Giorgio Chiellini made the first of his 117 appearances for Italy in 2004. But, it was only around 2008 that he became a regular. At Euro 2008, Chiellini, then 24, made a difference to the Italian team even before a ball was kicked; he injured team captain Fabio Cannavaro during training.
Cannavaro, arguably the world's best defender then, was key to the team's hopes and he was now out for the entire tournament. Things could easily have spiralled downward for Chiellini from there. But, they did not. He performed capably when called upon and started the quarterfinal match against a Spain team that was on the verge of dominating world football.
Chiellini, along with his centre-back partner Christian Panucci, managed to keep the Spanish attack—led by the world-class duo of Fernando Torres and David Villa—at bay for 120 minutes. But, Italy lost on penalties. It was disappointing for the reigning world champions, but Chiellini had shown that he was capable of performing under pressure, at the highest level. He played 11 times for the national team in 2009 and after Cannavaro's retirement from international football in 2010, became the mainstay of the Italian defence.
From 2010 to 2012, he played 30 times for the national team, including in the run to the final at Euro 2012. In the final, Italy once again met Spain—now a footballing juggernaut. Chiellini had been fighting injuries right from the end of the club season and throughout the tournament, but he started in the final. His diminished physical condition led to Spain's first goal on 14 minutes; he was subbed off on 21 minutes and Italy were thrashed 4-0.
The pain of that result seemed to have unleashed something in him. In the next seven seasons with his club Juventus, Chiellini was voted into the Italian league's team of the year five times. He also made the UEFA Champions League team of the season twice in the same period and made the World XI in 2015.
But, despite sustained success in the domestic league, disappointment at the European and world stage continued. At club level, he lost two Champions League finals in three years—against Lionel Messi's Barcelona in 2015 and Cristiano Ronaldo's Real Madrid in 2017. This was punctuated by the disappointing Euro 2016 with the national team. When Italy failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup and Chiellini annouced his retirement from international football, it seemed as though one of the greatest defenders of his generation would have to be content with not winning a major, senior trophy with his national team.
But, Chiellini chose to return to national duty and took up the captaincy. What followed was a dramatic revival. Italy went unbeaten from October 2018 to October 2021, winning Euro 2020 along the way. Chiellini's performance at the tournament, held in 2021, is still fresh in the minds of football fans. His retirement, after sadly missing out on another World Cup, leaves a void not only in the Italian national team, but also in top-level football (he is reportedly going to continue playing in the US).
The conversation about Chiellini being part of a dying breed of defenders has been on for some time. But, was he, perhaps, the last great "old-fashioned" centre-back? Given the requirement's of the modern centre-back's role, this is highly likely. Kids in the top academies are going to be taught to play high-lines, carry the ball and pick out passes that can start counterattacks.
Great defenders of the past have done this, too. But those sweepers, and later, ball-playing defenders, were almost always complemented by an "old-fashioned" centre-back. What made Chiellini a generational talent was his ability to perform the functions of the ball-playing defender, despite his obvious technical shortcomings. He managed to carry the ball effectively and spray it about reliably, though he did not look too elegant doing it. But, when it came to his forte—being the no-nonsense, physical centre-back—few in the history of the game have looked better.
As football continues to evolve, centre-backs are going to be expected to do more and more to lay the foundations for the attack. In the not-so-distant future, their primary job of preventing the opposition from scoring will become a more collective responsibility spread across the team that presses high and tracks back to help the defenders. The best teams already do this.
The likes of Chiellini, who could stand alone against multiple attackers, will become increasingly rare. But, will they become extinct? Let's hope not.
