“That’s sh*t that he would do something like that!” – Did former Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund boss Jurgen Klopp sell his soul by joining Red Bull?

On October 9, Kevin Grosskeutz woke up to see over 30 messages on his phone, each containing the same information: Jurgen Klopp would join Red Bull. Grosskreutz couldn’t believe what he was reading; he didn’t want to. He played under Klopp at Borussia Dortmund, which sees itself as the antithesis of Red Bull-backed rivals Leipzig, “the most hated club in Germany”.

“I thought I was dreaming,” Grosskruetz admitted on his own Viertelstunde Fußball podcast. “At the time I was hoping it was fake news. Two hours later it was official information. It was quite shocking and sad. Somehow it hasn’t dawned on me yet.”

Grosskreutz is not the only person who still cannot come to terms with Klopp’s decision to take over as Red Bull’s global head of football from January 1. Indeed, like the former Germany international, many in the game find it “very, very strange” that Wednesday’s Champions League clash between Liverpool and RB Leipzig is essentially a meeting of Klopp’s past and future.

But why was the winner of the European Cup, who agreed to effectively become the sports face of the Red Bull brand, such a surprise to so many people? And are they right to accuse him of selling his soul? GOAL presents one of the most hotly debated moves in recent football history…