Giorgio Chiellini, former Juventus defender and captain, returns to talk about the European Championship he won and his relationship with the national team
Giorgio Chielliniformer defender and captain of Juventusgave a long interview to Today.
EUROPEAN 2021 – «It was the best day of my sporting life. I remember the anxiety the night before the game. The English fans came to disturb the hotel, with fireworks. But I disappointed them, because I slept very well. Then breakfast, training. We were in the rooms used by the Tottenham players and I remember that my daughter was eager to talk to me before I left for the stadium.”
GREATER DISAPPOINTMENTS – «The match against Sweden, which cost us participation in the 2018 World Cup. The match four years later against Macedonia was also tough, but at least we had won the European Championships behind us. With Sweden it was a tragedy, it was the first time since 1958 that we didn’t qualify. I didn’t sleep for many nights. I had to start playing with Juventus again, but I was dazed, disappointed, embittered. I thought about leaving the national team, the physiotherapist and Oriali convinced me. Buffon and De Rossi had already decided to do it, but they also asked me to take time and think about it better. They were right. Do you see the value of listening?”.
LEFT-HANDED – «At first I was worried. I didn’t know him well and he had been coach of Inter, Juve’s historic opponents. A tough, even rough opponent. I didn’t know if he liked me, I was ready to step aside. But he was clear from the beginning: ‘I’m counting on you, as long as you feel up to it we’ll move forward together, on the contrary we’ll tell each other sincerely’. I was 34 years old then. But the strange thing about my career is that the best moment was that, three years of brilliant form supported by a wisdom I didn’t have. Mancini always told us that we would win the European Championships and the World Cup, we thought he was crazy. In the first case he was right. He was the chef of that starred dish, he always knew how to mix the ingredients, what to add and remove.”
VIALLI – «I want to tell you this, to tell you about the man he was. Luca had to start the last cycle of treatment. He postponed it to be with us. After the victory he stopped in London for treatment, he didn’t come to celebrate in Rome. For him, the national team came before his health. He was a special person. He knew how to use tones, raise or lower them at the right time. He was a profound, inspired person. He welcomed those who came to Coverciano with a book in which there were quotes from past champions on the meaning of the blue shirt. A bit like Spalletti did by having his boys meet the most important number tens in the history of Italian football. Roots, memory, sense of responsibility, awareness of what the blue shirt means for the entire country.”
