Veteran Italian star defender Chiellini excited to join LAFC
Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini has no plans of being anyone but himself.
For however long Chiellini wears Black & Gold, Los Angeles Football Club fans should not desire more than that.
Joining Major League Soccer at the tail end of his stellar career, the lanky 37-year-old center back, a Juventus legend and Italian national team captain, has been heralded as highly intelligent and a gladiator on the field.
“This is a day clubs dream of and a day I've dreamt of since starting here,” LAFC co-president and general manager John Thorrington said Wednesday while introducing Chiellini before the team's 3-1 victory over FC Dallas. “We're welcoming a player who has had unprecedented success in the global game.
“We know exactly what Giorgio will bring to LAFC because it will be what he's brought to every single team he's played on, which is to do absolutely everything he can to lead his team to victory, to championships.”
Contemplating retirement following Italy's stunning loss in a World Cup qualifying playoff match against North Macedonia in the spring, Chiellini knew his 17-year run at Juventus, which netted myriad trophies including nine consecutive league titles starting in 2011, was at an end. But the three-time Serie A Defender of the Year believed he could play at a high level after leading his country to a European Championship in 2020, earning recognition as defender of the tournament.
Chiellini's awareness of MLS started years ago during summer vacations he took to the U.S. As the league grew in prominence, he considered it a potential destination.
LAFC inquired about Chiellini's future at the end of March, though the seed was planted in 2017 when assistant GM Will Kuntz
Former Juventus star Giorgio Chiellini poses with his LAFC jersey Wednesday.
LAFC 3, DALLAS 1
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met Giorgio's twin brother, Claudio, at a scouting conference in Italy.
“From the first time I started to talk to Will and John I am fully convinced that this club is perfect for me,” Chiellini said in English after waking in the dead of night to catch a 13-hour flight to the U.S. so he could be introduced at Banc of California Stadium. “I started to understand the organization behind the club and they really want me.
“Honestly, it was not so easy convincing Juventus or convincing my wife to do this big change, but in the end, I am here.”
When the move became a real option, Chiellini said he consulted other Italians with MLS experience, including Andrea Pirlo and Alessandro Nesta, as well as Alessandro Del Piero, the most tenured Juventus player of all time who now lives in Los Angeles as a hob-nobbing restauranter.
Later in the day, LAFC extended its points lead over the league.
Impressive goals by Danny Musovski, Cristian Arango and Mahala Opoku helped turn away fourthplace FC Dallas, 3-1.
Reaching the midway point of the 34-match season, LAFC is 11-3-3 and their 36 points is good for a seven-point advantage in the Supporters' Shield race. Dallas is 7-5-5 (26 points).