Jurgen Klopp‘s decision to take his job as head of global football for Red Bull has left Kevin Grosskreutz, his former player at Dortmund, “shocked and sad.”
Klopp will end his sabbatical at the start of 2025 to begin his new position as head of global football for the Red Bull group.
Joining Red Bull has been seen a hugely controversial in his native Germany, particularly among those connected to his former club, Borussia Dortmund.
Among those is Grosskreutz, the right-back who made 236 appearances under Klopp over six seasons – the 14th-most used player in his entire coaching career.
Speaking on his Viertelstunde Fußball podcast, via BuLi News, the 36-year-old insisted that while Klopp remained his “friend,” he believes “it’s shit that he does something like that.”
“I woke up, I had 30 messages on my phone and I thought: what happened? I thought I was dreaming, then I hoped it was fake news,” Grosskreutz recalled of first hearing the news.
“Two hours later it was official. It was pretty shocking and sad. Somehow it hasn’t really sunk in yet.
“I don’t think anyone was expecting it. It’s very, very strange and I can’t really comprehend it yet. It’s like shock!
“Nevertheless, he’s a friend of mine and I owe him a lot. And I will always be grateful to him.
“As a football fan, I think it sucks, to put it bluntly! But as a friend, you have to accept decisions being made.
“When we meet, I’ll still tell him personally that I think it’s shit that he does something like that!”
Not only is Klopp taking up a role at the head of a multi-club model – with Red Bull explaining that he will oversee their “international network” – but he is now affiliated with Dortmund’s modern rivals RB Leipzig.
It was a surprise decision from the former Liverpool boss, who has explained that it was “still the case” that he no longer saw himself as a manager.
“But I still love football and I still love working,” he said. “Red Bull gives me the perfect platform for that.”
That has sullied his reputation in Dortmund to say the least, with the announcement coming a month after he returned to his former club to manage a testimonial for Lukasz Piszczek and Jakub Blaszczykowski.
Grosskreutz’s comments say it all when it comes to how he is viewed, though he is at least able to separate Klopp the man from Klopp the professional.
