Italy Legend Joins the MLS After Leaving Juventus

The MLS has had several great players join the league from Europe. Players like Italy national team legend Andrea Pirlo, Frenchman Thierry Henry and David Beckham have all had great careers in America. Since then, more and more European superstars are joining the MLS.

Xherdan Shaqiri joined Chicago Fire FC this year, and Italian winger Lorenzo Insigne is set to leave Napoli for a stint in the MLS as well. The league is growing in stature and prominence every single year, and this can only be good for the USMNT.

Giorgio Chiellini joins the MLS after Italy retirement

Juventus centre-back Giorgio Chiellini is the latest superstar to join the MLS after he announced his move to the Los Angeles FC. The Italian defender recently retired from the national team and is finally leaving “The Old Lady” after 18 years of diligent service.

He has reportedly signed an 18-month contract with LAFC, and won’t be their highest-paid player, despite his stature. Chiellini spoke about his time at Juventus with a lot of love and revealed that he did everything that he can to help the club.

“We had these ten magnificent years, [and] it’s up to the lads to continue now. I did everything I could, [and] I hope that I left something,” Chiellini said.

Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri reacts

Chiellini’s manager Massimiliano Allegri spoke about the defender in glowing terms and revealed that he gave a lot to the world of football. Moreover, Allegri added that children should learn to defend from Chiellini’s highlight reels.

“Chiellini gave Italian, European and world football so much in terms of passion and love for his job. I think everyone in youth academies should study videos of Chiellini to learn how to defend,” Allegri said.

It’ll be interesting to see how this move works out for both the LAFC and Chiellini. The defender proved that he still has some firepower left in his engine with his performances in the Euros last year. However, he is 38-years-old now and he just might hang his boots up soon.

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