Unlike when going through the group phase, Italy was quite difficult in the next round against Austria. Roberto Mancini’s men were troubled by solid play and aggressive pressing by the opposing team. Franco Foda’s squad even took the lead via Marko Arnautovic, but was disallowed for offside. Mancini also had to make two changes to maintain the intensity of his team’s game. Matteo Pessina and Manuel Locatelli were included. Then, Federico Chiesa and Andrea Belotti were deployed to maintain the fitness of the attack line.
The score of the glasses made the match proceed to extra time. In the first half of addition, the new Gli Azzurri were able to tear Daniel Bachmann’s goal. Receiving the ball on the right side of the box, Chiesa controlled the ball calmly and sent a half-volley into the corner. Pessina then doubled Italy’s lead. Austria had time to reply via Sasa Kalajdzic. However, the 2-1 score lasted until dispersal and Italy qualified for the quarter-finals.
Chiesa scored his first goal for the Italian national team in a major tournament. So far, he has scored two goals in 29 appearances for the Gli Azzurri. He has always played in four Euro 2020 matches, three times as a substitute. In the match against Wales, Sunday (20/6/2021), the only match in which the player started, Chiesa performed well and was awarded the man of the match award.
His impressive season with Juventus saw him win a place in the Italy squad. Although not yet the main choice, Chiesa can be a differentiating option for Mancini. The former Fiorentina made his national team debut in March 2018. Chiesa had regularly entered the main 11 when Italy played the inaugural edition of the UEFA Nations League. After that, in the past year, he has often been a substitute for Federico Bernadeschi then Domenico Berardi.
Chiesa has always been brilliant in his last four seasons in Serie A and many are looking to make him into the top 11. However, the fact that he did not start in the European Cup did not bother him at all. He gracefully accepted the role of a supersub. “The coach chose 11 of us, but as I have said in the past, we are 26 players of choice and tonight we showed that. This is why the coach asked the players on the bench to follow the game closely: to come in and make a difference,” Chiesa said after the game against Austria.
His goal against Austria was a record in itself. Throughout the history of the European Cup, no father and son have scored in the finals. Previously, his father, Enrico Chiesa scored a goal for Italy in the 1996 European Cup. Federico is on track to follow in his father’s footsteps. Enrico was one of Serie A’s stars when the competition triumphed in the 1990s.
Federico Chiesa was born in Genoa on October 25, 1997. At that time, Enrico was defending Parma. Federico then grew up in Florence, playing football for the Settignanese before entering Fiorentina’s academy. Inheriting the genes of the famous footballer, it is easy to assume that Chiesa went on a straight and easy path of development. He grew up in a family that, in his own words, “breathes football” and is supportive of his career choices. However, the family name is not the main reason for his success in pursuing a professional career. In fact, Chiesa had a difficult time developing at the academy level.
Enrico knows very well that football is a delicate career choice. For the sake of the future, the education of the child must also be guaranteed. The family enrolled Chiesa into a prestigious school, the International School of Florence, where lessons are delivered in English. This explains why Chiesa is so fluent in English interviews. If he failed in football, he claimed to be interested in becoming a physicist.
Chiesa’s progress at the academy was slow at first. Technically, he lags behind his peers. His physical growth was not as fast as his peers. Due to failing to compete in the same age group, Chiesa was relegated to the age group one year younger. “I only played once [at the Allievi, U16-17], and even from the start they often sent me with the ’98 [born squad], who were younger,” Chiesa told l’Ultimo Uomo.
Chiesa’s gait began to see a bright spot when he was managed by coach Federico Guidi and was placed in a more suitable position. Previously, he was often installed as a center forward in a 4-4-2 formation. The player was then accommodated by Guidi who applied 4-2-3-1, installing Chiesa as a winger. Federico Chiesa is growing fast as a winger. He started regularly playing for the Primavera (U-19) team. Unlike his father who is a capable center forward, Federico’s playing character is more suited to the wing position.
The player who is now 23 years old defended the Primavera team until 2016. In August 2016, coach Paulo Sousa gave him his senior debut when Fiorentina face Juventus in Serie A. Chiesa immediately stole the show with La Viola. Often deployed on the right wing, he scored 34 goals and assisted 25 during three seasons with Fiorentina. In July 2020, he scored a hat-trick against Bologna, 17 years after Enrico scored his last hat-trick in Serie A with AC Siena.
His impressive performance with Fiorentina has made Juventus loan him since 2020/21 with an option to buy. Federico got something that Enrico didn’t get before, namely playing for a big club that consistently competes for trophies. Enrico has had a brilliant career. However, not playing for a “big club” is one of his few regrets.
“I was always close to it [entering a big club]. Simoni [Inter Milan coach, 1997-98], wanted me to come to Inter. Juve and Milan were interested in me, but nothing ever materialized. I might be able to do more [as a player],” said Enrico Chiesa as reported by These Football Times.
The story of Enrico is more like an adventure that doesn’t produce satisfactory results. He is indeed remembered as a great striker, winning continental trophies with Parma and Sampdoria. He was Hernan Crespo’s deadly tandem at Parma, succeeded Gabriel Batistuta at Fiorentina, and featured in more than 300 Serie A matches.
However, the Serie A and Capocanonniere titles (the top scorer in the Italian League) have always escaped Enrico’s grasp. He played for Teramo when Sampdoria won the league in 1990/91, then had to settle for runners-up with Parma in 1996/97. When he scored 22 goals in 1995/96, Giuseppe Signori and Igor Protti scored two more. When he scored another 22 goals in 2000/01, Hernan Crespo scored four more.
In Italy, Enrico Chiesa seemed destined to never reach the top spot. It’s the same with the national team. He only had time to defend Gli Azzurri in two major tournaments, namely the 1996 European Cup and 1998 World Cup. Enrico had a total of 22 caps and scored seven goals. The number of appearances in the national team has exceeded the child.
Now, what Enrico has not achieved has the opportunity to be inscribed by his son. They do play in different positions and carve out different career tracks. Federico can still win a Scudetto medal that is not yet in the Chiesa family trophy cabinet.
Federico’s career is still long and Enrico will certainly support him with great pride. For now, Federico is still focused on helping Italy’s progress at Euro 2020; with Roberto Mancini, a figure who had played with Enrico and had coached him at Fiorentina and Lazio in the past.
ASL
