Former Porto, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur manager Andre Villas-Boas has left his managerial role at Chinese side Shanghai SIPG.
Having joined the Super League club in 2016, Villas-Boas' resignation comes amid a trophy-less spell in Shanghai.
Using his down-time effectively, Villas-Boas will now pick up on an alternative interest that the Portuguese has alluded to before - motor-racing.
During his time with Chelsea, Villas-Boas admitted to owning five bikes and shared 12 vintage cars.
In a Toyota Hilux pick-up, Villas-Boas, along with Portuguese racing driver Ruben Faria in the passenger seat, will contest the 2018 Dakar Rally.
A race that his uncle took part in 35 years ago, the 15-day rally starts in Peru on January 6th, travels through Bolivia before eventually finishing in Argentina on January 20th.
Incredibly, it had been Villas-Boas' intention to carry out the endurance race on a motorbike. Yet, he was content to upgrade to the Hilux after receiving some advice on the matter.
Outlining his decision and approach to the race, Villas-Boas revealed the following:
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.
A league winner in both Portugal and Russia, Villas-Boas is amazingly still only 40 years old.
With plenty of time to make a return to football after this grueling excursion, it certainly marks one of the stranger career moves for one of football's best known coaches.
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