Giorgio Chiellini attended the Book Fair and shared his thoughts:
You`ve always supported Insuperabili and now also Juventus One…
“I`m here to represent all my families, everything that has accompanied me for 40 years. I got involved with Insuperabili right away when they needed financial help. We met, discussed what was needed, the budget, the project… and that`s how it all started. It began as a simple football school; now there are 20 Academies across Italy and projects abroad. In parallel, now that I`m back at Juventus, I`m happy to support a project I found upon my return: Juventus One. We are all excited for the match on Sunday, but Juve is also much more; it looks forward, it`s inclusion. Juventus One is one of these projects. It won`t score goals for us on Sunday, but it gives so much more in the context of the city of Turin as well.”
Would you have gotten involved in these areas even without your experience as a footballer?
“Yes, I definitely would have been involved in these areas; the values are the same. I would have done something in sport, helped those in need, I would have found a way to help them.”
Can you share an anecdote involving the kids?
“After I broke my knee in 2018, a few days later I received a video from the kids saying: `You can come and play here with us.` It`s a story I hold close; I try to dedicate some time to them each year. Regarding Juventus One, the history is yet to be fully written. What I want to do is look further ahead. My dream is for there to be a league where Juventus competes and where the athletes are registered by Juventus: the first registered player, that`s the photo I`d like to see in my history at Juventus. This is one of the many things I`d like to see. In a club like Juve, it`s nice to have people behind the scenes thinking about many things, and then they lead you to have all these stories to tell.”
Marco Tealdo, Juventus One manager
On the Juventus One project…
“From today onwards, it must become everyone`s heritage and something we talk about. Juventus One is a meeting point, a place where people have found renewed energy using football as a tool. Juventus One prohibits all forms of pity and ableism. These are not unfortunate people, but true athletes. A place where dignity comes first. Juventus One is first and foremost a football team. Real football, the same as Giorgio`s. We have distanced ourselves from football-therapy; Juventus One is about wanting to be athletes and having the ambition to win. Knowing how to handle victory and defeat, being punctual for training, managing the coach`s decisions: in short, the essence of being a footballer. It`s not about goodwill or pity; that`s what we leverage. The encounter with Juventus was a catalyst; it allowed us to amplify our vision and consider these individuals true athletes.”