Italian giants Juventus just faced a major setback in their attempt to win their ninth straight Seria A title. Their defender and team captain Giorgio Chiellini tore his ACL on Friday and is in danger of missing the entire 2019/20 season rehabbing from the injury.
According to Juve’s official statement, Chiellini suffered the injury on training and “will undergo surgery in coming days” to repair the damage on his right knee. While the team did not reveal the timetable for the 35-year-old’s recovery, it is expected that he will miss five to six months at best.
Giorgio Chiellini joined Juventus in 2005 and has been the heart of the team’s defense ever since. He played a total of 507 games in Juve jersey in all competition, managing to score 36 goals and helping them to 17 trophies. Chiellini also made 103 appearances with Italy’s national team.
In Chiellini’s absence, it is expected that Dutch wunderkind Matthijs de Ligt partners up with Leonardo Bonucci as the back two. de Ligt joined Juventus in June from Ajax in a transfer worth $82.5 million.
