Giorgio Chiellini has courted the controversy in his new biography, ‘Yeah, Giorgio,’ for his unbridled criticism of Felipe Melo and Mario Balotelli.
He portrayed Kalidou in a much more positive way, though, as he also disclosed his shock at receiving a message from Inter icon Javier Zanetti after his injury to the ACL.
“I’ve suffered, of course, like everyone else, but it was also beautiful,” he wrote, as Tuttosport reported. “Everyone called me, starting with my teammates. I read hundreds of messages, some I expected, some less so, others not at all. “I was very happy to read one from Javier Zanetti. I never would have spoken to him before.
Another one from which I didn’t expect was Pepe Reina, the former goalkeeper of Napoli, who wrote some very beautiful words.
“Other Napoli players called me, for instance Insigne and Koulibaly, but I had a relationship with them, unlike the one I had with Reina.”I respect Koulibaly a lot and I got to talk to him, to understand what kind of person he was.” In August the Senegalese turned his netback to hand Juve a 4-3 victory over Napoli, leading the 35-year-old to hug him on the pitch.
“After his own goal in Juve-Napoli on August 31 I think back to our embrace on the Allianz Stadium pitch.”Being the person I am, I almost regretted the gesture I made to him. Maybe it would have been easier for us to hug in the dressing room and just hold this thing between us.”But it came unexpectedly. I was searching for Kalidou, on my crutches to go to him. He had written to me ‘good luck’ the night before.
“I have had a wonderful relationship with him all along. A player so strong, a person so decent he makes such a mistake in the 92nd minute of a key encounter! “When I saw him with that smile, my heart melted: I felt that I needed to console him with a few words, nothing more. “‘You are the best, everyone makes mistakes. Continue to work like you know-how and everything will move.’
“I want everyone to be a player, not just a Juventini.”
