A Juventus great and a national treasure. With the Finalissima between Italy and Argentina at Wembley yesterday evening, Giorgio Chiellini joined Daniele De Rossi on 117 appearances, placing himself behind only Gianluigi Buffon, Fabio Cannavaro and Paolo Maldini for international caps with the Azzurri.
His path in sky-blue intertwined with his progress in black and white, intersecting at memorable moments.
THE EUROS
The picture of joy from last year's Euro2020, where Giorgio as captain raised the trophy to the London skies and was a cornerstone of that success, is a perfect starting point to look back at stand-out moments in the tournament that brings together Europe's best international teams. Four years after making his Italy debut as a 20-year-old, he emerged as a key player in the Azzurri's Euro2008 campaign.
He also played a key role the following European Championships, in 2012, when Italy went all the way to the final, missing out on overall victory only on penalties to Spain. In 2016, working with former Juve coach, Antonio Conte, he scored in a 2-0 win over Spain, which in some way exacted revenge for that defeat four years before.
So, leading out Italy as European champions against their South American counterparts on 1 June 2022 was nothing less than the culmination of a long and rich adventure.
CHIELLO'S GOALS
Giorgio has had the fortune to celebrate eight goals in the shirt of his country. The first arrived on 21 November 2007 against the Faroe Islands. The last, 10 years later, on 6 October 2017 against North Macedonia. In between, over and above the goal against Spain in Euro2012, he scored a number of important goals. A standout moment came against Czech Republic on 10 September 2013, when he scored at the ground he called home, the Juventus Stadium. And there is no way Giorgio could ever forget an incredible match against Azerbaijan, in Palermo on 10 October 2014. Chiello struck first to give Italy the lead, to then put the ball into his own net. However, unperturbed he struck again with a precise header, exactly like his first. The scoring was wrapped up at 2-1 for Italy, with no other player's name on the scoresheet other than Chiellini's.