Giorgio Chiellini says LAFC are 'perfect' for him

Giorgio Chiellini was officially unveiled as an LAFC player on Wednesday night.

The legendary Italian center-back arrives in Major League Soccer after a glittering 17-year spell with Juventus, where he made 561 appearances across all competitions and won a host of major honors, including nine Serie A titles.

Chiellini was in attendence as the Black and Gold beat FC Dallas 3-1 on Wednesday, cementing their position atop the Supporters' Shield standings with a seven-point lead. The 37-year-old even got involved in some post-match celebrations between players and supporters.

In the more relaxed setting of a press conference, Chiellini was quick to praise his new team and was actually a little confused as to why LAFC have signed him in the first place given their existing quality.

“I want to be honest. When I start to see the team, I said, they have fantastic defenders; why’d they call me?” Chiellini said with a grin, adding: “Everyone talks about Mamadou Fall, but I can say Jesus Murillo, [Sebastien] Ibeagha, who played the last matches and also on the wing – LAFC has fantastic defenders and it's a fantastic team."

Chiellini played and won in a European Championship final less than a year ago, while he helped Juventus qualify for the Champions League for the 10th consecutive season in his final campaign with the Old Lady.

Safe to say the quality remains high, despite his advancing age. But Chiellini is aiming to combine both to help turn LAFC into genuine winners - the Black and Gold have only managed a Supporters' Shield title to date, failing to reach an MLS Cup or US Open Cup final and losing the 2020 Concacaf Champions League final.

"Surely I can help them. I can help the team, not just playing, but leading every day the group, and this is my game and what I think. But I have fantastic teammates, and this is important," Chiellini said.

Despite his long career and seemingly never-ending list of achievements, this will be the first time Cheillini has played outside his native Italy. The 117-time international is convinced he's joined the 'perfect' club and is absolutely here to add to that impressive silverware collection.

“Surely it's a new chapter of mine, but from the first time I started to talk with Will [Kuntz] and John [Thorrington], I'm fully convinced of this club, that this club is perfect for me,” he said. “I start to understand the organization behind the club, and they really want me. And I understand this feeling from the beginning, and I am really happy and proud to be here.

“I hope to – I'm sure I can – bring something to this club, but I am fully convinced that I receive more than what I bring. I hope to lift some trophies because it's my goal, it's our goal, it's the team's, the club's goal.”