Juventus legend Giorgio Chiellini reflected on his best and worst memories with the Old Lady, his memories of Cristiano Ronaldo and the influence of Antonio Conte.
The 39-year-old Italian hung up his boots at the end of the last MLS season, closing out a memorable 24-year playing career that saw him win nine Scudetti, five Coppa Italia titles and the European Championship with the Azzurri.
Since retiring, Chiellini has moved into a backroom role with Los Angeles FC, working as their development coach. He has been regularly linked with a return to Juventus in the near future, an idea supported by many fans in Turin.
Chiellini looks back
Speaking on Gianluca Gazzoli’s podcast ‘The BSMT’, Chiellini first remembered the famous ‘BBC’ defensive trio at Juventus.
“Leo arrived in 2009 and Barza in January 2010, the first year we all struggled, then we started playing. At the beginning we took turns, then Conte had the idea of putting us three together.
“It was an immediate advantage for the team, in terms of objective characteristics we were perfectly complementary. I could be free on the pitch, Leo had great reading and technical skills, so he took the setting tasks away from me, while I took the marking away from him.
“Andrea was the most intelligent and complete of the trio, he had an elegance and physical prowess that allowed him to manage everything better. Paradoxically, he had less prominence at an international level but in my opinion, he deserved that.”
He spoke about how it felt to work with Gianluigi Buffon.
“We had a kid behind us, the best goalkeeper in the history of football. We worked a lot together, in certain situations you can’t avoid the attacker’s shot but we knew where to position ourselves so that Gigi covered the entire goal. A lot of work behind it, then we also got along well as people.
“I was the serious one, Leo the fiery one, Barza was our ambassador in South America, Gigi was less involved in everyday life but in the various years where there was a need to straighten out the group – and it happened often – has always been able to find words.
“He is good as a speaker, then he does it because he believes in it. I remember a period when we scored 12 points in 10 games, he didn’t say anything.”
Chiellini reflected on Juventus’ single season in Serie B.
“For me, Juventus in Serie B was better than many other teams in Serie A. Then there were international champions, I was a young man who had the opportunity to make some progress, paradoxically that year was a chance.”
Chiellini discussed his memories of playing alongside Ronaldo.
“An honour, being captain of Juventus with him was a unique opportunity. I had the opportunity to appreciate him, who is a multinational player, but he fit well in the group.
“Then he’s not like the others, you can’t ask him to have an aperitif in the city centre but he never failed when needed, not even at team dinners.
“He is respectful, almost obsessive in his care of his body and in his preparation. He wants to score and wants to win, his personality in difficult matches impressed me. He had a mad desire to break the world, he wanted to prove that he was stronger than the whole of Real Madrid.”
Chiellini looked back on the infamous Champions League quarter-final loss to Ajax in the 2018-19 season.
“We were unlucky with injuries (Khedira, Mandzukic, Dybala, Douglas Cost, ed.) and we lost against Ajax, otherwise I’m convinced we would have got to the end, and he would’ve led us to victory.
“Then the team’s level dropped a bit, and he couldn’t solve everything alone, he was the icing, and he needed a slightly bigger cake.”
Chiellini was asked to name his most painful defeat.
“It actually hurt me not to play in the Champions League final, I injured myself five days before, but I had always felt good in that season. I felt that I was tired, and I wasn’t feeling very well in that season finale, I was shot until the very end.”
Finally, Chiellini discussed his relationship with Conte.
“Very good relationship, I was one of his elite. He is a person who gets inside your head, makes you live a different reality.
“You are ready to die for him, he is very tough because he asks a lot of you every day, he is a sergeant, but he convinces you because he shows you that it works, on and off the pitch.
“Then you give everything for him, he has done a lot, and I am convinced that as he grows, he will smooth out some corners even more. The first Conte was much more rigid, however he lives for football and now I believe Is he out for that very reason, to take a break.”