The cult coach's move to Red Bull caught many traditionalists off guard. Since then, Jürgen Klopp has refrained from visiting the stadiums of his former clubs - to avoid unpleasant situations.
29.06.2025, 12:51
dpa
Coach Jürgen Klopp left Borussia Dortmund and Mainz 05 as a legend and fan favorite, but now he avoids certain encounters with supporters of his former clubs. The reason: his involvement as Global Head of Soccer at Red Bull, a controversial company for many football traditionalists.
"So far, nobody has said to me: "Hey, you've sold out nicely." But it's also clear that I wouldn't necessarily go to the stadium in Mainz or Dortmund," said Klopp in an interview with "Welt am Sonntag".
Avoid fan slogans such as "What's that bum doing here?"
"But not because I don't want to go there, but because I don't want to put people in a situation where one person says: "What's that bum doing here?" and the other person replies: "But that's Kloppo." That's unnecessary, I want to get out of the way," explained the 58-year-old.
He takes no offense to anyone's criticism. People could criticize him as much as they wanted, said Klopp. "I found the idea with Red Bull too exciting for me to say: 'I won't do that because it won't go down so well with my ex-clubs'."
Klopp has been working for the drinks group since January. Previously, he had won the Champions League and the Premier League as coach of Liverpool FC. He won the league and cup twice with Borussia Dortmund and also celebrated major successes with FSV Mainz 05, including promotion to the Bundesliga and qualification for the European Cup.
