Palermo keen on coaching career

Former Boca Juniors and Argentina striker Martin Palermo says he is keen to start a coaching career after retiring from playing last year.

The 38-year-old is a legend in Argentina as Boca’s top goal-scorer of all time and he bid an emotional goodbye to the game following a match against Gimnasia de La Plata in June 2011.

The South American said he wants to stay in the sport and will become a coach with assistance from two of his former Boca team-mates.

“My idea is to take a little while, the last long vacation to enjoy a little more time with my family. And when I return, I have a view to start coaching,” Palermo told Marca.

“The coaching staff is already selected. My assistant will be Guillermo Barros Schelotto, but I have to wait six months until the retirement of Flaco (Rolando Schiavi) to add him to my work group. From there, I will start coaching.”

Palermo spent three years playing in Spain with Real Betis, Alaves and, most notably, Villarreal, and would not rule out coaching a side there.

“Hopefully I did the right things in those three years for one team to have me as a coach and work there. It would be great to work in a league as important as the Spanish,” he said.

Palermo’s testimonial is due to take place at Boca’s home ground La Bombonera on Saturday and he said there will be a number of high-profile players competing.

“Diego Maradona will be there. I asked him to come and he will come to share with me. It generates excitement,” the striker said.

“(Carlos) Tevez will be there also. Others who will play are Oscar Cordoba, (Jorge) Bermudez, Chicho Serna, (Rodolfo) Arruabarrena, Guillermo Barros Schelotto, and many more.”

“I wanted (Zinedine) Zidane, (Luis) Figo, Ronaldo to come. I would invite (Thierry) Henry but he went to Arsenal. But there are about 50 players or more I can ask.”

“I called Lionel Messi and I know he would have liked to have played, but he will not be able to come.”