Chiellini keen to continue football career in the boardroom, not the dugout

Giorgio Chiellini is keen to stay in football when he calls time on his glittering career, though he imagines himself becoming a director rather than a coach.

Chiellini won nine Serie A titles during a distinguished spell with Juventus and captained Italy to Euro 2020 glory before moving to the United States last year, helping Los Angeles FC win the MLS Cup.

LAFC failed to go back-to-back as they were beaten 2-1 by the Columbus Crew in Saturday’s MLS Cup final, and Chiellini has yet to make a decision on whether he will play on in 2024, with his contract due to expire this month.

As for his long-term future, the 39-year-old has his eyes set on a place in the boardroom, rather than the dugout.

Speaking exclusively to Stats Perform, Chiellini said: “I did a degree in economics and the NBA, and I had always that type of management in my mind.

“Not as a coach, not in scouting, but yeah, to try to remain linked in the world of football on that side.

“It’s not easy. It’s not a journey that you start and then you can decide, you have to study and learn many things because at the end, you come into this world at 40 and not at 25.

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“Then you have some other skills that probably other football players don’t have, but you miss other parts.

“What I hope for my future is to have the time to learn and the patience to stay close to some key figures and key people that are open to teaching me what I’m missing, and to develop this type of situation. I cannot just focus on watching games.”

Expanding further on what his ideal role would entail, the defender added: “More of a director, not just scouting, but something more management based.

“Related to football, but not as one of the people who watch the players in order to pick them.

“Something where I maybe help the club to figure out about what we could spend for players, how we could afford them, how we could improve the situation, all this stuff.”