Bitten by Suárez in the 2014 World Cup, Chiellini retires – 12/14/2023 – The World Is a Ball

The scene, in Italy x Uruguay in the group round of the 2014 World Cup, in Brazil, is easy to remember, as it was one of those that marked that World Cup.

At Arena das Dunas, in Natal (RN), in Uruguay’s second-half attack from the left, Luis Suárez and Giorgio Chiellini are close together in the penalty area, almost in the small area.

The Uruguayan, moving quickly, attaches his mouth to the opponent’s left shoulder. They both fall. Moments later, the cameras show an unhappy Chiellini, bringing his right hand to the spot, and Suárez with his fingers in his mouth, looking in pain.

The Italian number 3 had been the victim of a bite from the Uruguayan number 9.

Chiellini showed the bite mark to anyone who wanted to see it, including Mexican referee Marco Antonio Rodríguez Moreno, who, as he did not see the move, did nothing, continuing the match normally. At the time, there was no VAR (video assistant referee).

The result, 1-0 for Uruguay, scored by defender Godín, qualified the South American team for the round of 16 and eliminated the European team.

Suárez, however, could no longer defend Celeste at the World Cup. When checking the images after the match, FIFA decided to punish the attacker: four months away from football.

In his defense, which was disregarded, Suárez stated that the bite was unintentional. That he lost his balance in the shot and that, with his mouth open, his teeth sank for an instant into Chiellini’s shoulder.

The memory of this story, which took place almost ten years ago, came to mind because one of the characters involved decided to hang up his boots and retire from football.

Chiellini, at 39, called time on a respected career.

He is one of Juventus’ greatest idols, the biggest winner of the Italian Championship (36 Scudettos), having participated in the nine most recent victories (from 2011 to 2019).

Left-handed, with little technique but a lot of seriousness and race, he wore the Squadra Azzurra shirt, considering the youth categories, since the year 2000, ending his participation in 2022.

There were 117 appearances and 8 goals for the Italy senior team. The peak came in 2021, when he captained the team to the European Championship title, with a triumph over England, on penalties, in the final in London.

He left Juventus in 2022 to play in the USA, at the Californian Los Angeles FC, for which he won the MLS (Major League Soccer, the main North American league) title that same year.

Having ended his career on the pitch, Chiellini, who is married and has two daughters, can dedicate himself, if he wishes, to another area of ​​activity, as he has a degree in economics and commerce from the University of Turin and a postgraduate degree in business administration .

The other character in this text, Suárez, is still enjoying a great moment in football, having been one of the best players (for many sports journalists, the best) in the 2023 Brazilian Championship, wearing the Grêmio uniform.

Luisito, nicknamed Pistoleiro, who was a teammate of Messi and Neymar at Barcelona last decade, said goodbye to the Rio Grande do Sul team at the end of the competition.

His most likely future is to follow Chiellini’s path and go to the USA, where he should settle with Inter Miami and team up again with the Argentine superstar, who is the same age as him (36).

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