Giorgio Chiellini may have played his last match with Los Angeles FC and could return to Juventus in a backroom role in the coming months, reports detail.
The 39-year-old Italian centre back failed to defend the MLS Cup with LAFC on Saturday as his side suffered a 2-1 loss to Columbus Crew. In his post-match press conference, he hinted at his retirement, admitting that ‘it could be’ his last match as a player.
Chiellini ended a 17-year association with Juventus when he left to join LAFC last year. A fan favourite and club legend, the defender made 561 appearances across all competitions in Turin, helping the club win nine Scudetti.
As reported by Corriere di Torino via TMW, Chiellini is now taking the time to decide if he’s really ready to hang up his boots and retire or not, a decision that he isn’t willing to rush.
Should he ultimately decide to call it quits, it’s expected that he’d return to Juventus in a backroom role at the end of the season, possibly taking over the vice-president role left vacant after Pavel Nedved’s departure last year.
Chiellini’s contract with LAFC expires at the end of this month. He featured often for the team this season, seeing 2274 minutes of action across 32 total games.