When they retire, some professional footballers train to become coaches, and a few rise to become the team manager or director of football.

But very, very few players do what Maheta Molango has done, and cross the divide between the playing side and the C-suite, to become the CEO of a top club.

It’s a massive Church and State divide, a journey that reveals much about the person who is now in charge of the PFA, The Professional Footballers' Association, the union for all current and former footballers in the Premier League, the FA Women’s Super League and the English Football Leagues.

Molango passed his law degree during a playing career in Spanish and English football, going on to specialise in employment and sports law. In 2015 he was seconded to Atlético Madrid where he served as legal counsel, focused on contract and transfer negotiations and the following year was appointed the Chief Executive of RCD Mallorca after the takeover by former NBA star Steve Nash and Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver. His four years at RCD Mallorca saw the club achieve back-to-back promotions in to La Liga.

Molango became Director of FIFA’s Diploma in Club management programme, where he helps train executives, with speakers ranging from Arsène Wenger to Fabio Cannavaro.

So this podcast is about the role of the players in the football business conversation.

We discuss Molango’s change agenda for the PFA, the launch of a new Business School and the broader questions on the relationship between those who run the game and the men and women who play it.

This is an episode of ReThinking Sport, our series created in collaboration with Portas, the global strategy consultancy dedicated to sport and physical activity.

My co-host for the podcast is Adam Paker, partner at Portas who was formerly Director of FIFA Marketing, delivering on the commercial rights of two FIFA World Cups, and Chief Executive of two British national sport federations, Commonwealth Games England and Swim England.

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