.
Klopp, who has been able to successfully develop young players at all of his positions, would like to build on this: “By joining Red Bull on a global level, I want to develop, improve and support the incredible football talent that we have at our disposal,” said Klopp his signature with Red Bull.
Klopp explained his exact tasks as follows: “I see my role primarily as a mentor for the coaches and management of the Red Bull clubs, but ultimately I am part of an organization that is unique, innovative and future-oriented.”
The fact that Klopp, who was seen by many as a traditionalist, took on the task caused a stir in Germany. However, the 57-year-old came out as a sympathizer of the Red Bull idea in the summer of 2022. “I know how much the idea of Rasenball, Red Bull, is criticized by traditionalists in football. And I’m one too. I just think that Leipzig hasn’t taken anything away from a traditional club, but that they’ve simply taken a new path. ” Klopp described the path with many young players as “a football idea and not a money idea”.
As already mentioned, Klopp will not only take care of Red Bull’s German football location Leipzig, but also all RB clubs around the world. Salzburg, where RB founder Dietrich Mateschitz made his first investment in football in 2005, is considered the pioneer of the RB empire. The club was previously known as Austria Salzburg – and even used the prefix ‘Casino’ at one point – but fans were not keen on the many changes Red Bull made, most notably ditching the traditional purple jersey in favor of red and White. Salzburg had won three league titles in its 72-year history before the introduction of Red Bull and 14 in the following two decades. However, the club’s ten-year dominance in the premier class was broken by Sturm Graz in 2023/24.
In 2006, Red Bull ventured into the USA, but did not have nearly the same success. The New York Red Bulls have only reached the MLS Cup once since taking over and are still waiting for their first major title. The Brazilian branch of the multi-club project, consisting of Red Bull Bragantino and the club’s second team playing in the third division, was only launched in 2019.
The Red Bull cosmos also includes FC Liefering, RB Bragantino and Omiya Ardija. At these locations, the main focus is on the further development of young talents at locations all over the world, who ideally will be developed into ready-made young professionals for RB Leipzig. The Saxon location is at the top at RB. Proof of this are the transfers of stars such as Peter Gulacsi, Dominik Szoboszlai, Dayot Upamecano and Konrad Laimer, who made the leap from Salzburg to Leipzig – only to later be sold on at high prices to world clubs such as FC Bayern or Liverpool FC.
However, RB Leipzig is not only the most successful, but also the most controversial offspring of the Red Bull dynasty. The location in the east of the Republic was created in 2009. Red Bull circumvented the country’s famous 50+1 rule – which actually prevents corporations or wealthy individuals from owning the majority of shares in a club – by ensuring that most of the club’s members were Red Bull employees. Democratic structures like those in other member-run German football clubs are still sought in vain here, as not every fan can become a member of RB Leipzig.
Since brand names are banned in the Bundesliga, unlike in other leagues, the “RB” in RB Leipzig does not officially stand for the energy drink empire. Instead, the club is called “RasenBallsport” which was only chosen to use the initials of their own company.
After Leipzig surprised with an impressive second place in the Bundesliga in their debut season in 2016/17 under Rangnick, the project stalled until Julian Nagelsmann took over as coach and led Leipzig to the semi-finals of the 2020 Champions League and again the following year second place in the Bundesliga.
Leipzig have gone beyond the lightning-fast pressing football with which they rose to prominence and have developed into a team that dominates the ball possession game. The two-time DFB Cup winner has finished in the top four of the Bundesliga in each of the last six seasons – a feat that only Bayern Munich has achieved. Part of Klopp’s task will undoubtedly be to help Leipzig finally win its first Bundesliga title. Even if Dortmund supporters in particular, who are critical of Klopp’s move, won’t like to hear it.