Roger Schmidt Returns to Red Bull as Head of Global Soccer
Red Bull has turned to a familiar face to steer its sprawling football empire. On Friday, the group confirmed that Roger Schmidt will take over the role previously held by Jürgen Klopp, stepping in as the new Head of Global Soccer from 1 October on a long-term contract.
For Schmidt, it is less a fresh start than a homecoming.
Back to the Red Bull universe
Schmidt, now 59, re-enters a football structure he once helped define. Between 2012 and 2014, he turned RB Salzburg into a high-intensity machine, claiming the Austrian league and cup double in his second season and forcing the rest of Europe to take notice. That success earned him a move to the Bundesliga with Bayer Leverkusen in 2014, where his aggressive, front-foot football became his calling card in a top-five league.
His path since then has been a tour of heavyweight dugouts. PSV Eindhoven from 2020 to 2022. Benfica from 2022 to 2024. At each stop, the same core identity: pressing, verticality, and a clear belief in developing and trusting young players.
Most recently, Schmidt stepped away from the touchline and into the boardroom. Since October 2025 he has been working as Global Sports Director in Japan’s J.League, a role in which he remained under contract until 2027. Red Bull’s offer, and the scale of its project, has tempted him back earlier than planned.
Mintzlaff’s man for a global job
Red Bull CEO Oliver Mintzlaff left no doubt that this appointment is about more than nostalgia.
“We are very pleased to welcome Roger Schmidt back to Red Bull. With his many years of experience, his outstanding football expertise and his clear understanding of our philosophy, he is the right person to be responsible for the sporting direction of our global football portfolio,” Mintzlaff said, highlighting the group’s long-term vision.
Schmidt, he stressed, has built “an outstanding reputation for developing young talents and successfully promoting them at the highest level.” That line matters. Red Bull’s model depends on exactly that: identify, polish, and then showcase young players across its network of clubs.
From Salzburg to Leipzig, New York to Brazil and beyond, Schmidt will now sit above the entire structure, shaping how that philosophy looks on the pitch.
Filling Klopp’s considerable shoes
The job Schmidt takes over is the one Klopp briefly held. At the start of 2025, the former Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool manager became Red Bull’s Head of Global Soccer, a surprise move that underlined the group’s ambition.
That role opened up again when Klopp answered a different call. After Julian Nagelsmann resigned as Germany head coach in the wake of a disappointing World Cup, the DFB turned to Klopp. His contract with Germany now runs until after the 2030 World Cup.
The switch came with an unexpected twist. Despite Klopp being tied to Red Bull until the end of 2029, the DFB did not have to pay compensation to release him from his deal. A rare clean break at this level, and one that allowed Red Bull to move quickly for Schmidt.
A philosophy aligned
Schmidt’s own words made clear why this reunion makes sense.
“I am very much looking forward to this new challenge and am proud to once again be part of the Red Bull family in future,” he said, reflecting on a coaching journey that began at Preußen Münster and SC Paderborn before his rise through Europe.
He knows exactly what he is stepping into.
“Red Bull’s international club portfolio is unique, ambitious and shaped by a clear philosophy of developing young talents while also being successful at the highest level. It is precisely this combination that makes this role particularly appealing to me,” Schmidt added.
That dual demand — produce, and win — will define his tenure. Red Bull has given him reach across continents and clubs. The question now is how far he can push a model he once helped ignite.
