Italian stalwart centre-back Giorgio Chiellini has announced that he will hang up his international boots after the showdown between the Azzuri and Argentina at Wembley Stadium this June.
The European Champions are set to face the South American champions in a first-of-its-kind final set up by UEFA as ‘part of the expansion of the cooperation between UEFA and CONMEBOL’
And Chiellini will play his 117th and final game in Blue at the Stadium where he helped defeat England to lift Euro 2020, claiming it to be the perfect place to end his international career.
iorgio Chiellini of Italy poses with The Henri Delaunay Trophy during an Italy Portrait Session following their side’s victory in the UEFA Euro 2020 Championship Final between Italy and England at Wembley Stadium (Photo by Michael Regan – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images).
‘I’ll say goodbye to the national team at Wembley’, the veteran defender told DAZN.
‘I’d like to say goodbye to the Azzurri with a nice memory. That will certainly be my last game with Italy.’
It will mark the end of a 16-year career in Italy colours for the defensive colossus and will be an appearance that will take him to joint 4th in the list of the Azzurri all-time appearances, alongside Daniele De Rossi.
Italians face lean November
Despite their European success at the 2020 tournament, the Italians will be watching from home in November at the next major tournament as they have failed to qualify for yet another World Cup.
After a poor qualifying campaign, they were expected to set up a playoff final with Portugal, but were knocked out in extraordinary fashion by north Macedonia courtesy of an injury-time winner scored by the minnows.
It means that the Azzurri will have to pin their hopes of added European success on the new Nations League format, or wait 2 years for a chance to defend their trophy.
