Aston Villa transfer target Weston McKennie offended Giorgio Chiellini with his choice of food – but became a Juventus hero

It's a miracle Giorgio Chiellini ended up playing in Los Angeles given the warnings from Aston Villa target Weston McKennie.

The Italian legend announced his retirement in December 2023, but not before having a brief last hurrah in the United States.

Nine-time Serie A winner with Juventus and third in all-time appearances for the club, Chiellini felt it was time to head to MLS in 2022, joining Los Angeles FC where he even lifted the MLS Cup.

An English speaker: remember “this is the story of Tottenham”? – Chiellini got a big taste of American culture in 2020 when one of the country's most promising young talents arrived in Turin: Weston McKennie.

McKennie had impressed for Schalke in Germany as one of the best ball-playing midfielders in the Bundesliga, and joined Juve as their first player. American.

However, although the United States and Italy share a number of historical ties, particularly in New York state, those do not extend to McKennie's hometown of Washington.

Juventus dove into documentaries about the world of football in 2021, and the ever-colorful McKennie stole the show with a highlight of the series.

Chiellini was seen sitting with McKennie during lunch, and the topic of conversation ranged from food to pizza.

“Do you know what ranch dressing is?” -He asked the defender. “It's a white sauce. Normally it is for salad, if you put it on pizza…”

Cheillini could hardly believe what he was hearing and responded, “What are you telling me? I'm afraid of American clothing.

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“We only use olive oil, nothing else. It's amazing.”

Gianlugi Buffon was left dumbfounded, while even Turkish international Merih Demiral was left dumbfounded.

Soon, surprise turned to laughter and McKennie even joked about what Italian coffee does to his intestines.

And while it was all fun and games, it shows one of the midfielder's greatest abilities: he is adored in the locker room.

Someone who can take the seriousness out of football until the team emerges from the tunnel, McKennie is adored at Juventus and Schalke, two of the biggest clubs in world football, even in their current states.

However, the outlier of his career was a loan spell at Leeds, where he failed to make an impact when the club was relegated.

That incredibly disappointing period certainly damaged his reputation in England, but not enough for those looking at the bigger picture.

Last season at Juve, McKennie won back the hearts of one of the continent's most demanding fans and, despite questions over his fitness, only three players made more appearances in a campaign in which they lifted the title. Italian Cup and returned to the Champions League.

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It seems that it was enough to convince Unai Emerythe coach who has hardly made a mistake since arriving at Aston Villa, and his right-hand man and transfer guru, Monchi.

Reports claim he is a top target for this summer window and a swap deal with Douglas Luis it might even be in plain sight.

McKennie has since reiterated his desire to extend his contract with Juve, which expires next summer, but a second chance in the Premier League is on the cards.

However, that would be bad news for Juve fans, and even for Chiellini, despite having started on the wrong foot.