After securing a second place finish in the Chinese Super League this season, Andre Villas-Boas has reportedly quit as head coach of Shanghai SIPG.
However, the former Chelsea and Tottenham boss will not be looking to take the reigns at another football club, at least not for the foreseeable future.
That is because Villas-Boas intends to take part in the 2018 Dakar Rally, a gruelling 15-day race from Peru, through Bolivia and ultimately finishing in Argentina.
⚽️🚙 Andre Villas-Boas ⚽️🚙
¡La pelota está en su campo!
🔗> https://t.co/8ZwZ0BqalP⚽️🚙 Andre Villas-Boas ⚽️🚙
Game on for André Villas-Boas!
🔗> https://t.co/JHuPRUsEKi#Dakar2018 pic.twitter.com/sjLWVWue8i— DAKAR RALLY (@dakar) November 29, 2017
Speaking to the official Dakar Rally website, Villas Boas said:
I spoke with my friend Alex Doringer, the manager of the KTM team, who told me that I would still need a full year’s preparation to get there and that it was better to consider doing it with a car.
So I got in touch with Team Overdrive and here I am!
Villas Boas is apparently a huge motorsport fanatic, with his uncle having taken part in the Dakar event back in 1982.
According to the Guardian, the 40-year-old originally wanted to do the rally on a motorbike but has since decided to drive a Toyoto Hilux pick-up with Dakar veteran Ruben Faria as his co-driver.
How about that?