The Paper's reporter Ma Zuoyu
Chiellini and Bonucci celebrate goals.
326 games, which was the number of matches in which Chiellini and Bonucci were paired together.
1 is the number of national team intercontinental championships won by the two of them.
This 1, which happened to appear in the final of the European Cup, contributed to this 1, and it was Bonucci who equalized in the second half.
At this moment, Chiellini was 36 years old and 331 days old, and Bonucci was 34 years old and 71 days, and the combination of the two backcourts, who combined to be 71 years old, became the last and strongest barrier in front of Italian goalkeeper Donnarumma, as former Italian coach Conte lamented, "They are the strongest central defender combination in the European Cup." ”
The two of them have been at the bottom of the World Cup, witnessed the rise and fall of this football power, and ushered in a group of teammates sent to their side, but they have always stuck to their posts.
Chiellini and Bonucci brought the European Championship title to Italy.
The strongest centre-back combination, the dream of the European Cup
From Juventus to the Italian national team, Chiellini and Bonucci are among the most reassuring presences. But in life, they are two very different people.
Off the pitch, Chiellini was so different from his domineering style on the pitch that the mother of Spanish striker Morata lamented at one point that she was surprised by Chiellini's gentleness, courtesy and friendliness.
Chiellini, who has degrees in economics and business, once told The New York Times that he was "much calmer and more reflective" than he appeared.
He wrote in his autobiography that being captain of both Italy and Juventus gave him a sense of "calmness" so much that he could even easily temper his combative style during the game.
In this tournament, when Italy and Spain reached the penalty shootout in the semi-finals, his smile once overwhelmed Spanish defender Alba...
Bonucci and Chiellini are also Juve's centre-back pairs.
Bonucci, on the other hand, looks exquisite, but it is also contradictory - when he was young, Bonucci had a frizzy past. One coach once said he would take Bonucci to the basement and hit him in the stomach repeatedly to improve his concentration.
But in terms of style of play, Bonucci is also more "more modern" and better at reading the game. Juve's Dutch defender De Ligt admired Bonucci's "foresight, the accuracy of the long and short passes".
Indeed, at this European Championship, the 36-year-old Chiellini and the 34-year-old Bonucci still showed excellent competitive form.
The data doesn't lie – just before the final, according to UEFA's official website, Chiellini played 324 minutes and ran 34.7 km in 4 games, while his global success rate was 88% (176 successful passes in 198 passes), which was tied for second with Bonucci among the defenders who played more than 100 passes in the whole team.
Bonucci played 555 minutes and ran 55 km in six games, while succeeding in 319 of 362 passes.
'They're really the best centre-backs in the world. Even his opponent, Harry Kane, didn't hesitate to praise them, "I've been honored to have played against them on the pitch before. ”
In the end, it was the excellent performance of these two backcourt cores that helped Italy finally win the European Championship. In 11 years, the partner has made 326 appearances, whether in Juventus or the Italian national team, they have become the most reliable line of defense in Italy through one match after another.
Chiellini in the game.
A pair of iron-blooded comrades
Back 9 years ago, when Chiellini and Bonucci were still "not so mature", the defensive line they formed was completely torn apart by Spain; 9 years later, they stood on the final stage of the European Championship again, and the "sophisticated" pair of central defenders finally made up for their regrets.
"Chiellini and I will not give in on the pitch. When we seize the opportunity, we feel happy. Both on and off the field, Chiellini and I have a deep friendship and respect for each other. ”
In Bonucci's mouth, Chiellini's close relationship with himself no longer needs to be explained, "After this final, we will have to go on vacation together." ”
It is also this affection like a brother that makes them more tacit on the field. However, the pair of friends have also had disputes and frictions on and off the court.
In January 2016, after Juventus beat Sampdoria 2-1 away from home, Bonucci and Chiellini had a verbal altercation inside the players' tunnel.
At camp Nou in April 2017, in the second leg of the Champions League quarter-finals, when Bonucci asked Messi to change his shirt after the game in advance, Chiellini walked over and "lightly" Bonucci with a serious expression.
Although After the match, Bonucci explained that Chiellini was excited to create a free kick opportunity to celebrate, but many European media still insisted that Chiellini was not satisfied with Bonucci's change of jersey before the game was over...
Chiellini pressed Kane.
In July 2017, when news of Bonucci's transfer spread, Chiellini also publicly stated that Bonucci's departure would not affect Juve's dominance, "From a technical point of view, this is not a transfer that can change the balance." ”
However, these collisions and frictions are only because the two players are too strong personalities - in the words of Chiellini's sister in an interview with the European media that year, "everyone thinks that Bonucci will be the leader, the captain, the flag, he and Chiellini are too similar, in order to win, they are extremely tough." 」 ”
Because of their strong personalities and strong desire to win, they will have friction; but also because of this characteristic, the two centre-backs cherish each other.
Even when one was in Juve and one in AC Milan, when the two happened to meet on vacation in the Maldives, they still took a group photo and the two families had dinner together.
When Bonucci returned to Juventus, they became close comrades-in-arms. In Bonucci's view, Chiellini and he are more of a whole, "Compliments from the outside are always good, but we have to perform well in every game, prove that we are strong, prove that we are a good whole." ”
The heritage of Italian football depends on them to pass on
For the 36-year-old Chiellini, this trip to the final of the European Championship is not only a "dream come true" and a compensation for past regrets, but also, as Conte put it, "This may be the last important opportunity of his career to win the championship for the national team." ”
Since Italy's legendary goalkeeper Buffon withdrew from the national team, Chiellini took over italy's captain's armband in 2018, which is a responsibility and a spiritual inheritance.
In fact, Chiellini, who was wearing the captain's armband at the time, was 34 years old, "I have a thousand reasons to quit the national team, and age is undoubtedly the most important." But when I returned to the national team, the environment there gave me great encouragement and completely dispelled the idea of quitting. Everyone's desire to become a great team again is working hard for it. ”
It was under this belief that when Mancini inspired everyone in this Italian team again and again, and improved the team's offensive and defensive intensity little by little, Chiellini and Bonucci re-erected the Italian defensive barrier.
Italy had already held the record of "clean sheets" for 1168 minutes before being scored by Austria's high school striker Krach in this year's Euro 1/8 final. Although it has not been able to match the record of team history, the progress of this national team on the defensive end is "visible to the naked eye".
Bonucci became the oldest player to score in the Europa League final.
Chiellini is the mental pillar that stabilizes the military from the defensive end – a typical detail is that after being equalized by Spain in the semi-finals, Chiellini said to his teammates: "Okay, let's keep calm and keep playing". In the end, Chiellini led the team to complete the "revenge" and advanced to the final with his head held high.
Bonucci is also leading the youngsters around him with his actions - in the final with England, Bonucci not only scored goals, but also represented the national team on the stage of the European Championship for the 18th time, surpassing Buffon and becoming the first player of the Italian team to appear in the European Championship.
In European football, only Ronaldo, Moutinho and Pepe have more than him.
"I hope to be able to help the team in the future, I will never be a burden on the national team, I just want to pass on something. I can use experience to help young people grow, and I hope they can grow up as soon as possible. This is what Chiellini often says when he talks about the national team, and this inheritance also appears in Bonucci's words.
"Chiellini and I will go on until the end of our careers. Our goal is to make the players understand what it means to be in the national team. ”
Editor-in-Charge: Ascendas