Legendary Brazil defender Thiago Silva took his latest steps in his coaching journey this week as he joined candidates on the Scottish FA's UEFA A-Licence course at Oriam in Edinburgh.
The FC Porto centre-back, who has 113 caps for his country, had the programme recommended by President Andre Villas-Boas - who also gained his coaching badges in Scotland.
Following online theory sessions, the candidates have spent the past 10 days in Edinburgh for a number of practical days on the grass.
As well as Silva, there are several current, or recently retired professionals, including Motherwell's Stephen O'Donnell, Hibernian's Joe Newell, Partick Thistle's Gary Mackay-Steven, as well as former Scotland defender Rachel Corsie and former Celtic midfielder Scott Allan.
All of those candidates have recently completed their UEFA B-Licence with the Scottish FA, while Thiago Silva completed his through the English system while playing for Chelsea.
The defender has enjoyed a storied career as a player, winning the Copa America in 2019 and the UEFA Champions League with Chelsea in 2021, while he has also won a league title in Italy with AC Milan and won seven Ligue 1 titles with PSG.
After celebrating Porto's league title, Silva was included in Brazil's 55-man World Cup squad but his hopes of an international recall were dashed as he missed out on the final squad.
The 41-year-old is set to leave Porto and he admits he is weighing up his next move, as he builds on his coaching experience in Scotland.
"I don't know what comes next, he said. "I think in this moment, I need to finish the course first, then recover with my family, enjoy a little bit of life, but at the same time, I will think about the next steps, but I need more time to think.
"Coaching is so different from playing. To teach, you have to explain the session. It's easy to have it in my head, but explaining the information to the players, it's not easy. But I think it's just part of the process.
"It's been good though. I did the B-Licence at Chelsea with Marc Cucurella and Marcus Bettinelli but this is the first time in a big group like this so it's different.
"Because I'm at Porto, Andre Villas-Boas is the President of Porto. He told me to come here because, for him, it's the best school for the teaching so I'm very happy to be here.
"It's an amazing group and people have different qualities. All the people understand football and this is important for me. It's been an amazing week."
Silva has worked with some of the best managers in the game and he hopes there are elements he can take from each of them as he looks to make his own mark in coaching.
He added: "For me, having 20 experience years of playing football, I've had many coaches, but I like Thomas Tuchel, Unai Emery, (Francesco) Farioli who I have now (at Porto), as well as Tite in the national team.
"So lots of different profiles and I try to take a little bit here and there.
"I won lots of trophies as a player and I was to take this mindset into coaching, but I need to start first and work hard to be a champion as a coach as well."
He said: "For me, the captain of Aston Villa, (John) McGinn is an amazing player, He plays inside the midfield, he plays on the wing sometimes. He has many qualities.
"I think the Brazil staff and Carlo Ancelotti, they will need to pay attention to this player.
"I think the match will be played at a good level."
Dougie Anderson, Coach Education and Development Manager, Scottish FA: "We are proud of the number of top players and coaches who have come through the Scottish FA Coach Education system over the years and it's fantastic to have a player of Thiago Silva's calibre here with us this week.
"For the other candidates, the chance to learn from a UEFA Champions League winner and an experienced Brazil international is invaluable and we're grateful to him for the time he has spent passing on his experiences to all the other coaches on the course.
"With Scotland internationals like Stephen O'Donnell and Rachel Corsie also on the course, it really is a talented cohort and we have been hugely impressed by the attitude and work ethic of all on the programme this week as they take their next steps in their coaching journeys."