Jürgen Klopp’s move to Red Bull has caused consternation among many, including Kevin Großkreutz.

The news divided the German soccer world: Jürgen Klopp is to become the new Global Head of Soccer at Red Bull. For realists, it’s a logical move, both in sporting and financial terms. For soccer romantics, it’s a stab in the heart.

Kevin Großkreutz belongs to the latter category. “It was a shock, it’s sad. Somehow, it still hasn’t sunk in,” said the former Borussia Dortmund pro in his podcast Viertelstunde Fußball.

“I woke up, had 30 messages on my phone and thought, ‘What happened?’” added the 36-year-old. He continued, ”I also thought I was dreaming, then I hoped it was fake news. It was a shock, and sad in a way. Two hours later, it was official.”

Under Klopp, Großkreutz made his Bundesliga debut for BVB in 2009, won the German championship in 2011 and 2012, became a national player and even won the World Cup with Germany in 2014. No other coach fielded the defensive all-rounder more often (236 competitive games, 27 goals and 37 assists). Second on the list? Christian Wück, his coach at Rot Weiss Ahlen, with only 59 games.

But he’ll always be a friend of mine, that’s just a fact. He’s always welcome at home.

Kevin Großkreutz on Jürgen Klopp

As a player, Großkreutz owes Klopp an incredible amount. But: “As a fan, I don’t want to see him in front of the south stand anymore. When we meet, I’ll tell him personally that I think it’s shitty that he’s doing this,” he explained. And yet the 57-year-old still has a place in his heart: ”But he’ll always be a friend of mine, that’s just a fact. He’s always welcome at my house.”

Klopp has had three highly emotional spells as a coach at 1. FSV Mainz 05 (2001 to 2008), Borussia Dortmund (2008 to 2015) and Liverpool FC (2015 to 2024). At the start of the new year, he will become soccer boss at the Austrian Red Bull Group. This includes RB Leipzig, Salzburg, the New York Red Bulls, Bragantino (Brazil), and Omiya Ardija (Japan).