Juventus - Italy's best defender, Giorgio Chiellini, has announced his retirement.
Juventus and Italian national team legend Giorgio Chiellini has announced his retirement.
Major League Soccer (MLS) Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC) announced on its official ** on the 13th (Korea time), "Los Angeles FC guard Giellini has announced his retirement after a staggering 22-year career. "He remains one of the most respected defenders in football and ended his career with 27 titles. ”
First of all, we would like to congratulate Chiellini on his storied career," said John Sorington, owner and general manager of Los Angeles FC. "We are grateful that Chiellini has decided to spend the last 18 months of his career at Los Angeles FC," Sorington continued.
General manager Silrington had this to say about Chiellini: "Chiellini was the best defender of his time and a great man. On and off the pitch he exceeded our expectations for him. "His leadership, professionalism and character will leave a lasting legacy for FC Los Angeles and we are confident that our relationship with Chiellini will continue. ”
Chiellini expressed his thoughts on retirement through social media. "You are the most beautiful and powerful journey of my life," he said. You are my everything. I have walked a unique and unforgettable path with you. But now it's time to start a new chapter, face new challenges, and write a more important and exciting chapter of life. Chiellini started his career in Livorno and currently plays in Serie 4 before moving to Fiorentina in Serie A in July 2004. In 2004 05, he spent one season at Fiorentina, scoring three goals and providing two assists in 42 games in all competitions.
In the summer of 2005, Chiellini changed his team again. His destination was Juventus, a prestigious Italian Primera club. Chiellini, who had previously played as a full-back, started playing seriously at centre-back at Juventus.
Giorgio Chiellini switched to central defence from the 2007-08 season. It was a huge success. Giorgio Chiellini established Juventus' position as the main defender and led Juventus to the 2010s. Chiellini defended solidly during the Conte era, forming a back three with Leonardo Bonucci and Barzagli. From 2005 to 2022, Giorgio Chiellini was in charge of the Juventus backline for 17 years. Chiellini spent 17 years at Juventus, scoring 36 goals and providing 26 assists in 561 appearances. He ranks third in Juventus appearances, behind Alessandro del Piero (705 games) and Gian Luigi Buffon (685 games).
His winning history is also impressive. Chiellini won nine consecutive Serie A titles with Juventus from 2011-12 to 2019-20. He has also won the Coppa Italia five times and lifted the Supercoppa Italia five times. Chiellini has won almost 20 titles at Juventus.
The only regret is that they didn't make it to the top of the Champions League. Giorgio Chiellini reached two Champions League finals with Juventus, but had to settle for second place. In the 2014 15 season, Juventus lost 1-3 to Barcelona in the Champions League final. Giorgio Chiellini misses out for this game with injury.
In the 2016 17 season, Juventus reached the final again. This time the opponent is Barcelona's biggest opponent, Real Madrid. In this game, Chiellini started, but Juventus lost 1-4 to Real Madrid. Chiellini finished second again. Chiellini has also left a strong mark on the Italian national team. He followed in the footsteps of Paolo Maldini, Alessandro Nesta and Fabio Cannavaro as the backbone of the Italian backline. Giorgio Chiellini made his debut for the Italian national team in 2004 before joining Century Club, where he played 117 games over the course of 18 years. He is tied for fifth place with Danielle De Rossi and is the player with the most appearances for the Italian national team.
Chiellini experienced his first World Cup at the 2010 World Cup in South AfricaGiorgio Chiellini's inaugural World Cup ended with Italy's group stage elimination. Although they also played in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, Italy once again failed to qualify for the round of 16. At this time, Chiellini was bitten in the shoulder by Luis Suarez in the third game of the group stage against Uruguay.
Giorgio Chiellini has also made frequent appearances at the European Football Championship (European Championship). He competed in three consecutive European Championships: Euro 2008, Euro 2012 and Euro 2016. At Euro 2008 and Euro 2016, they reached the quarter-finals. At Euro 2012, they failed to win the tournament after being beaten by Spain. Chiellini won his first national team title at Euro 2020. Italy qualified with all three wins in the group stage, beating Austria in the round of 16 and Belgium in the quarter-finals. In the semi-finals, they beat Spain on penalties to reach the final. In the final, Italy drew 1-1 with England and won 3-2 on penalties.
Giorgio Chiellini said goodbye to Juventus after 17 years at the end of the 2021 22 season. His next destination was the United States. In July last year, he moved to Major League Soccer LAFC. Chiellini decided to spend the end of his career in the United States rather than Europe.
Chiellini has shown good fitness at Los Angeles FC. In the 2022 season, he won the Major League Soccer Cup and the Fan Cup with Los Angeles FC. They reached the Major League Soccer playoff finals in the 2023 season, but failed to make it two straight defeats with a 2-1 loss to the Columbus Crew in the final. After the game, Chiellini made a statement hinting at retirement. "It's been a wonderful journey," he said. Unfortunately, as I said yesterday, one of the two teams is bound to lose, and that's me. I'm very focused. Now I have to enjoy my time with my family and then go back to Italy to make a final decision. "I don't like to make decisions and then change them. ”
Soon after, Chiellini announced his retirement. Chiellini has now taken off his sneakers and is now starting his second life. Whether he will choose to be a leader or a manager has not yet been decided. Fans focused their attention on Chiellini's next move.