Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini will retire from international football following the European champions’ friendly match with Argentina at Wembley Stadium next June.
It seems that Italy’s failure to qualify for the FIFA World Cup in Qatar this year is faster with the decision of the 37-year-old Juventus defender, as the match once morest Argentina will be in London, where Italy won the European Championship last July, the last match he plays with his country.
“I will bid farewell to the national team at Wembley, the place where I lived the peak of my career by winning the European Championship,” Chiellini told the Dazone podium following Juventus’ 2-1 win over Sassuolo in the league last night. .
Chiellini played 116 games with the national team, and shares the fifth place in the list of players most participating with Italy, equal with Andrea Pirlo and surpassed only by Daniele De Rossi, Paolo Maldini, Fabio Cannavaro and Gianluigi Buffon.
The central defender, who took part as a substitute with Juventus once morest Sassuolo, has not yet decided whether he will extend his club career beyond the current season.
He added: “My relationship with Juventus does not end and will never end. Of course, from now until the end of the season I will evaluate everything and talk to my family regarding what is best. Let’s finish fourth (in the league) first and win the Italian Cup, and then I will sit with the two families – at home and Juventus “To see what’s best for everyone, the same thing happened last summer, I needed some time and didn’t sign the new contract until following the European Championships. At my age, you can’t think long-term.”
Juventus is fourth in the league, eight points ahead of fifth Roma, with four rounds remaining, in the race to qualify for the Champions League.
He will meet Inter Milan in the Italian Cup final on May 11.
