Chiellini reveals what he said to Jordi Alba

Giorgio Chiellini lifts the veil on what he said to Jordi Alba during the famous sequence.

One of the most humorous incidents of Euro 2020 took place just before the penalty shootout in the semi-final between Italy and Spain, when Giorgio Chiellini was joking with Jordi Alba.

Chiellini revealed that it was because Alba had mistakenly believed that he had won the draw and that the draw would take place in front of the Spanish fans.

“Much more has been said than what actually happened,” said Chiellini in an interview with the Italian Football Federation.

“We had to decide which side the draw would take place on and the referee said” red on one side, blue on the other”.

“When he saw the red side [of the coin], Jordi [Alba] thought it meant his side, but I jokingly pointed out that it did not.”

The Italian captain also described the emotional scenes as Italy triumphed on penalties.

“After the first one, I was desperate,” Chiellini noted. “We shared emotions that will remain forever and at the end there were hugs and a few tears.”

Before the final against England on Sunday, Chiellini said Italy’s rapid development under Roberto Mancini had taken him by surprise.

“Playing in the final is a dream come true,” he added. “At first we also thought Mancini was crazy when he told us we should think about winning the European Championship.