Begrudging respect for this.
An Italian football fans has got a tattoo celebrating one of the most iconic moments of Euro 2020.
No, it’s not Donnarumma saving one of his many penalties. It’s not Bonucci’s equalising goal in the final. It’s not even the little car that drove the ball onto the pitch.
The fan has got a tattoo immortalising the moment Giorgio Chiellini cynically grabbed Bukayo Saka’s collar just before he sprinted free down the touchline right at the end of the final between England and Italy.
An Italian got this tattoo 😭😂😭 pic.twitter.com/klEVcgHw2I
— Footy Humour (@FootyHumour) July 17, 2021
You’ve just got to respect it haven’t you. Is there a greater shithousing nation in the world than the Italians?
Chiellini was duly booked for the challenge, with many arguing that it should have actually been a red and over 140,000 people signing a petition for the final to be replayed because of the incident. The term “clutching at straws” comes to mind there.
Nevertheless it was one of the most cynical fouls you’re ever likely to see, a moment that perfectly encapsulated the dogged and competitive attitude that characterises Chiellini and his Italian teammates, making them the winning machine that they are.
There’s a certain beauty to a such a cynical tackle.
Jose Mourinho perhaps summed it up best, telling talkSPORT: “What Chiellini did with Saka shows everything.
“He made his only mistake of the game, he lost the turn on the touchline. Saka was going: ‘You are not going, you stay with me, the shirt is mine and you are not going.’
“He knows what he is doing. This is a top defender and a very clever guy. I played Juventus with Manchester United a couple of seasons ago, and after the game at Old Trafford, I said something like: ‘These two guys should go to University of Sports and give lectures on how to be a central defender.’
👏 “What Chiellini did with Saka shows everything. This is a top defender.”
👨🎓 “Chiellini and Bonucci should got to university and give lectures on how to be a central defender.”
José Mourinho hails #ITA’s defensive partners Bonucci and @Chiellini pic.twitter.com/PwUL9aY89h
— talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) July 12, 2021
There is no denying that when it comes to the brilliant dark arts of defending, Chiellini is second to none.
