Chiellini to call time on Italy career at Wembley

Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini says he will bring down the curtain on his glittering international career after the friendly against Argentina at Wembley in June.

It will be a fitting venue for the Italian veteran to bid adieu on the international stage. The 37-year-old stalwart was part of the Italy team that won the European Championship by beating England at Wembley on penalties last June.

“I’ll say goodbye to the national team at Wembley, which is where I experienced the pinnacle of my career winning the Euros,” Chiellini told DAZN after Juventus’ 2-1 win at Sassuolo in Serie A on Monday.

“I’d like to say goodbye to the Azzurri with a nice memory. That will certainly be my last game with Italy.”

Italy’s failure to qualify for this year’s World Cup in Qatar will no doubt have hastened Chiellini’s decision.

With 116 appearances for the national team, he is joint fifth in the all-time Italy charts alongside Andrea Pirlo, with only Daniele De Rossi, Paolo Maldini, Fabio Cannavaro and Gianluigi Buffon ahead of him.

The veteran centre-back, who came on as a substitute for Juventus on Monday, has not decided whether to prolong his club career beyond this season, however.

“My love affair with Juventus is not ending, it will never end,” he added. “Of course, from now to the end of the season I do have to evaluate everything, talk to my family about what is best. Let’s reach fourth place [in Serie A] first and win the Coppa Italia, then we’ll sit down with my two families – at home and Juventus – to figure out what is best for everyone.”

Juve are fourth, eight points clear of fifth-placed Roma, with four matches remaining in the race for a Champions League spot. They face Inter Milan in the Coppa Italia final on May 11.

Chiellini signed for Juve in 2004 and helped the Turin giants win nine consecutive Serie A titles from 2012 to 2020 and five Italian cups.