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An example of proper, steady, long-term-focused investment or a symbol of a modern capitalism's ruination of football. Takes on Red Bull Salzburg differ on probably a larger scale than any other club in Europe, including its sister team from Leipzig. The seven-time consecutive Austrian champions are polarizing, to say the least, but in order to get the full picture, we crafted this guide: Red Bull Salzburg - all you need to know.
Founded in 1933 or 2005, depending on how you look at things, Salzburg doesn't owe all of its trophies to the Austrian energy drink company. As Red Bull's owner Dietrich Mateschitz bought the club in the mentioned year of the 21st century, changing the colour, the crest, and the name of the former SV Austria Salzburg.
Some fans didn't want to have anything to do with the new corporate leviathan and founded a "new" club bearing the name of the old one. Still on the rise to the Austrian Bundesliga as of now. Before Mateschitz invested in the club, the former Salzburg had three league titles. Just 15 years later that number is 14. Alongside winning seven cups, which never happened without the Red Bull's monetary energy.
Although the SV Austria Salzburg loyalists can boast that the club performed better in European championships as in 1994 they reached the final of the then UEFA Cup, losing to Inter over two games. Actually, one of the main storylines of the new Salzburg has been the inability to reach group stages of the Champions League - doing so this year for the first time!
Clearly, Salzburg is just one point of the Red Bull football empire in the making, albeit an important. Even at times seemingly unskippable for players of the more ambitious German RB Leipzig.
But it is not the first step. In 2012, Red Bull also bought a small Austrian club USK Anif and turned it into FC Liefering, by the district in which it is located. Funnily enough, Liefering means delivery, and that’s exactly what this feeder club is doing with potential Salzburg players. Competing in the second Austrian league, the club isn’t eligible for a promotion but in a way, it’s the first path young Red Bull players must go down. The players can move freely between the two.
But Red Bull has even more football clubs.
New York Red Bulls, competing in the American MLS league.
RB Leipzig, competing in Germany's Bundesliga.
Red Bull Brasil located in Sao Paolo, competing at lower ranks as of now.
Red Bull Salzburg transfers
Two European Red Bull teams have become a staple in the transfer windows, usually more impressive on the sale side of the business. The network allows the organisation to scour the world for young talents and give them the correct challenge on a level they are suited for.
Grabbing players from the often skipped smaller central European markets like Slovenia, Hungary, Slovakia, and similar. Also, scouting youth tournaments in Africa where the company even owned a club - Red Bull Ghana. It no longer exists but the organisation has a network of scouts on the continent still.
So far, the club's record departure has been Naby Keita when he moved to RB Leipzig for around €30,000,000. Obviously, the fee is only important for the books. The two following highest transfers were to teams outside the network. Sadio Mane was sold to Southampton aged 22 for €23,000,000. Just three million fewer than Erling Haaland's transfer to Borussia Dortmund.
Last season's incoming transfers of Noah Okafor for €11,200,000 and Maximilian Wober for €10,500,000 are the two biggest arrivals. Their departures are bound to bring immense profits.
Red Bull Salzburg Most Important Players
The current captain Andreas Ulmer is the club-record-holder when it comes to appearances with 449 caps to his name. The retired right-back Thomas Winhklofer is second-placed with 443 games in the Salzburg shirt, although he barely experienced the Red Bull era.
The personification of the club’s new age is also the top scorer - Jonathan Soriano, who defended the controversial colours between 2012 and 2017. Scoring 174 goals in 203 matches.
Red Bull Salzburg Kit
The team's main shirt sponsor is logically - Red Bull. The company's famed symbol with two red bulls locking horns on a yellow circle takes a massive part of the shirt. Red Bull Salzburg home kit is in the white and red colour, with the patterns changing over the years. The club's equipment sponsor is Nike.
Red Bull Salzburg's away kit also represents the company as the colours are the ones remaining on the energy drink can - navy blue and yellow.
Red Bull Salzburg Museum
Being a global, synergistic, omnipresent brand corporate CEOs salivate at the thought of, Red Bull has five football clubs across the globe, one ice-hockey squad, a Formula One team, extreme sports competitions and countless extreme sports athletes under its sponsorships.
A lot of different spheres and a lot of products linked together by the world-famous logo. All of it coming together in Red Bull's museum called Red Bull World, located in Salzburg on the Getreidegasse 34 address. Artefacts from all the sports graced with the RB logo can be found in a tightly compacted branded space. Including a Formula One car.
Red Bull Salzburg Salaries
While the official salaries of Red Bull Salzburg players aren't known clearly as they are in Italy, good sources have solid info on the pay range at the club. The club's highest-paid players as of 2020 are veterans Alexander Walke and Zlatko Junuzovic, both getting €2,000,000 per year before taxes.
One youngster and one experienced player are represented in the next bracket of earning €1,500,000 yearly. They are Maximilian Wober and the captain Andreas Ulmer.
Overall, not a lot, but as the side is constricted by young players just entering their twenties, it's to be expected.
Red Bull Salzburg Coach
While football purists are most likely right to be angry at the way Mateschitz erased the previous club, even the biggest loyalists have to give Red Bull Salzburg credit where it's due - coachwork.
The club launched several promising managerial careers along the likes of Marco Rose - current Borussia Monchengladbach manager, Adi Hutter, the Eintracht Frankfurt man now, and Roger Schmidt who led Bayer Leverkusen for three years after Salzburg. All of them playing entertaining football.
But the current Red Bull Salzburg coach might be the most exciting, not only because he brought Champions League to Austria, but because Jesse Marsch showed the passion that is present with only the best managers. To make Red Bull even more proud of the American, he is the epitome of the global plans the company has laid out - honing his craft at New York Red Bulls before assisting at RB Leipzig and then moving to lead Salzburg.
Red Bull Salzburg Stadium Capacity
Red Bull Salzburg plays its home games at the Red Bull Arena, located in the Wals-Siezenheim suburbs of Salzburg. It was built in 2003 with a capacity of 18,200 but it was expanded to accommodate 30,000 spectators in the preparation for the 2008 European Championship.
In the UEFA competitions, due to regulations against using sponsorship names, the stadion is called simply Stadion Salzburg.
RB Leipzig - Red Bull Salzburg
RB Salzburg is to RB Leipzig what FC Liefering is to them. A bigger club in the organisation for whom the best players are intended eventually and for which the talents are honed.
Hannes Wolf, Konrad Laimer, Hee-chan Hwang, Amadou Haidara, Peter Gulacsi, Dayot Upamecano, and Naby Keita all played for Salzburg first before joining Leipzig. Salzburg can be viewed as an official stepping club for players to acclimate in the Austrian Bundesliga before joining the German Bundesliga club.
What League Does Red Bull Salzburg Play in
Red Bull Salzburg plays in the Austrian Bundesliga, a competition that currently stands at the 16th spot of the UEFA coefficient ranking. The league began in the 1974/1975 season and currently, there are 12 teams competing in it.
Rapid Wien and Austrian Wien are the top performers in the league with 32 and 24 wins respectfully. Red Bull Salzburg is third with 14.
According to UEFA club coefficient rankings, Salzburg is ranked high at 29th, above RB Leipzig, Schalke, and Inter.
Does Red Bull own Salzburg?
Red Bull owns 100% of Red Bull Salzburg and has impunity in terms of selecting board members and such.
How rich is Red Bull Salzburg?
It's hard to say just how high is the value of the club because of its association within a far larger group. It's reported that in 2019 Red Bull sold a can for every person on the planet, around 7.5 billion! All enough for revenue of 6.07 billion euros in 2019. The money isn't lacking for Red Bull Salzburg although Leipzig is always going to be the favourite child.
When did Red Bull buy Salzburg?
Red Bull bought Salzburg in 2005. The same year the club acquired New York Metro stars and turned it in the club competing in the MLS today - Red Bull New York.
There you go, all the needed information on Red Bull Salzburg.
