Chiellini: ‘Messi, Ronaldo and Ibra the toughest’ | OneFootball

Giorgio Chiellini reveals that alongside Lionel Messi and Cristiano, Zlatan Ibrahimovic is the toughest opponent he’s faced on the pitch.

The Bianconeri captain is sitting out the season with injury but took part in a  Juve Junior Members’ event at the Juventus Stadium and fielded questions about his career.

“Toughest opponent? Apart from Ronaldo and Messi, who are two extra-terrestrials, I always say Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

“He had physical strength, technique, personality… I had the fortune to play with him and against him.

“Growing up? I was a Milan fan, unfortunately, then I got better. I became smarter growing up. Maldini was my favourite player.

“I have a twin brother, he was a Juve fan and I had to go against him and be Milan. Can you imagine how happy he was when Juve bought me when I was 20 years old?

“When I moved here I immediately fell in love with the club, and now I think it’s difficult to find a bigger Juve fan on this earth than me.

“Defending? You must find pleasure in stopping a move. The emotions that others find in scoring, you have to feel the same in stopping them.

“If you find those emotions, you can become a great defender.

“Unforgettable games? My first match because it will always be my first. It was against Messina and we won 3-0 .

“The other was that night in Trieste [against Cagliari], the first in our run [of Scudetti]. It was a night of strong emotions, which will always stay with me.”

[Translation from Football Italia]