Former Uruguay captain Lugano accepts off-field role with Sao Paulo

SAO PAULO -- Former Uruguay captain and Sao Paulo idol Diego Lugano has accepted a position as an administrator with the Brazilian club.

The announcement confirms the 37-year-old's retirement, less than two months after he played his final match for Sao Paulo.

"I'm very proud and happy for the opportunity that Sao Paulo have given me," Lugano told a press conference on Tuesday.

"My history with the club began 16 years ago and we now have a special connection that goes beyond football."

Lugano's official job title will be director of institutional relations in a position that will see him working closely with former Brazil national team players Rai and Ricardo Rocha.

Rai and Rocha returned to their former club last month, the former as executive director and the latter as football coordinator.

"We will share the values and principles of how football and this club should be, what we should offer the fans and society. It's something much deeper than a mere sporting result.

"That was my thinking as a player and now in this function I am going to try to implement the idea of creating a link between the fans, the players, the officials, the staff. We want Sao Paulo to develop great citizens who transmit positivity. That's the challenge. "

Lugano, who began a second spell with Sao Paulo in 2016, played a vital role in the team's victory over Liverpool in the 2005 FIFA Club World Cup final.

The former Paris Saint-Germain center-back was capped 95 times for Uruguay and captained the Celeste at the 2010 and 2014 World Cups.