Jurgen Klopp has suggested that he will never return to management, with the ex-Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool boss claiming to miss nothing about life in the dugout. That was his existence for the best part of 25 years, having stepped straight into coaching with Mainz in 2001 after bringing his playing career to a close. Klopp walked away from Anfield as a modern day legend on Merseyside in the summer of 2024.
From Anfield to Red Bull: Klopp's journey
Klopp oversaw Premier League and Champions League title triumphs during his time with Liverpool, helping to return the Reds to top of domestic and continental games over the course of a memorable nine-year tenure. He stepped down after taking the decision not to see out his contract. A break from the stresses of professional football was required at that point.
At 58 years of age, Klopp has returned to work. He is now Global Head of Soccer at Red Bull – allowing him to oversee events within their stable of elite football clubs. While big decisions have to be made there, such as those relating to managerial appointments, Klopp is no longer directly responsible for results and performances on the field. That change of pace has been fully embraced.
AdvertisementAFPDoes Klopp miss management after 23-year career?
Despite being passionate about the game, as the man that introduced “heavy metal football” to the world, Klopp is happy taking a back seat and concedes that he may never grace a dugout again.
Quizzed by on whether he misses the day-to-day challenges of being a manager, Klopp – who saw his successor Arne Slot deliver another Premier League crown to Anfield in 2024-25 – said: “Not. At. All. I was super happy with the way Liverpool performed. I watched some games. But it is not like, ‘Oh, it’s Saturday!’ I didn’t know when games started. I was just out. I played sports. We enjoyed life, spent time with the grandkids, completely normal stuff, knowing I will work again. But knowing as well, that I don’t want to work as a coach anymore.”
Pressed further on whether his absence from the touchline will extend indefinitely, Klopp added: “That’s what I think. But you don’t know. I’m 58. If I started again at 65, everybody will say, ‘You said you’ll never do it again!’ Er, sorry, I thought 100 per cent (when I said it)! That is what I think now. I don’t miss anything.”
Klopp enjoying everyday life away from coaching
He added on getting to enjoy life in a way that was never possible when being consumed by the relentless demands of a life as a coach: “I missed nothing in my life because I never thought about it. So during almost 25 years, I twice went to a wedding – one of them was mine and the other one was two months ago. In 25 years, I have been four times at the cinema – all in the last eight weeks. It’s now nice to be able to do it. I was in so many different countries as a coach and I saw nothing of them; just the hotel, the stadium or the training ground. Nothing else. I did not miss it, but I would now.”
Klopp’s decision to join forces with energy drink giants Red Bull raised a few eyebrows, but he makes no apologies for that either. He said when asked if a job in another country would have been better received: “If I went to a foreign country, to Italy or Spain, people would have said, ‘Oh my God, that’s great.’ If I go to Bayern (Munich) or whatever, then especially Dortmund fans would have said, ‘I don’t like it!’ I finished at Liverpool at 57. I was 100 per cent certain and sure that I will not finish working. I had a break for seven months or so. I enjoyed it – wow!”
GOAL Germany role for Klopp? Future questions remain
Klopp has been linked with various posts since leaving Liverpool, but has resisted any attempts to lure him back into management. It has been suggested on a regular basis down the years that a role with the Germany national team may appeal, but it remains to be seen whether the most colourful of characters ever returns to coaching.
