“He had the balls, no matter what” - Giorgio Chiellini picks who he would rather play with in a final between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo
Italy legend Giorgio Chiellini gave a clear response when explaining who among Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo he would like to play alongside in a final. Both icons are considered two of the greatest footballers of all time.
In an interview on The Overlap on Tour podcast on YouTube, Giorgio Chiellini was asked the age-old question of choosing between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. The Italian legend did not name a better footballer among the two but preferred his former teammate Ronaldo to play with in a final over Messi. He said (via Talk Sport):
"We cannot say for me, who is better, Messi or Cristiano. But if I have to pick one, for a final, Cristiano. I love to play with Cristiano. And I saw when the game is more difficult, he raises his level of performance."
Chiellini heaped praises on Ronaldo and continued:
"Well, Ronaldo, when you are losing, he had the balls, no matter what, to try to win. Shoot from everywhere in order to lead the team to win. And it is not easy to do for a lot of players. I loved to play with him because working with him and looking at him every day, with little details, is very nice."
Giorgio Chiellini was teammates with Cristiano Ronaldo at Juventus from 2018 to 2021, sharing the pitch 55 times with two joint-goal participations. The Italian legend also faced Ronaldo six times, all of which came during the latter's stint at Real Madrid (2009-2018). Chiellini won thrice, lost twice, and drew once against the Portuguese legend.
Meanwhile, Chiellini never played alongside Lionel Messi. However, he faced the Argentine ace four times across club and international tournaments. The former Juventus ace won twice and drew and lost once each against the Argentine superstar.
Did Giorgio Chiellini face Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo in a final?
Giorgio Chiellini faced both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in a final in his career. The legendary defender notably faced Messi in the 2022 La Finallisima, where Argentina won 3-0 against Italy. He has also faced La Pulga in the 2016-17 UEFA Champions League quarter-finals, where Chiellini's Juventus won 3-0 on aggregate.
It is worth noting that Lionel Messi and Giorgio Chiellini were also close to facing each other in a UEFA Champions League final. Messi's Barcelona had played against Juventus in the 2014-15 UCL final, with the Azulgrana winning 3-1. Unfortunately, Chiellini was ruled out of the game owing to a calf injury.
Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo's Real Madrid faced Chiellini's Juventus in the 2016-17 UEFA Champions League final, with Los Blancos winning 4-1. Chiellini also faced Ronaldo in the 2014-15 UCL semi-finals, with Juventus winning 3-2 on aggregate.
Ronaldo and Chiellini also met in the 2017-18 UCL quarter-finals, with the Merengues winning 4-3 on aggregate. Cristiano Ronaldo notably scored in every game he played against Giorgio Chiellini, with nine goals to his name in those six times.