Juventus captain Giorgio Chiellini won’t rule Inter out of the Scudetto battle this term and has claimed the pressure in Turin ‘becomes part of you’.
The 35-year-old has spent the last 15 seasons with the Bianconeri and revealed he has been through ‘heaven and hell’.
“[The many years] become part of you. I surely consider myself lucky to have made it,” he told the Corriere dello Sport. “But at the same time, I realise that it’s not so simple.
Juventus captain Giorgio Chiellini won’t rule Inter out of the Scudetto battle this term and has claimed the pressure in Turin ‘becomes part of you’.
The 35-year-old has spent the last 15 seasons with the Bianconeri and revealed he has been through ‘heaven and hell’.
“[The many years] become part of you. I surely consider myself lucky to have made it,” he told the Corriere dello Sport. “But at the same time, I realise that it’s not so simple.
“Juventus are committed to you, the pressure is constant, in these 15 years I have lived in heaven, in hell and then in heaven again.”
Juventus prepare for the resumption against Milan on Friday, when they play for a place in the Coppa Italia Final on June 17.
Chiellini has won eight Scudetti, four Italian Cups and the Supercoppa Italiana four times, but the Champions League has eluded him so far. The Bianconeri trail Olympique Lyonnais by 1-0 after the first leg in France and aim to bounce back.
“It’s better to get the Final and lose, than to stop earlier. I have been eliminated in the last 16 and in the group stage, and I assure you that it’s not very funny.”
The defender has claimed it’s risky to ‘rule out’ Inter from the Scudetto battle and has warned Lazio that their beautiful journey will end soon.
“Why has everyone written off Inter? Knowing the coach and the players, I wouldn’t rule them out. In a crazy mini championship, nine points are nothing.
“If they beat Sampdoria, the gap drops to six points. Of course, Lazio are having a beautiful journey. Luis Alberto, [Sergej] Milinkovic-Savic and [Ciro] Immobile are poetry. Enjoy this moment, but not forever.”
Chiellini has played 509 games for the Old Lady and is widely recognised as one of Europe’s finest centre-backs, but he recalled starting out at left-back.
“I started from the left, but I was struggling in the defensive phase. I wasted too much energy in attacking and lost precision.
“When they put me in the middle, I immediately understood that it was my home, it suited me perfectly. The young defenders are all more beautiful than me.”