Rory McIlroy has his sights set on leading Europe in the Ryder Cup one day, but joked that he hopes to be wielding clubs rather than clipboards at Adare Manor in 2027.
Speaking ahead of the inaugural DP World India Championship in New Delhi, McIlroy said captaining Europe would come only after his playing days wind down, or when he's no longer good enough to make the team.
American Arnold Palmer was the last playing captain, in 1963, though this year's losing US skipper Keegan Bradley opted against giving himself a wild card, despite earning more qualification points then several members of the eventual team.
"Certainly not 2027, I hope I'm still playing at that point. But I would love to be the European team captain at some point," McIlroy, who will be 38 in two years' time, said.
"But that will be beyond my playing days, or at least when my playing days are coming to an end and I'm not good enough to make the team or I make way for the new generation to come along. Hopefully, that's not in 2027.
"Hopefully, I'm still good enough to play and put points on the board for Europe. I feel very fortunate that I've had a front-row seat playing under some of the best captains in history in the Ryder Cup."
The five-time major winner and world number two is playing his first tournament after starring in Europe's 15-13 Ryder Cup victory in New York last month.
The reigning Irish Open champion heaped praise on Luke Donald, saying he "revolutionised the captaincy" as he led Europe to victories in Italy in 2023 and at Bethpage Black.
"The time, the effort and the dedication that Luke Donald has put into the last four years, it's been absolutely amazing," McIlroy added.
"He has the 100% respect of the entire team and everyone that's worked for him. If I can be nearly as good as a captain as Luke Donald, I'll have done a good job.
"So hopefully one day in the future, but I'd say not until the mid-2030s."
Europe's triumph was marred by incidents involving spectators throughout the three days of action, with McIlroy in particular singled out for abuse.
McIlroy was frequently put off his tee shots and his wife Erica had beer thrown over her, while an announcer was also stood down for encouraging an abusive chant about McIlroy prior to Saturday's foursomes.
Eight-time major winner Tom Watson said afterwards he was "ashamed" of the behaviour of the home fans in New York.
McIlroy lamented that the fan behaviour overshadowed Europe's achievement in retaining the cup on American soil.
"Obviously, it's been two weeks, and I've been following the sort of narrative coming out of the Ryder Cup just like everyone else," he said.
"The unfortunate thing is people aren't remembering that and they are remembering the week for the wrong reason.
"I would like to shift the narrative and focus on how good the European team were and how proud I was to be part of that team to win an away Ryder Cup."
