New German coach Jürgen Klopp has been scoring points at Red Bull as World Director of Football, and a meeting with four-time Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen is already on his agenda.
Klopp ended his highly successful tenure at Liverpool in May 2024, after nine seasons of remarkable achievements, including a Champions League title, a Premier League trophy, two League Cups, an FA Cup, a Community Shield, a UEFA Super Cup and a FIFA Club World Cup. When he announced his departure from the English club, he made it clear that he did not intend to return to a coaching role. However, he recently took on a new challenge in the same sport at Red Bull.
The energy drink maker has five teams: Red Bull Salzburg in Austria, RB Leipzig in Germany, New York Red Bulls in the United States, Red Bull Bragantino in Brazil and Omiya Ardija in Japan. Additionally, Red Bull owns a 15% stake in Paris FC and is a minority shareholder in Leeds United in England. Klopp’s role will involve coordinating and strengthening the footballing structure of these clubs, while each team maintains its independence and working groups under his leadership. His annual salary would be 12 million euros, ten million less than his earnings at Liverpool, but his role would likely be more relaxed.
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As soon as Klopp arrived at Red Bull, Max Verstappen was quick to express his interest. The F1 star is the Austrian brand’s flagship athlete in its various sporting initiatives, and a sense of mutual curiosity is evident.
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Helmut Marko, the Formula 1 team’s executive assistant, shared Max’s thoughts on Klopp’s arrival: “Max asked me to invite Klopp to a race to meet him. Max is a huge football fan, and when he learned that Jürgen would be joining the Red Bull family, he was delighted. Virgil van Dijk, the captain of the Netherlands national team, is one of his best friends and was one of Klopp’s key players at Liverpool for many years,” Marko told Insider F1.
Asked about the potential meeting with Verstappen, the Red Bull Director of Football did not hesitate: “How can Max Verstappen stay completely focused at this speed? I would like to know; give me this information, and I will try to apply it to football. There is so much to discuss! Not only his incredible concentration but everything else. It’s really crazy! I would like to spend some time with him to understand how he manages to do this at 300 kilometers per hour in a car while maintaining the best frame of mind. »
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“I think there’s a lot to discuss between them and a lot of questions to ask each other,” Marko continued. “What they share in common is unwavering determination. Both are known and admired for their clear and direct approach. We are currently working to arrange their meeting as soon as possible. »
