From Cristiano Ronaldo to Andrea Pirlo, Giorgio Chiellini has played alongside some of the best players of his generation, but who does he consider as his worst teammates?
In May 2020, the Italian defender released his autobiography, detailing the various highs and lows from his playing career.
He also named these two specific players as the worst teammates that he’s ever had.
Mario Balotelli
During his formative years, the Italian striker was hyped as one of the best emerging talents in Europe and for good reason.
He made headlines during his teenage years with Inter Milan and earned cult-hero status during his time in England with Manchester City.
However, it’s fair to say that Balotelli isn’t everyone’s cup of tea and he’s certainly capable of rubbing people the wrong way.
Chiellini never saw eye-to-eye with the striker and the pair clashed while on international duty for Italy back in 2013.
“I was really let down by two players and I confirm everything I wrote in the book,” Chiellini explained.
“Balotelli is a negative person, with no respect for the group. During the Confederations Cup against Brazil in 2013, he didn’t lend a helping hand for anything, he really did deserve a slap.
“Some people thought he was among the top five strikers in the world, but I never even considered him in the top 10 or 20.”
Those were some pretty brutal comments, although since releasing his book, Chiellini has cleared the air with Balotelli.
The pair appeared on Italian TV together in 2020 and, during a video call, seemed to bury the hatchet.
“There were some disagreements, I’m sorry, but I had to say something, Mario,” Chiellini said.
To which Balotelli replied: “Even if you unexpectedly stabbed me in the back, I still love you.”
Felipe Melo
The Brazilian midfielder joined Juventus in 2009 and spent two years playing alongside Chiellini.
Going off the comments the Italian defender made in his book, it’s safe to say that Melo isn’t on his Christmas card list.
“However, there was someone worse [than Balotelli], Felipe Melo: really the worst of the worst,” Chiellini wrote.
“I cannot abide people who lack respect, those who always want to be contrarians.
“With him around, it was permanently likely to break out into a brawl. I told the directors that, too: he is a bad apple.”
Melo was shown a whopping 26 red cards throughout his career, making him statistically one of the dirtiest players in football history.
While Balotelli made amends with Chiellini after his book was released, Melo didn’t take his comments very well.
“I’d like to know what incidents he was referring to,” Melo told La Gazzetta dello Sport.
“When I was in Turin, I never lacked respect for anyone: teammates, directors or Juventus in general. At this point, though, I have no respect for him. And I never will have.
“He says Balotelli should be slapped and I am the worst of the worst who always risked sparking a brawl? Well, he was always a coward who’d wet himself…
“Besides, it’s too easy to be nasty about someone in a book. Perhaps ‘this defender’ is still angry with me, because when I went to Galatasaray, we gave his Juve some ‘slaps’ and knocked them out of the Champions League. Or that Inter won everything and I am an Interista.
“This is what Chiellini is like, he always acts as if he’s the greatest… I am also reminded that we beat Italy 3-0 in the 2009 Confederations Cup, won eventually by Brazil.
“Perhaps he’s still bitter about that too, seeing as he’s won nothing at international level with Italy.”
Since making those comments, Chiellini has won the Euros with Italy, but Melo’s brutal words will still no doubt sting.
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