RB boss Mintzlaff on Nagelsmann: "The best coach"

Red Bull CEO Oliver Mintzlaff has described the premature departure of coach Julian Nagelsmann from Bundesliga club RB Leipzig to FC Bayern Munich as one of his biggest mistakes. "For me, Julian Nagelsmann was the best coach I have personally experienced. An outstanding coach," said the 49-year-old at the SpoBis sports business conference in Hamburg. He is responsible for global sports activities at the beverage group.

The current national coach Nagelsmann moved to FC Bayern for a transfer fee for the 2021/2022 season after two years with the Saxons. He had previously developed Leipzig into a top team. He had to leave Munich in March 2023. He has been coach of the German national team since September 2023.

"We have fantastic coaches in (Ralph) Hasenhüttl, (Ralf) Rangnick, Marco Rose, with whom we won titles and made it to the Champions League," Mintzlaff listed former and current RB coaches. "But Julian Nagelsmann had something special for me. I believe that we would have liked to have gone a longer way with Julian Nagelsmann."

Even a high transfer fee could not console Mintzlaff over the loss: "I knew that it would be difficult for us." It was certainly one of the biggest wrong decisions and one of the biggest disappointments "in the aftermath that I perhaps didn't go another three or four rounds".