Leonardo Bonucci has a clear destination in mind for his coaching career: Juventus or Italy. The former defender is already working on the national team staff under Roberto Mancini, but says becoming a head coach remains his ambition.
Bonucci, who has made 502 appearances for Juventus across two spells, expects to complete his final coaching qualification next year. He said he had mapped out the transition from playing to coaching when he was 30, including how long it would take to earn his badges.
“I am 39 now, and I had promised myself I would become a head coach at 40,” Bonucci said at an event. “Next year, I will complete the final qualification I need to coach at every level.”
His current role with Italy has made the timeline less certain. Bonucci described the experience as enjoyable, exciting and stressful, and said he may delay taking charge of a team for a few years. He also stressed that securing a head coaching job is far from guaranteed.
“Juventus [is the goal] above all,” he said. “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.”
A Juventus career that shapes the ambition
Bonucci’s connection to Juventus is substantial: he won eight Serie A titles and four Coppa Italia trophies with the club. He also played in two Champions League finals, both of which Juventus lost. His career included a brief, one-season spell with rivals AC Milan between his two periods in Turin.
That history makes Juventus his preferred club job, but his comments leave room for a different route. His work with Italy gives him a current foothold in coaching, while the national team is also one of the two roles he has named as a dream destination.
Juventus face a tight test at Lecce
Bonucci’s ambitions arrive as Juventus prepare to face Lecce, with the Turin side under pressure after a poor start under Luciano Spalletti. Juventus have collected 11 points from seven league matches, and sit only two points ahead of Lecce before the game.
The stakes are unusually close for this stage of the campaign. It is the first time in Serie A history that the clubs have met from the eighth matchday onward with fewer than three points between them. Before this season, their closest position after seven games came in 1989-90, when Juventus held a four-point advantage on matchday 17.
Juventus have won 12 Serie A away matches at Lecce, level with Roma; only Inter, with 13, have more. Lecce have recorded three home wins and five draws against Juventus. Since the 2004-05 season, they have won just once in 20 league meetings, a 2-0 victory on February 20, 2011, with goals from Djamel Mesbah and Andrea Bertolacci.
A defeat or draw would also leave Juventus with fewer than 14 points after eight matches for a second consecutive season. It would be the first time that has happened to the club in the three-points-for-a-win era.
Players to watch
Lecce arrive with momentum after a 3-0 win over Udinese. Defender Tiago Gabriel has scored four Serie A goals since the start of last season, the highest total among defenders born in 2004 or later. Over that period, he also leads that group in appearances (43), interceptions (54), clearances (274) and aerial duels won (138).
Juventus’ Randal Kolo Muani has shown a notable away scoring record: six of his nine Serie A goals for the club have come on the road. Among Juventus players with at least as many goals in the competition, only Sergio Brio has a higher share of away goals, at 75%. Federico Chiesa, Michele Padovano and Riccardo Carapellese are also at 67%.
Bonucci’s next step remains open, but his stated goal is not. He wants to reach the touchline as a head coach, with Juventus and Italy at the top of his list. His final qualification is due next year; the timing of the job itself will depend on how his current coaching journey unfolds.