Italy’s old guard Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci will have the task of stopping English’ youngsters’ Harry Kane and Raheem Sterling in the Euro 2020 final in London on Sunday.The Juventus centre-backs are the only survivors of Italy’s 4-0 final loss to Spain in Euro 2012, and central to the side Roberto Mancini’s reconstructed after the Azzurri failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup campaign behind them. Both Chiellini and Bonucci were on the pitch during the low of their play-off defeat by Sweden in November 2017 when they failed to qualify for the World Cup in 60 years.The Italian fans didn’t want to stop hugging Chiellini and Bonucci 🤗 pic.twitter.com/JH6mhB6wnE— B/R Football (@brfootball) July 2, 2021 Captain Chiellini spoke about his team’s ability to transform disappointment into enthusiasm and the desire to win.”It is a dream that we have cultivated in the last three years. We carry it with us. The coach instilled it in our heads until it became a reality. When he said we had to think about winning the European Championship, we thought he was crazy. Instead, we managed to get there and now the last centimetre is missing.”In Italy’s new-look young side, 36-year-old Chiellini and 34-year-old Bonucci, who between them boast 219 caps, are the centre-back pairing of choice. The duo have cultivated their art during a decade together at Juventus, apart from a brief ill-fated season-long spell Bonucci spent at AC Milan three years ago. Jose Mourinho lauded a pair who could give “a masterclass in defending at Harvard University” after his Manchester United side fell to a Champions League defeat in Turin.Chiellini’s mind games with Jordi Alba were not a cheat, reports sayBonucci has so far had an almost perfect European campaign, one of two Italian outfield players, along with Jorginho, to have started in all six matches. When not injured Chiellini, is Italy’s top defender. He returned after missing two Euro matches with a thigh injury. He was replaced by Lazio’s Francesco Acerbi. After seeing off two 28-year-old central strikers in Belgium’s Romelu Lukaku and Spain substitute Alvaro Morata, Italy now face 27-year-old Harry Kane.”It’s youngsters against old men! Kane? We’re not discovering him now. It’s been years that he’s being doing good things with Tottenham and England. In the last three matches, we’ve been lucky to come up against the three best strikers in the world. It’s just an added motivation not to concede anything. We know the difficulties they can give us and we will have to be careful about their speed.”The living legend of Juventus and the Italian national team remembers his first battle with Kane.”is a player that I have always liked very much. I remember one of his first appearances in the national team, we played in Turin against England and he immediately made a huge impression on me. But England is not only him, they have exceptional players on the flanks. Their bench alone could win the European Championship: Grealish, Sancho, Rashford, Calvert-Lewin, Foden. It will be a great match. Because we too have quality.Arsenal are pushing hard to sign EURO 2020 Italian starsWhatever the outcome on Sunday, it will not impact the friendship of the veteran defenders, as Bonucci revealed his plans for the days after the final.”We finish the 12 July and meet again on the 14th to go on holiday together. That says it all about our relationship on and off the pitch.”EURO 2020FinalSunday22.00: Italy – England
