Rangnick remembers

Rangnick remembers: “It was no laughing matter”

Roger Schmidt (l.) was eliminated with the Bulls against Dudelange in 2012. Ralf Rangnick was "Head of Global Soccer" at the time.

(Bild: APA/EXPA/JOHANN GRODER, GEPA Pictures)

When asked about Jürgen Klopp's commitment as "Head of Global Soccer" at Red Bull, Ralf Rangnick recalled his time at the Bulls on Wednesday. Even though it began with a debacle. "It was no laughing matter back then," said the 66-year-old.

The appointment of Jürgen Klopp as Red Bull's "Head of Global Soccer" came as "no great surprise" to Ralf Rangnick. "The rumor has been circulating for weeks, including around Leipzig," reported the ÖFB team boss on Wednesday at the press conference ahead of the international match against Kazakhstan in Linz on Thursday. One possible task for Klopp could be to ensure that there are more home-grown players in the Bulls squad.

Jürgen Klopp will have more to do with Pepijn Lijnders in the future.

(Bild: Reuters)

"Time-consuming task"
"I myself held (...) the same position - at least it was called the same thing. That's why I know that it's a very exciting, complex, demanding and time-consuming task," Rangnick recalled of 2019 and 2020. Back then, he was also "involved" in squad planning for Leipzig and the Red Bull branches in New York and Brazil and ensured "that there was an exchange between the clubs", Rangnick said. He did not know how Klopp interpreted the role.

Rangnick worked for the Red Bull Group for more than eight years. From 2012 to 2015, the Swabian acted as sporting director for Salzburg and Leipzig, after three years he shifted the focus of his work entirely to Saxony. In Leipzig, he was coach and also Head of Sport before touring the world as Red Bull's Global Football Director in 2019 and 2020 - also responsible for the clubs in New York and Braganca Paulista in Brazil.

"Can have a relatively big impact"
"It will certainly be exciting to see to what extent Jürgen Klopp can get involved," explained Rangnick. Former Red Bull player Konrad Laimer, who now plays for Bayern Munich after spells at Salzburg and Leipzig, is apparently also eagerly awaiting Klopp's return to soccer. "He can achieve quite a lot," said the ÖFB team player. "I've never had him as a coach, but he's been very exceptional at every station he's been at."

Konrad Laimer

(Bild: GEPA/GEPA pictures)

Rangnick's start in Salzburg in the summer of 2012 was also exceptional, with the Champions League qualifying defeat to Luxembourg's "dwarf" Düdelingen likely to have left its mark even on him. "Mr. Rangnick, we would have managed to get eliminated against Düdelingen even with all Austrians in the management team, we wouldn't have needed you two Germans," the then Red Bull boss Dietrich Mateschitz said to him afterwards. "It was no laughing matter at the time," emphasized Rangnick, who had installed his German compatriot Roger Schmidt as coach.

Ralf Rangnick and Didi Mateschitz

(Bild: Mathias Mandl)

The ÖFB team boss drew a parallel with Salzburg's current woes, having been embarrassed by Sparta Prague (0:3), Stade Brest (0:4) and Sturm Graz (0:5) in the past three weeks. "I believe that if he were still alive and had seen the games against Sparta Prague, Brest and Sturm, he (Mateschitz, note) would have said to those now in charge: we would have managed 0-12 goals from the three games even with three or four young Austrians in the starting eleven," said Rangnick.

"No criticism of Liefering"
In this respect, he also wanted his statements to Salzburg's farm team FC Liefering from the previous week to be understood differently. "No player is in the first team squad. Is it worth all the effort you put in then?" Rangnick had asked. Nine days later, he emphasized that it was "not a criticism of Liefering". It was rather a different question: "Namely, whether it wouldn't be possible to play more successful soccer again with a few Austrians in the starting eleven. That's a task that Jürgen or Mario Gomez (technical director at Red Bull Soccer, note) or whoever will take on."