Football Italia
·16 July 2024
Football Italia
·16 July 2024
Giorgio Chiellini has announced he is leaving his role as LAFC player development coach, fuelling reports of a Juventus or Italy return. ‘I loved every single moment of the last two years.’
The former Juve defender retired from international duty and moved to Major League Soccer for LAFC in 2022, hanging up his boots in January 2024.
At that point, he was named new player development coach, but that experience has already come to an end too.
“It’s not easy to find the right words to express my feelings today. A mix of emotions fills my heart, but I really want to thank the entire LAFC family. You welcomed and helped me and my family from the very first day, making our move easier,” he wrote on Instagram.
“I was deeply involved in the club and loved every single moment of the last two years. We discovered and embraced new cultures, built some lifelong friendships, and I now know that I have a second home in California.
“Thank you, LAFC. Thank you, LA. This is not a goodbye but just a see you later.”
Chiellini turns 40 next month and inevitably this departure is already fuelling rumours of a return to Italy in a new position.
He spent 17 years at Juventus, so a role within the club hierarchy was always going to be on the cards.
On the other hand, his former teammate Gianluigi Buffon is working with Luciano Spalletti in the Italy squad and they too could do with some valuable advice and experience.
The EURO 2024 winner is more than qualified, as he graduated cum laude with a Masters Degree in Business Administration from the University of Turin’s School of Management and Economics when he was still playing for Juve.
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