Jürgen Klopp says he doesn’t miss coaching and has no plans to return, enjoying family life while working as Red Bull’s Global Head of Football.
Jürgen Klopp has once again made it clear that the touchline no longer holds an irresistible pull. Speaking this Tuesday in an interview with The Athletic, the former Liverpool boss stated unequivocally that he does not miss being a coach and therefore has no plans to return to management in the foreseeable future.
At 58, Klopp remains a towering figure in modern football, but his career has entered a new phase. Since January, he has been working with Red Bull in the role of Global Head of Football a position that allows him to stay connected to the game while stepping away from the relentless grind of daily coaching. The German explained that his new responsibilities offer freedoms and experiences that were previously impossible to reconcile with life as a top-level manager. Far from craving the adrenaline of matchdays, he admitted that he feels he is “missing nothing” from his years on the bench.
“No, not at all,” Klopp said, when asked whether he yearned to return. “I was super happy with the way Liverpool played, I watched some games, but then it’s like: ‘Oh, it’s Saturday!’ [When I left the club] I didn’t know when the games were kicking off, I was just out in the street. I did some sport, we enjoyed life, I spent time with the grandchildren, completely normal things, knowing I would go back to work but at the same time knowing I don’t want to work as a coach again.”
Klopp did not completely close the door, though he emphasized how firmly he feels about his decision right now. “Never again? That’s how I think. But I don’t know. I’m 58 years old. If I restarted [coaching] at 65, everybody would say: ‘You said you’d never do it again! Sorry, I thought 100% I wouldn’t.’ That’s what I think right now. I don’t miss anything.”
The remarks provide rare insight into the life of one of football’s most charismatic managers after stepping away from the dugout. Klopp compared coaching to being trapped in a cycle that left no room for normality. As a manager, he explained, he travelled to countries across Europe but saw little beyond hotel rooms, stadiums, and training pitches. Now, he relishes the chance to enjoy the world on his own terms. “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 didn’t miss that when I was coaching, but now I would. I have a choice. I can go on holiday and decide when. OK, Ulla [his wife] decides when [laughs]. But it’s not the Premier League or the Bundesliga deciding anymore. I did that all my life. It’s crazy, but I don’t miss it. I’m still in football, I’m still working in an environment I know. But I’m learning new things every day. I didn’t do that for a while the way I do now.”
Klopp even likened the life of a football manager to that of a Hollywood actor, constantly in the spotlight, perpetually performing, but rarely able to enjoy life’s quieter moments. The constant scrutiny, he suggested, leaves little time to reflect or to simply live. His words echo what many insiders have long said about elite coaching: that it is as much a test of endurance as of tactical acumen.
His comments also arrive against the backdrop of speculation that he might eventually be tempted back into the dugout. In Portugal, Klopp’s name was even invoked during the recent turbulence at Benfica. Cristóvão Carvalho, a candidate in the club’s upcoming presidential elections, claimed he was willing to “create conditions for Klopp to take over” after Bruno Lage’s departure and before José Mourinho’s appointment. While that pledge may have sounded ambitious, it reflected how highly Klopp is regarded across Europe. But if there was ever any hope in Lisbon that the German could be lured into the Estádio da Luz, his latest interview seems to close the door firmly, at least for now.
For Liverpool fans, Klopp’s words might evoke a mix of nostalgia and acceptance. He left the club at the end of the 2023–24 season as a legend, having delivered a Champions League crown, a long-awaited Premier League title, and countless moments of joy during his nine-year reign. His departure was carefully planned, and he was always clear that he needed rest after living the intensity of English football’s most demanding era. That he now insists he doesn’t miss the job at all underlines just how taxing those years were.
Still, Klopp remains in the game through his new position with Red Bull, which oversees a network of clubs including RB Leipzig, Red Bull Salzburg, and New York Red Bulls. This role keeps him close to player development and the global football landscape without the ceaseless strain of daily press conferences, training sessions, and high-stakes matches. It is, as he describes it, a balance between continuity and discovery a way of staying in football while also experiencing something new.
In broader terms, Klopp’s reflections touch on a growing debate about the sustainability of football management at the highest level. Coaches often burn out under the pressures of modern schedules, where fixture congestion, media obligations, and constant scrutiny leave little room for personal life. Klopp’s candid admission that he doesn’t miss it “at all” may resonate with other managers who quietly feel the same but press on regardless.
For now, Klopp seems content enjoying life, spending time with family, staying involved in the sport in a new capacity, and refusing to be drawn into speculation about a comeback. Whether in Germany, England, Portugal, or elsewhere, clubs will always dream of tempting him back to the touchline. But as things stand, Jürgen Klopp appears at peace with the idea that his coaching chapter is firmly closed.
