1)
Giorgio Chiellini is not just a genius on the Football pitch. The Italian defender graduated cum laude with a Masters Degree in Business Administration from The University of Turin's School of Management and Economics. Chiellini successfully presented his thesis on "The Business Model of Juventus Football Club in an International Context" in 2017.
2)
Chiellini appeared in two World Cups with the Italian National team in 2010 and 2014, but the Azzurri did not make it out of the group stage in those tournaments – and failed to make the World Cup in 2018 and 2022. Chiellini made his national team debut in 2004, but was not a part of the Italian squad that won the 2006 World Cup, partially because he had transferred to Juventus in 2005 and was still working his way into consistent playing time with one of the giants of Serie A.
“Joining Juventus was the luckiest event of my life, but it would have been easier to be part of the national team if I had stayed at Fiorentina and played more consistently,” said Chiellini in an interview with SportWeek via ilBianconero.“Maybe if the transfer was postponed I would have made the World Cup squad, but maybe I wasn’t ready yet. But I enjoyed it as a family member and a fan."
3)
Giorgio Chiellini has spent close to two decades as one of Europe's most tenacious defenders, and has been honored for exemplary play at the highest level as recently as last year. The Italian was named Defender Of The Tournament after Italy's victory in the 2020 Euros. The Italian captained his country to victory at last summer’s tournament with a number of excellent performances, though the centre-back's most memorable moment at the Euros came in the Wembley final against England when Chiellini grabbed Saka’s collar and violently yanked the winger to the ground after the Englishman had beaten him late in the game.
Chiellini has recently broken his silence on the controversial play:
‘It was probably one of the only mistakes I made during the Euros. I’d read the flight of the ball, thinking I could shepherd it out of play when really, I could have controlled it. But I was convinced I could put my body between Saka and the ball, and let it go out of play.‘But he wriggled round me! When he wriggled round from behind and had that space to run into, my reaction was to grab him. And I grabbed him good!’ (Metro.uk)
4)
Giorgio Chiellini spent his illustrious career loyal to club and country. He made his first appearance with Livorno in 2000 before bouncing between Roma and Livorno until the 2004 campaign. Juventus signed him that summer for a €6.5 million fee but immediately sent him on loan to Fiorentina. Chiellini became a regular member of the starting XI for Fiorentina that year until Juventus recalled him for the 2005-06 season, where he stayed until the end of the 2022 season. He is third on Juventus' all-time appearances list behind midfielder Alessandro Del Piero and goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon. For country, Chiellini's 117 appearances for the Italian national team is tied for fifth all time alongside Andrea Pirlo. (only Daniele De Rossi, Paolo Maldini, Fabio Cannavaro and Buffon are ahead of him.)
5)
Giorgio Chiellini's trophy case is immense. The defender's nine consecutive league titles (2011-2019) during his 17-year stint with Juventus are only the tip of the iceberg. With Juventus, Chiellini won the Italian Cup five times (2014-17 & 2020), the Italian Super Cup five times (2012, '13, '15, '18 & '20), the U19 Euros (2003) and of course, the 2020 European Championship. He has been a winner throughout his career and that experience will be invaluable to Los Angeles Football Club.
