Giorgio Chiellini: How Masters Holder Masterminded Italy’s EURO 2020 Triumph
- Euro 2020 winner with Italy Giorgio Chiellini remains one of the few players to have successfully combined football with education
- The Italian defender and skipper played a leading role as the Azzuri clinched their second-ever continental trophy
- The 36-year-old, revered for his prowess on the field of play, now boasts Bachelors and Masters degrees from the University of Turin
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In football, it is hard to find a player who combines their work on the pitch with the pursuit of education at the highest level.
But Italy captain Giorgio Chiellini is earning his stripes as the latest notable case study after becoming one such 'educated footballer'.
Fresh off winning the 2020 European Football Championship with the Azzuri, the defender's performance at the competition cannot be understated as he played a leading role en route to the country's second success at the European showpiece.
Source: UGC
Chiellini, revered for his outstanding role on the field, now boasts Bachelors and Master degrees from the University of Turin. The Livorno native managed to achieve this despite the exhaustion that comes with playing the sport.
He first obtained a Bachelors degree in Economics from the University of Turin in 2010 and seven years later, bagged a Masters degree in Business Administration from the same University.
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Until the 2020 Euro triumph, Italy had won the competition only once, despite winning the FIFA World Cup in 2006, their most recent success before the Euros that ended over the weekend.
Going into the tournament, the Italians knew they needed inspiration from someone who can lead on and off the pitch and regardless of his age, Roberto Mancini picked a 36-year-old Chiellini as his captain.
Chiellini was a standout performer, playing five games, which cumulated to 444 minutes and picked only one caution at the tournament, which was in the final against England when he hurled Bukayo Saka back after the petite Arsenal star was left with pace to burn.
Interestingly, the old centre-back covered 47.4 kilometers at the competition with a passing accuracy of 90 per cent, he made 21 clearance and had two vital blocks. He recovered 37 balls and made three crucial tackles.
At the point when the Italians were down in the finals against the Three Lions, it was Chiellini's crucial header that hit the post and fell into the part of Leonardo Bonucci for the equalizer.
Even before the final, he had inspired his team to a penalty shootout victory over Spain, and his calmness ahead of the shootout against England was such a morale booster for his teammates.
He may be an achiever on the pitch, but his leadership knowledge earned from the lecture halls has been massively translated on the pitch as Italy secure a second European championship, thanks to the evergreen Chiellini.
Leonardo Bonucci mocks England team after Azurri final heroics
In a related sports story, Briefly News reported that Italian defender, Leonardo Bonucci was seen in a new video mocking the English national team and England fans after his side defeated England 3-2 on penalties on Sunday night.
Two stunning saves from Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma denied Bukayo Saka and Jadon Sancho from scoring to help the Azzurri win.
It was a pulsating game that ended 1-1 after Manchester United left-back Luke Shaw opened the scoring for the Three Lions with a volley from close range after connecting with Kieran Trippier's inch-perfect cross in the first half.
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Source: Briefly News
Kelly Lippke (Senior Editor) Kelly Lippke is a copy editor/proofreader who started her career at the Northern-Natal Courier with a BA in Communication Science/Psychology (Unisa, 2007). Kelly has worked for several Caxton publications, including the Highway Mail and Northglen News. Kelly’s unique editing perspective stems from an additional major in Linguistics. Kelly joined Briefly News in 2018 and she has 14 years of experience. Kelly has also passed a set of trainings by Google News Initiative. You can reach her at kelly.lippke@briefly.co.za.
Tshepiso Mametela (Head of Current Affairs Desk) Tshepiso Mametela is a seasoned journalist with eight years of experience writing for online and print publications. He is the current affairs Head of Desk at Briefly News. He was a news reporter for The Herald, a senior sports contributor at Opera News SA, and a reporter for Caxton Local Media’s Bedfordview and Edenvale News and Joburg East Express community titles. He has attended media workshops, including the crime and court reporting one by the Wits Justice Project and Wits Centre for Journalism in 2024. Email: tshepiso.mametela@briefly.co.za
