The man may be a maestro but he’s not much of a singer.
Moments after the Los Angeles Football Club’s second straight Western Conference final was clinched on Saturday, 39-year-old Giorgio Chiellini’s voice crackled into a megaphone as he and his teammates engaged with happy supporters in the North End of BMO Stadium.
Carrying a tune isn’t in the job description for one of soccer’s best defenders of his generation, so an amusing rendition of LAFC’s celebratory “sha-la-la” is easily forgiven, particularly because everything it lacked insofar as carrying a tune was made up for by the characteristic Chiellini has in spades.
“I’m really excited to share all my emotions with you,” the defender said on the day of his introduction, last year in June. “I really believe emotion is the biggest driver of life.
“I want to be Giorgio. I want to help the team. I want to not change the group but just to add my skills, my energy and my experience. I think this is something that happens normally. Not forced.”
The now 39-year-old Italian has done exactly what he said he wanted to since arriving in Los Angeles.
Following what seemed like a lifetime spearheading the backline for Juventus, where he won nine straight Serie A titles from 2011-2020, and successful campaigns for the Italian national team, the worst that teammates, coaches, opposing players and people who care about soccer in the city can say about him is he won’t win any singing competitions.
Obviously, this is not the prize he’s been determined to claim since growing up in Pisa, Itay, the city of the leaning tower.
Among the many aspects that define Chiellini which the organization and people around the club quickly learned to appreciate has been his sincerity; his driven sense of purpose and professionalism; and unbridled joy, even after all these years, for the game itself.
“I don’t think I’m stretching by saying the favorite player I’ve ever played with,” defender Ryan Hollingshead said Saturday. “The way that this guy loves the game, knows the game, interacts with every one of his teammates, makes himself better and the team better by the way that he talks, the way that he organizes, the way that he’s just reading things at all times.
“Not to mention there’s nothing I love more in the world than watching an MLS striker trying to challenge Giorgio for a longball. It is unbelievable. As the ball is traveling, in my head I’m just laughing watching these guys. They’ll look over their shoulder trying to track where Giorgio is and it’s like, good luck.”
Chiellini has appeared in each of the four playoff games for Steve Cherundolo in 2023, starting three after struggling with injuries during last year’s MLS Cup run. He watched the win over Philadelphia – the “craziest match” the Italian said he’s ever been a part – from the bench.
“He is without a doubt the biggest student of the game,” Cherundolo said. “Watching all MLS teams. Players. Video. After games. In the plan. On the way there. Asking questions. Getting our players to watch more video. Making sure he knows all of his opponents inside and out before he faces them, which is very true to all the top defenders around the world.”
LAFC has conceded two goals in the postseason, and will travel to Columbus, Ohio, following three straight clean sheets, attempting to repeat as champions in large part to the strength of their defensive work.
The Columbus Crew, led by head coach Wilfried Nancy, began its season analyzing video of Chiellini’s defensive prowess during his days with Juventus. This week, the coach said he found it funny that his team will end the season by attempting to break down a center back that he loves.
“I have a massive respect for this player and person also, because he won a lot of things but always has a smile on his face,” said Nancy, whose players combined to lead MLS with 67 goals in the regular season. “When I talk my values, a few words really important for me is ‘compete’ and ‘enjoy.’ And Chiellini, for me, is exactly the characteristic of these two words.
“He knows how to defend, that’s why they know him. He’s a master to bomb the guy before he receives the ball. He’s a master also to read the play. He’s a master also to grab the players just to disrupt the run.
“As a coach, it’s going to be good to see how my players are going to be able to attack this back line.”
If Chiellini steps on the field on Saturday as expected he will become the second oldest player to appear in an MLS Cup and the oldest non-goalkeeper to appear in the final.
Add that to the list of areas Old Giorgio has left his mark.
In the season opener, a 3-2 win over Portland, Chiellini scored his first MLS goal, becoming the fifth oldest to do so in league history. On Decision Day in Vancouver, he became the oldest player to start a regular season match. He’s also the oldest player in MLS history to record an assist.
“I’m so happy I’m living this experience,” Chiellini said in September. “I could say I was smart but I prefer to say lucky to find a club like this one that welcomed me in the best way possible, took care of me and my family in the first months that was very tough. I think this experience gives me a break for sure after a long career and pressure in Europe, but opens my mind as a person first and a sports business manager that is my idea for the future.”
Convinced he made the right decision to postpone retirement and depart Italy for L.A., where his daughter will finish high school next year, Chiellini isn’t concerned about how much time he has left to play prior to what could be his last chance over a remarkable career to celebrate.
Fully recovered from a torn ACL in 2019, Chiellini said. “I’m feeling much, much better than the second part of last season. I’m trying to help the team on the field, off the field. I have a huge relationship with all the people in LAFC and I’m so happy that you could see that every day in my face. We have the same goal: try to win more trophies as possible.”