Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini announces his international retirement

It’s a page that turns for Giorgio Chiellini. The Italian defender has announced that he will retire from international duty after the friendly match against Argentina next June.

Italy’s failure to qualify for this year’s World Cup in Qatar appears to have precipitated the Juventus defender’s decision. The Azzurri were eliminated in the play-offs against North Macedonia.

The 37-year-old claimed the game against Argentina in London, where the Azzurri won the European Championship last July, will be his last.

“I will say goodbye to the national team at Wembley, where I had the peak of my career by winning the Euros”, Chiellini told DAZN after Juve’s 2-1 win at Sassuolo in Serie A on Monday.

“I would like to say goodbye to the Azzurri with a beautiful memory. It will definitely be my last game with Italy.”he added.

With 116 appearances for the national team, Chiellini is fifth in Italy’s ranking of most capped players of all time alongside Andrea Pirlo, with only Daniele De Rossi, Paolo Maldini, Fabio Cannavaro and Gianluigi Buffon ahead of him.

The central defender, however, has not decided to extend his club career beyond this season.

“My love story with Juventus does not end, it will never end”, he added. ” Of course, by the end of the season, I have to assess everything, talk to my family about what is best.”he believes.

Juve are fourth, eight points ahead of fifth-placed AS Roma with four games to go in the race for a Champions League spot. They will face Inter Milan in the Coppa Italia final on May 11.