Bonucci vows to become Juventus head coach, says dream is Bianconeri or Italy

Bonucci sets coaching target at 40

Former Juventus centre-back Leonardo Bonucci has said his dream role is to become head coach of either Italy or the Bianconeri, outlining a decade-long plan to move into management.

Bonucci made 502 appearances for Juventus across two spells, split by a one-season stint with AC Milan. The centre-back won eight Serie A titles with Juve and four Coppa Italia titles, and helped the club reach the Champions League final twice.

The 39-year-old is currently part of Roberto Mancini’s staff at the Italy national team, but made clear he intends to become a head coach himself.

“It is a project that began almost ten years ago. At 30, I had an idea of when my playing career would end and how much time I would need to earn my coaching badges,” Bonucci said at an event.

“I am 39 now, and I had promised myself I would become a head coach at 40. Next year, I will complete the final qualification I need to coach at every level.”

He added: “But now I am on this journey with the national team, which is enjoyable, exciting and stressful. Perhaps I will put it off for a few years, but the goal is to try to become a head coach, because making it is far from guaranteed.”

On his club preference, Bonucci said: “Juventus [is the goal] above all. But I think there is a professional side to you that pushes you to accept challenges even when they go against your personal preferences. The desire to become a coach pushes you even further. But the dream is Juventus or the national team.”

Juventus head to Lecce with pressure on Spalletti

The comments come as Juventus travel to Lecce on Sunday with the Bianconeri hoping to reduce pressure on Luciano Spalletti with a win in Serie A.

Following Juve’s poor start under Spalletti, who is very much under pressure, they are just two points ahead of their upcoming opponents Lecce. Lecce head into the contest with confidence after thrashing Udinese 3-0 last time out.

Players to watch

Lecce – Tiago Gabriel
Tiago Gabriel has scored four goals in Serie A since the start of last season, the most by any defender born in 2004 or later. Among these players, he also leads in appearances (43), interceptions (54), clearances (274), and aerial duels won (138) in the competition over the same period.

Juventus – Randal Kolo Muani
Six of Randal Kolo Muani’s nine Serie A goals for Juventus have been scored away from home (67%). Among players who have netted at least as many goals for the club in the competition, only Sergio Brio (75%) has a higher percentage of away goals (Federico Chiesa, Michele Padovano and Riccardo Carapellese also have 67%).

Match context

This is the first time in Serie A history Lecce and Juve have faced each other from Matchday 8 onwards with fewer than three points separating them. Prior to this season, the smallest gap between the two sides after seven games was on Matchday 17 of the 1989-90 campaign (four points in favour of Juve).

Only Inter (13) have won more Serie A away games against Lecce than Juve (12, level with Roma), while there have been five draws and three wins for Lecce. Lecce have won just one of their 20 Serie A matches against Juve since the 2004-05 season (D5 L14): a 2-0 victory on 20th February 2011, with goals from Djamel Mesbah and Andrea Bertolacci.

Juventus have picked up 11 points so far in this Serie A season (W3 D2 L2); should they fail to win against Lecce, they would have fewer than 14 points after their first eight games in two consecutive seasons for the first time in the three-points-for-a-win era.

Opta win probability: Lecce 16.4%, Draw 22.7%, Juventus 60.9%.