New Delhi: Jurgen Klopp, the German head coach who lit up the Premier League for nine years at Liverpool, stepped down from his managerial position and joined Red Bull as the global head of soccer in October.
Many questioned his decision as Red Bull’s biggest football club is RB Leipzig, rivals of Borussia Dortmund, the team where Klopp developed into a world class coach.
“I didn’t want to step on anyone’s toes, absolutely not. And I love all of my former clubs but I don’t know what I could have done to make everyone happy.
“It was always clear, well, clear to me, that I wouldn’t do nothing. And then the Red Bull story came up. And it was an outstanding (option), and I have to be honest about that,” said Klopp on Toni Kroos’ podcast, ‘Einfach mal Luppen’.
Jurgen Klopp has been appointed global head of soccer at Red Bull, his first appointment since stepping down from a successful spell in charge of Premier League giants Liverpool. Klopp, who ended his successful nine-year stint with Liverpool following the 2023-24 Premier League season, will begin his new role on January 1, 2025.
Klopp was also head coach of Mainz for eight seasons before joining Dortmund. When Mainz played RB Leipzig recently, the team’s ultra flew a banner before the game directed at Klopp, reading: “did you forget everything we made you become?”
“Basically, I’m an advisor, Hopefully I can bring calm in different ways and, in other situations, assess things correctly and help the coaches. But I just want to support, not interfere, because I know how disruptive that is. Instead, I want to pass on my experience and work in the world that I know best,” he added.
–IANS