Roger Schmidt began work as Red Bull’s Head of Global Soccer on 1 October, succeeding Jürgen Klopp in the group-wide role.
- Schmidt coached Red Bull Salzburg from 2012 to 2014 and won the Austrian league and cup double in 2014.
- His coaching posts have also included Preußen Münster, SC Paderborn, Bayer Leverkusen, PSV Eindhoven and Benfica.
- He worked at PSV between 2020 and 2022, then led Benfica from 2022 to 2024.
- In October last year, Schmidt became a global football adviser to Japan’s J-League.
- Klopp had held the Red Bull post from 1 January 2025 before leaving to become Germany head coach.
- The German FA secured Klopp’s release through a €1 million donation to the Red Bull-linked Wings for Life foundation. Germany’s men are also scheduled to play three internationals in Leipzig by 2030.
What it changes in the Bundesliga week
Schmidt returns to the Red Bull network with direct knowledge of Leipzig’s wider football structure and experience across Germany, Austria, the Netherlands and Portugal.
He will oversee the group’s football operations involving Leipzig, Salzburg, Bragantino, New York and Omiya Ardija. Red Bull also holds minority stakes in Leeds United and Paris FC.
“It feels good to be back in the Red Bull family,” Schmidt said. He described the environment as distinctive in world football and said its ambition made the job attractive.
His first task is to get to know the staff around the clubs, understand their work and develop what he called already strong foundations.
