Arrivederci Giorgio Chiellini: Legendary Juventus captain seals MLS move

Legendary Italian centre-back and Juventus captain Giorgio Chiellini will begin a new chapter in the US, having completed a move to MLS side Los Angeles FC.

As the last season came to an end, Chiellini was strongly linked with a move to Los Angeles, a move that was finally completed on Sunday, according to reliable football journalist Fabrizio Romano.

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Chiellini’s decision to leave European football for the arguably less intense MLS season came on the back of Italy’s failure to qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

Commenting on his decision, the 37-year-old had earlier told Sportweek, “If Italy had qualified to the World Cup I would still be playing for Juventus next season.”

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“I tried so hard but I couldn’t help my team achieve the main goal. In the 2010 World Cup we were eliminated at the end of the group stage, then in 2014 lost in the first round and in 2018 we didn’t qualify. If Italy had qualified to the 2018 World Cup in Russia I was planning on retiring from international duty at the end of that campaign,” Chiellini had added, ruing missed chances of winning the World Cup.

Chiellini’s last game in an international jersey was against Argentina in this year’s Finalissima, a match between Copa America winners and the Euro Cup winners. However, Chiellini’s last game did not end the way he would have wanted it to as a Lionel Messi masterclass saw Argentina demolish the Azzurri 3-0 to lift the trophy.

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While Chiellini does have a Euro Cup medal in his locker, his club career has been far more successful than his international one: the 37-year-old holds nine Serie A titles with Juventus, in addition to five Coppa Italia titles, and five Supercoppa Italiana titles.