Jürgen Klopp has underlined that his days on the touchline are firmly behind him, insisting he has no yearning to return to full-time coaching. In a recent interview with Welt am Sonntag, the 58-year-old German revealed that he still holds the view that he’s done with being a coach, though he admitted that life and feelings can change with time.
Since stepping down as Liverpool manager at the end of the 2023-24 season, Klopp has taken up a new role as Global Head of Soccer at Red Bull, overseeing their multi-club structure spread across Europe, the Americas, and beyond. In this capacity, he said, he’s found a balance between still being involved in the sport he loves and escaping the relentless pressure of a dugout job.
Reflecting on his managerial career, Klopp pointed out the heavy toll that coaching at elite level exacted: the constant travel, the unending running of affairs, media, matchdays, and the weight of responsibility. He said, “I have coached 1,081 games … that doesn’t include the friendlies … For me it was never about not doing anything, but rather about doing something else.”
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He paused to acknowledge that he once believed, without reservation, he would never take up coaching again. But Klopp also conceded that life doesn’t always stick to one’s certainties: “You don’t know. I’m 58. If I started again at 65, everybody will say, ‘You said you’ll never do it again!’”
At present, there appears to be no opening in Klopp’s agenda for returning to a coach’s role. His marriage, his family life, and the ability to structure his workday have all benefited from stepping away. “I don’t miss anything,” he stated. Yet even as he expresses satisfaction with his current role, he leaves just enough room for possibility — acknowledging that one never knows what the future might hold.
In sum, Klopp seems content to evolve, not return. His shift from hands-on management to a mentorship and supervisory role reflects not just a change in job title, but a change in how he wants to live. For the moment, the field belongs to the next generation of managers — but Klopp’s influence, in advice, critique, and example, remains very much alive.
