Gigi Buffon once ‘considered retirement’ after facing “unbelievable” Federico Chiesa

Federico Chiesa has already been praised by Daniel Sturridge, likened to Luis Suarez and even made Gianluigi Buffon consider retirement.

Liverpool have agreed a £10m fee plus £2.5m in add-ons with Juventus for the Italian winger and he will be able to complete a move to Anfield subject to a successful medical.

Despite there being some qualms about his injury record, Liverpool will feel they could have pulled off an exciting transfer for a player who has been on the club’s radar for some time.

Many in the Football world will agree.

The Euro 2020 winner has earned praise from the aforementioned Sturridge as well as Joe Cole and Rio Ferdinand. He’s also been likened to icons like Gareth Bale and Liverpool hero Suarez in the past.

 

Daniel Sturridge praise for Chiesa

Taking to his X account, former Liverpool striker Sturridge was one of the first among the ex-professionals to praise the Reds’ move for Chiesa describing it as a ‘top tier’ signing.

Chiesa to Liverpool is a top tier signing. Really good 1v1 , pace , tenacious and can finish. Genuinely shocked at the price tag,. Mike and Jools strike again lol… pic.twitter.com/cRXmx7F0xn

— Daniel Sturridge (@DanielSturridge) August 28, 2024

He’s not the only former Liverpool player to have spoken highly of the Italian in the past. Cole, who also played for Chelsea and West Ham, once likened Chiesa to Suarez on BT Sport (now TNT).

“The biggest attribute he’s got is he plays with a humility. He’s hustling and bustling like a young Luis Suarez character, he can make something out of nothing.” Cole said back in 2021.

“Every club in Europe will want a slice of him when he become available.”

During the same discussion, Ferdinand added that he thought other top teams in the Premier League would have been wondering why they didn’t sign Chiesa at the time.

The pundit said: “He’s a huge player and he’s been linked with a few clubs in England. I’m sure they’re thinking ‘why didn’t we get him?’

“He’s just a fantastic footballer. The intensity with which he plays with, we saw in the Euros he was the main goal threat for the Italians who went on to win the tournament.

“It’s his pace, his drive. He’s the one who is the threat, he’s potent, he wants to run in behind.

“He’s that modern day striker who can play anywhere across the front line and he’s as comfortable out wide as he is through the middle. He unnerves defenders with that pace, he’s so direct.”

 

Buffon confession and Bale comparisons

Suarez is not the only player Chiesa has been compared to. Former Fiorentina director Giancarlo Antognoni, likened Chiesa to Bale in an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport in 2019.

“The truth is that Chiesa is a European level player, not one traditionally associated with Italians,” he said.

“In Italy, we’ve had wide attackers with differing characteristics, such as my friend Bruno Conti or in today’s game Lorenzo Insigne.

“Chiesa has dribbling skills and quality, but also stamina, pace and power. He’s like a young Gareth Bale who drives you crazy and never gives in.”

Meanwhile, Gianluigi Buffon admitted he considered retiring from the Game when he first faced Chiesa after having been teaMMAtes with his father, Enrico, at Parma.

“When I faced him, at first I was disoriented,” he told Eurosport back in 2019.

“It was the first time I was playing against the son of a former friend of mine. I thought it was time to stop.”

Later, Buffon also described Chiesa as a “special” player.

“When he arrived at Juve I didn’t think he was so good. I am honest. In the European Championship he was unbelievable, in the final match with England, it was impossible to stop him,” Buffon said.

“After a season at Juve with Federico it is no longer a surprise for me, but it was not obvious that he would be able to play at such a high level in a tournament like the European Championship.

“If you do those things at such a high level, then it means that you are really special.”

If those comments from such a goalkeeping legned are anything to go by, Liverpool could have a really exciting player on their hands.