Jürgen Klopp introduced to Red Bull! "On fire pretty quickly"

Salzburg (Austria) - A little less than two weeks ago, Jürgen Klopp (57) took up his controversial job at Red Bull, and this Tuesday afternoon the German cult coach was officially introduced as head of soccer at the fizzy drinks group.

Head of Red Bull soccer since January 1 of this year: Jürgen Klopp (57).
Head of Red Bull soccer since January 1 of this year: Jürgen Klopp (57).  © PICTURE POINT / Roger Petzsche

During his presentation at Hangar-7 at the airport in the Austrian city of Salzburg in the west of the country, the 57-year-old spoke about his reasons for making the switch and his ambitions for future projects, among other things.

"I was keen to take on this role after consciously stepping down as Liverpool FC coach a few months ago. I never said I would never work again," Klopp stated at the start of the interview - and also assured that he was "pretty quickly on fire" for his position.

"I was always curious, always wanted to be up to date. At some point, I could no longer do that. I wanted to take a break. Then this opportunity came along: innovation, creativity, exactly what I had in mind," he added, confirming his decision to leave Liverpool FC at the end of last season and join the energy drink manufacturer.

"I'm brutally honest with myself in these moments. If I feel I'm no longer the right person in the position, I'll always say so. It was like that in Mainz, in Dortmund and now in Liverpool. I just couldn't carry on like that."

What Jürgen Klopp has planned as Red Bull's head of soccer

Theory and practice: the 57-year-old wants to take Red Bull's soccer world to a whole new level. Whether he will succeed, however, remains questionable.
Theory and practice: the 57-year-old wants to take Red Bull's soccer world to a whole new level. Whether he will succeed, however, remains questionable.  © PICTURE POINT / Roger Petzsche

He accepted the criticism following the announcement that he was now joining a group after working for traditional clubs.

"If you want to understand it, you can understand it. If you don't want to understand it, you don't have to understand it. I accept and respect all opinions."

The former head coach of Borussia Dortmund, which he led to the German championship twice in a row (2011 and 2012), also expressed his goals for a promising future - and already has a clear idea of how he wants to put his plans into practice: "I want to support people, help them to be the best version of themselves."

Klopp stepped down at the end of the 2023/24 season after nine years as Liverpool head coach. Months later, in October of last year, the cult coach, who had previously worked exclusively for traditional clubs, caused a soccer quakewith his move to Red Bull - and dealt a blow to the stomach of soccer romantics who are critical of the construct.