Giorgio Chiellini embodies a defender of the old style: tough, angular, wiry. He once annoyed Luis Suárez so much that the Uruguayan bit him on the shoulder. But for all his awkwardness, the 36-year-old is the leader of a modern Italy.
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Oliver Meiler, Rome
Giorgio Chiellini, 36 years old, has all the battles written on his face, and quite a few have come together over the years, many of which he fought heroically. How often have you seen “Il Chiello”, as the Italians call the Tuscan central defender and captain of the national team, limping at the end of a game and wearing a bandage on the head. These appearances are his favorite trophies. Chiellini’s nose was broken three times in his career. In his autobiography “Io, Giorgio” he also calls it falcon nose or “nasotto” because it is so big and formative. “I don’t have a French nose, let’s put it that way,” he writes with this fine self-irony that diminishes his toughness on the pitch. He never pulls his head back in air duels. Your hands in front of your face? The protective reflex is not in him. Always with the nose ahead.