European and MLS champion Giorgio Chiellini to retire from soccer aged 39
Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini is a man of extremes: he's known for his fierce, unyielding personality on the field as much as he's known for his warm, selfless personality off it.
Both sides of Chiellini were on display during Saturday's MLS Cup Final between LAFC and the Columbus Crew. Chiellini's LAFC contract was set to expire at the final whistle and he gave everything on the field to help LAFC win, blocking a Cucho Hernandez cross in the opening minutes and continuing with unrelenting grit. But when the game ended and Columbus proved victorious, it was Chiellini who broke into the biggest congratulatory smile.
"I still have doubts," Chiellini said after the match when asked if he'd renew with LAFC for another season. "I have to understand what I have to follow--if it's my head, if it's my heart, if it's my leg."
Two days later, Chiellini's doubts were gone. He announced his retirement from the sport of soccer on Monday, calling time on a peerless 23-year defensive career.
Chiellini began his career with Livorno in Italy, training as a central midfielder before finding his rhythm as a hard-nosed and versatile defender. He moved to Turin-based Juventus in 2004 and found great success with the bianconeri, winning a breathtaking nine straight Italian league titles between 2012 and 2020. He capped off that run by captaining the Italian national team to victory at the 2020 European Championships, delivering the azzurri its first major trophy since its World Cup victory in 2006.
When Chiellini announced his move to LAFC in 2022, many Europeans denounced the decision, believing he was moving to America simply to retire. But Chiellini proved everyone wrong by leading LAFC all the way to the MLS Cup, playing with just as much verve at 38 as he did at 18.
While MLS fans will miss Chiellini, they aren't likely to miss him for long. He's long expressed interest in sports business and has the academic chops to back it up, having received his bachelor's degree and master's degree in economics while playing for Juventus. His goal? To get into soccer administration – particularly right here in the States.
"It [American soccer] is growing up very, very fast and in a sustainable and solid way. That's important," Chiellini told the Guardian. "I think now, with the Copa America, the Club World Cup and the World Cup coming soon, it's a good cycle that we have to use in order to improve soccer in the U.S.
"But the good thing about MLS is that it's very elastic about rules. It's one of the few leagues all over the world that could really change many things from one season to another. That's a good thing because it's a league that now has to take advantage of change in order to grow."
Whether it's on or off the field, MLS – and American soccer as a whole – is lucky to have Chiellini in its corner.
"Soccer is my world and my future," he said. "I never think about a life without something related to soccer."
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