Italy captain Giorgio Chiellini has confirmed that he will retire from international football following this summer's Finalissima against Argentina at Wembley Stadium.
The Juventus skipper, a stalwart member of the Azzurri who led them to Euro 2020 glory last summer, will depart the national team following their clash with La Albiceleste in north London.
At 37, the Bianconeri centre-back would have hoped to have backed up European success with a shot at glory in the Qatar 2022 World Cup, but Italy's failure to qualify means he will now bow out with a final match at the stadium where he led them to their most recent trumph instead.
What has Chiellini said about his international retirement?
Speaking on Juventus duty following the club's 2-1 win over Sassuolo in Serie A on Monday, the veteran defender confirmed that he hopes to be available for the game in London - and that if so, he intends for it to be his swansong.
"If I'm fine, I'll play and say goodbye to the national team at Wembley, where I reached the peak of my career," he told DAZN.
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"It would be great to say goodbye to the Azzurri shirt with a celebratory match like the one with Argentina. For the national team, it will be the last time."
What is Chiellini's international record?
First capped in 2004 as a 20-year-old during a spell with Fiorentina, the defender was already an Olympic Bronze Medalist at Athens 2004 when he forced his way into regular contention, following a changing of the guard after Italy's Germany 2006 World Cup triumph.
Over a near-two-decade career, he has gone on to become the nation's fourth-most-capped player in history, with 116 games to his name - one more than frequent club and country partner Leonardo Bonucci.
Chiellini subsequently became one of the Azzurri's captains in 2012, and was a member of the side that lost the Euro 2012 Final to Spain.
A failure to qualify for the Russia 2018 World Cup hung over his tenure, but the dizzying run to last summer's Euro 2020 success has ensured that his reputation in national football history will be forever remembered fondly, even with a second successive blank ahead of Qatar 2022.
