Core member of the Juventus wall, Giorgio Chiellini, reveals he grew up supporting historic rivals AC Milanin a surprising interview with Sky Italia, via Calciomercato.
The stoic Italian defender has been with Juve well over a decade since joining from Fiorentina in 2005. None other than Paolo Maldini was his on-field icon growing up; a legend of AC Milan and globally regarded as one of the greatest defenders to grace the pitch in the modern era.
I used to support AC Milan, whilst my twin brother is a juventino. My idol was Paolo Maldini. Then Juventus called me and I was playing for Livorno.
"I love that team and I respect them a lot, but Juventus would have been a big step for my career, just like AC Milan or Inter would have been. I couldn't be too choosy.�
Chiellini is somewhat of a defensive enigma in the European game, with five Italian league titles and two Coppa Italia's during his spell at the Old Lady.
The 32-year-old is still very much apart of Juventus' plan A for title success, with manager Massimiliano Allegri clearly valuing his services as their most experienced centre-back.
Its likelyhe will miss out on the club's upcoming clash with AC Milan this weekend following an injury sustained through Juventus' relentless February/March match schedule.
Chiellini will undergo medical testing on Wednesday,but is expected to be sidelined for another week or more, ruling him out of next week's Champions League second leg with FC Porto.