In an unprecedented move, 28-year-old Jaime Estrada has ditched suits for boots by becoming the Ecuadorian club’s new centre-forward
In modern football, one often gets the impression that club owners and presidents crave being in the head coach’s shoes, and are actually more in charge behind the scenes than the so-called-boss on the sidelines on matchdays.
Roman Abramovich wields P45s like they’re paper airplanes at Chelsea, AC Milan kingpin Silvio Berlusconi makes Massimiliano Allegri look like his hand puppet, while Barcelona and Real Madrid chairmen bicker like little girls all season long despite the risk of it causing squad disharmony.
But have you ever heard of a club chief stripping out of their suit, strapping on their football boots and playing alongside the footballers he once looked down on from his president’s pedestal? You have now!
In an unprecedented move, Jaime Estrada resigned as Manta president in order to play for the Ecuadorian club.
The 28-year-old coached youth players for the South American side a decade ago before taking time out to get a degree in business management.
It seems as though wearing suits did not suit Estrada, who has been working hard ahead of the latest league campaign commencing in the country.
The latest Manta ‘signing’ told reporters upon the surprise revelation: “Like most Ecuadorians I dream of being a footballer.
“I’ve put in serious work since starting pre-season… I want to be a leader.”
Estrada resigned because he was not permitted, under the Ecuadorian Football Association (EFE)’s rules, to be a player and a president.
The footballing wannabee clearly has eyes set on being the star of the show as it turns out he is a centre-forward, and the club’s official website insists that the player/president has the full support of his coaching staff.