Giorgio Chiellini calls Paul Pogba “football’s LeBron James” and discusses victory in European Championship 2020
Giorgio Chiellini has hailed Paul Pogba as “football’s LeBron James” and revealed why Italy beat England within the European Championship 2020 remaining in an in-depth interview.
The Juventus legend performed alongside a younger Pogba for 4 seasons and received 4 Scudetti and two Coppa Italia throughout that interval.
When he spoke to The Times, the defender remembered when he first noticed the French midfielder in coaching. “Pogba is football’s LeBron James. Really, when I see him grow up it’s amazing,” he recalled.
“When I saw him the first week of training, I said, ‘What? He’s not real!’ He was from Manchester United, so I expected to meet a good player, but I also thought that if he does not play for United, he can not be a top. But he was. “
In addition to praising Pogba, Chiellini admitted that he’s upset that the midfielder has not persistently proven what he can do since shifting to Manchester United in 2016.
“He was different from the others and I’m sorry about that [since re-joining United] he does not quite show what he is. He has done fantastically in many matches but has not been lucky, with injuries and for other reasons. He has not been able to show, continuously, all his skill. “
The defender additionally took the time to talk about Italy’s European Championship triumph in 2020 – of which he was a vital half – and why Azzurri might turn out to be the very best England at Wembley within the remaining.
“The [England] was under more pressure than us and sometimes pressure is a fuel, but sometimes it is an obstacle. We felt those feelings. We felt this fear. Well, maybe not fear … but their nerves, this tension.
“At half-time, our locker room was quiet. If we’ve the ball, we’ll certainly rating targets. We will certainly discover the answer. Sticking to our feelings was a very powerful factor for us. And we have been fortunate in penalties. A draw was the suitable end result for the match. “
