Pirlo the coach takes centre stage in new Champions Journal

The new issue of Champions Journal is out now and packed full of great interviews, writing, photography and design.

Champions Journal is the official magazine of the UEFA Champions League and kicks off issue five with an interview with Andrea Pirlo, the two-time Champions League winner who was the boss on the pitch and is now trying to lead Juventus to European glory from the dugout.

We have three covers and no fewer than four cover stars this issue, including a couple of Manchester City’s Brazilians, Gabriel Jesus and Ederson. The pair have very different feelings when it comes to the prospect of goals being scored, but agree on plenty of things regarding football, family and, interestingly, funk music.

Manchester City's Ederson and Gabriel Jesus

Kylian Mbappé, meanwhile, graces our limited-edition FIFA 21 cover. There’s also a special report on the player and the computer game in all versions of the magazine, examining the unique synergy between the two.

What else features in issue five of Champions Journal?

Champions Journal goes beyond the 90 minutes to explore the rich fabric of the European game. We hear from fans in Seville, Rennes, Budapest and Kyiv about getting to games at this difficult time, we catch up with Lyon icon Wendie Renard about life at the top of the women’s game, and speak with Ronald Koeman who, like Pirlo, has taken up the reins at a former club – Barcelona in his case.

And there’s loads more. Jürgen Klinsmann delivers his first Champions Journal column, Quincy Promes reveals he is as comfortable in the recording studio as he is out on the pitch and Rasmus Ankersen, chairman of newcomers Midtjytlland, explains how the shrewd use of data Moneyball-style is allowing the Danish champions to punch above their weight.

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