The legend of Juventus and the Italian national team, Giorgio Chiellini, officially announced his retirement on Tuesday (12/12/2023). Chiellini announced this via uploads on his social media accounts on Instagram and Twitter.
The 39 year old central defender has defended Los Angeles FC (LAFC) for the last year and a half. At the weekend, Chiellini indicated he would retire after LAFC lost 1-2 to Columbus Crew in the 2023 MLS Cup final.
Rumors regarding Chiellini’s retirement announcement have been circulating heavily for the past few days. On Tuesday (12/12/2023), journalist Romeo Agresti revealed that Chiellini would make an announcement today.
Sure enough, Chiellini released his announcement on Tuesday (12/12/2023). He confirmed that he would not continue his professional career as a footballer after his contract expires with LAFC at the end of this year.
“You have been the most beautiful and most intense journey of my life,” Chiellini said in his upload.
“You have been everything to me. Together with you, I have gone through a unique and unforgettable journey. “However, now is the time to start a new chapter, face new challenges and write beautiful and interesting pages in life,” he added.
Chiellini was a legend with Juventus, making 561 appearances. He successfully won nine Scudetto titles, which he won consecutively from 2012 to 2020, plus five Coppa Italias and five Italian Super Cups.
He also became a legend of the Italian national team, having won 117 caps and scoring eight goals. Chiellini’s best achievement with the national team was winning the 2020 European Cup in the summer of 2021.
Chiellini started his professional career in Serie C with Livorno in the 2000-01 season. He only managed to make his debut in Serie A in 2004-05 when he was recruited by Juventus and loaned to Fiorentina.
Chiellini was one of the players who chose to stay when Juve were relegated to Serie B and he played for I Bianconeri for 17 years, making 561 appearances, scoring 36 goals and winning 20 trophies, including 9 Scudettos.
He moved to LAFC in 2022 and immediately won the MLS Cup and Supporters’ Shield in his first year.
With the Italian national team, Chiellini managed to get 117 caps, scored 8 goals and won Euro 2020 as captain.
