The World Cup-winning boss Marcello Lippi has called time on his coaching career after the Italian guided Guangzhou Evergrande to their fourth successive Chinese Super League title on Sunday.
The 66-year-old retires after a remarkable coaching career which culminated in the 2006 triumph.
“It is my last match as a head coach for the club,” Lippi told reporters after Guangzhou secured the title with a 1-1 draw at Shandong Luneng. “Guangzhou Evergrande will have a new coach next season.
“I will be 67 years old in the near future, and I do not want to be the head coach any more; but I will be in charge of technical staff as a member of the coaching team.”
After years coaching in the league leagues in Italy, Lippi’s career really took off when he joined Juventus in 1994. There, he won five Serie A crowns during two separate spells and secured a Champions League success with the club in 1996. He is also the only man to have coached three losing Champions League finalists.
After the 2006 World Cup triumph with Italy he resigned when his side failed to make it out of the group stages in South Africa and joined Guangzhou in May 2012.
Lippi retires as the only man to have won the UEFA Champions League and the AFC Champions League. While he, along with Spain’s Vicente del Bosque, are the only coaches to have won the UEFA Champions League and the World Cup.
At Guangzhou, he won the league and cup double in his first season before leading them to another league title as well as the 2013 Asian Champions League last year.
Lippi has indicated that he will take over as technical director at Guangzhou, with his former Italy captain Fabio Cannavaro among the favourites to replace him as coach.
