Giorgio Chiellini will be remaining with the LAFC organization, as the club announced Tuesday that the legendary former defender has been hired as a player development coach.
The 39-year-old assumes the new role following his December retirement after initially joining LAFC in June 2022. He will work with manager Steve Cherundolo and the coaching staff to assist in first-team player development.
“We were thankful to have Giorgio play the final 18 months of his playing career with LAFC,” co-president and general manager John Thorrington said in a release. “During that time he proved what an asset he is for LAFC in a number of ways, and we are excited to add a truly brilliant football mind, incredible leader and an even better person to our staff for the upcoming season.”
Chiellini is widely considered one of the best defenders of his generation, a reputation largely fostered during a nearly two-decade, trophy-filled run at Italian Serie A powerhouse Juventus, and as a key cog for the Italian national team – captaining La Azzurra to the UEFA Euro 2020 title.
He continued to perform at an elite level in MLS, earning praise for his leadership qualities while anchoring LAFC's back line as the club won the 2022 MLS Cup-Supporters' Shield double and made an additional MLS Cup appearance in 2023.
In total, Chiellini made 45 appearances (38 starts) for the Black & Gold, during which time the club managed 18 shutouts across all competitions, including three clean sheets in the Audi 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs.
His move to coaching commences as LAFC navigate a potentially transformative offseason following last year's MLS Cup appearance, where they fell to 2023 champions Columbus Crew. They'll open their 2024 campaign on Feb. 24 when hosting Western Conference rival Seattle Sounders FC at BMO Stadium (4:30 pm ET | MLS Season Pass, FOX).
