Italy’s Giorgio Chiellini on Harry Kane and the dream of meeting England in the EURO 2020 final

“Now there is only the last inch left,” said defender Giorgio Chiellini EURO2020.com when Italy strives to embark on a magnificent journey of honor.

Italy’s progress to the UEFA EURO 2020 final came as a surprise to some, but not Giorgio Chiellini, who had warned his friends ahead of the tournament to expect an emotional summer.

Age 36, this may be the midfielder’s last chance to win a major international trophy. The final against England on Sunday will be his 112th Azzurri match and Juventus’ stalwart is determined to make it one to remember. He spoke to EURO2020.com about the final, Harry Kane, his partnership with Leonardo Bonucci and what it would mean to lift the trophy at Wembley.

This championship has been very emotional, from the first match against Turkey until now. But if I read some of the texts I sent before EURO 2020 to some of my close friends, the feeling was that we would have a summer filled with emotions, joy, magical nights and adventures. It was in us because you felt the lightness and the bond that we feel when this team does things together.

[Getting to the final is] a dream we have chased over the years, a dream we have had [with us] for three years, a dream that our coach slowly put in his mind until it came true. At first, when he told us to keep in mind to win the EURO, we thought he was crazy; instead, during these years he has created a team that is now on the verge of doing so. And as he has repeated for us after every match, “one centimeter at a time”, and now there is only the last centimeter left.

A formidable duo / ANDREAS SOLARO / Getty Images

We have played together for so many years at a high level. Obviously, when your team is doing very well, it’s ordinary people talking about [the partnership], men [getting acclaim] is not our main focus, because the only thing that really matters is that the team wins when the final whistle blows. The team does not just win thanks to Giorgio [Chiellini]Leo [Bonucci] or any other individual player. It is the whole squad that has a fantastic tournament, in all positions. This is the only truth. Otherwise you can not win competitions like this.

It’s going to be tough. Extremely tough. I have always liked [Harry Kane] very. I still remember one of his first matches with England when we played against them in Turin [on Kane’s full England debut, a 1-1 draw in 2015]. Even then, he made a big impression on me. I was lucky to play against him [in a game against] Tottenham. He knows how to play deep and how to play a defense that divides a teammate. He scores with his head and from far and near.

England are clearly not just Kane as they have fantastic players on both wings and their replacement can all be in the starting XI of a team that wins this competition. Players like [Jack] Grealish, [Jadon] Sancho, [Marcus] Rashford, [Dominic] Calvert-Lewin, [Phil] The foot was all on the bench but they are top players, inclusive [Jordan] Henderson – Liverpool captain. It will be a fantastic match. Neither team will be afraid but both will have a lot of respect for each other.

Each age has its good points. A win is as exciting at 36 as it is 21 for someone like that [Giacomo] Scrapers. Maybe at 36, you feel it more because you understand more how difficult it is and the work that goes into it. I think I have managed to bring my experience here and the feelings I felt from the 15 years since I started playing professionally. You know how it feels at all ages: at 20, 25 and 30, you begin to understand the behavior of your teammates. Now I have the maturity to understand what this championship means to us.