Former Italian football player works as Uber driver to gain experience for new business

The 51-year-old, who made over 300 Serie A appearances, recently went viral on Italian social media after his Uber profile showed nearly 200 completed trips in four months with a 4.94-star rating.

Speaking to Italian media, Tonetto explained the career shift is a practical business move. He plans to start a private driver service company and considers the current job a necessary stepping stone.

"I'm planning to set up a company providing a chauffeur service," Tonetto said, as quoted by The Sun. "In order to get a license for it, I need to gain a certain amount of experience as a driver. I also need to learn from the inside how the business works before I get into it.

"I go out to work every day, accumulate my experience and build my new career step by step."

Max Tonetto with his Coppa Italia title won with AS Roma. Photo by Instagram/@officialasroma

During his playing days, Tonetto was known for his versatility and endurance on the left flank. He played for clubs like Reggiana, Empoli, Bologna, Lecce and Sampdoria before peaking at Roma, where he won two consecutive Coppa Italia titles in 2007 and 2008.

He only earned one cap for the Italy national team in 2007, in the match against the Faroe Islands.

After retiring in 2010, Tonetto faded from the spotlight until his recent Uber story caught public attention. Fans expressed surprise online, with many hoping to book a ride with the former footballer when visiting Rome.

Tonetto is not the first former professional footballer to get behind the wheel. Former PSG and Benfica midfielder Daniel Kenedy drove for Uber to earn a living after gambling problems left him in a financial crisis.

Galatasaray and Turkey national team legend Hakan Sukur is said to have worked as an Uber driver and sold books, among other jobs, in the U.S. after his assets were frozen in his home country.

Former Argentina international Jose Luis Gómez worked as an Uber driver after his career declined due to injuries.

Recently, rumors circulated that Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk was also driving for Uber during his doping suspension in late 2025. However, those claims were quickly debunked as fake news or AI-generated content.