Jose Mourinho must see something of himself in Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci .
It’s not often that he offers unqualified praise otherwise but, in their ruthlessness, tenacity and mastery of mind games, they certainly share things in common.
Speaking after Manchester United ’s 1-0 defeat to Juventus at Old Trafford back in 2018, Mourinho, then United manager, singled out Chiellini and Bonucci’s defensive partnership as the defining factor in his side’s defeat.
“ Juventus have a different level of quality and stability and experience and knowhow and, at the base of the team, they have Bonucci and Chiellini,” he said. “That’s the base that allows them to play with the freedom that they play in attack.
“Mr Bonucci and Mr Chiellini could give some Harvard University classes about how to be a central defender.”
Before his fruitless spell at Tottenham, Mourinho was used to being described as a serial winner. The same could be said of Chiellini and Bonucci, even if they are also coming off the back of a relatively barren season.
That’s by their standards, mind. Juve still won the Coppa Italia and the Supercoppa Italiana last term under the ill-fated management of Andrea Pirlo, even as they ceded the Scudetto to Inter Milan.
Before that, the Bianconeri had won a record nine league titles in a row.
Chiellini was almost ever-present during that run, with his cruciate ligament injury two years back one of the few things to keep him out of the side for an extended period, while Bonucci’s single season at AC Milan is the only reason he has one fewer title to his name from his time in Turin.
Bonucci has twice been on the losing side in a Champions League final, Chiellini once, with the latter missing the 3-1 defeat to Barcelona in 2015 with a calf injury.
Nonetheless, they have won everything there is to win with Juve domestically and will go down as one of Serie A’s iconic centre-back partnerships.
Having served as the bedrock of Italy’s defence for over a decade, however, Chiellini and Bonucci are yet to win a major tournament with the Azzurri . If they start together at Wembley on Sunday, it will be their 221st cap combined.
On the all-time list of appearances for Italy, Chiellini is seventh with 111 and Bonucci is eighth with 108. Chiellini is one away from drawing level with Dino Zoff, five away from matching Andrea Pirlo and six off Daniele De Rossi, with only Paolo Maldini, Fabio Cannavaro and Gianluigi Buffon looking unassailable at the top.
Where Zoff, Pirlo, De Rossi, Cannavaro and Buffon all won the World Cup – Maldini had to settle for two runners-up medals – Chiellini and Bonucci have been two constants in an era of uncertainty and flux for the national team.
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While they reached the final of Euro 2012 – even if they were thrashed 4-0 by Spain – they were also present as Italy went out at the group stage in consecutive World Cup campaigns in 2010 and 2014, drifted out of Euro 2016 in the quarter-finals and failed to qualify for Russia 2018.
Few would identify Chiellini and Bonucci as the main protagonists in those failures, with the Azzurri undergoing a long transition following their last World Cup triumph in 2006.
In the middle of the last decade, especially, Italy’s dearth of attacking talent was a cause of much angst and introspection.
Italy’s wilderness years seem to be behind them, with Roberto Mancini’s side going into Sunday’s final on the back of an unprecedented 33-match unbeaten streak.
While Chiellini and Bonucci have been vital to that success, Mancini has struck a delicate balance between attack and defence and, with a technically excellent midfield and in-form goalscorers like Lorenzo Insigne and Federico Chiesa, the Azzurri are a team to be feared going forwards.
Given that Chiellini is 36 and Bonucci is 34, they may not get many more chances to pull on the blue jersey.
Though he has already retired – and un-retired – from international duty once in the aftermath of the Russia 2018 debacle, Chiellini admitted Euro 2020 would “probably be my last event with the national team” before the start of the tournament.
As such, this may well be the last time we see Chiellini and Bonucci line up alongside each other on the international stage. After so much success and silverware with Juve, it looks likely to be their final chance to win something with Italy.
They may be in the twilight of their international careers but, as far as Mancini is concerned, there is no stronger defensive partnership on earth. “It’s been a number of years now that it’s been said they’re the best centre-back pairing in world football,” he said earlier this week.
“Their strength is that they want to prove that is still the case match in, match out, and I think that’s very important for a player, to prove that they are the best in their position with every game that passes.”
With a complete team around them and attacking flair to match their defensive instincts, Chiellini and Bonucci will be at their most formidable on Sunday.
Harry Kane, in particular, will have his work cut out for him, not that he has been fazed by much in the knockout rounds so far.
From Chiellini’s goal-saving tackle on Burak Yilmaz in Italy’s opener against Turkey, to the psychological warfare he waged on Jordi Alba ahead of the semi-final penalty shoot-out against Spain, from Bonucci’s bruising duels to his masterful interceptions, they have shown that they are still two of the toughest opponents going.
As their long vigil at the heart of Italy’s defence draws to a close, they will be more determined than ever to return home as champions.
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