You have to go back to 2003 to find the last calendar year which didn't include a Giorgio Chiellini appearance for Italy.
It was a year when Christian Panucci wore the captain's armband for the Azzurri. When Nicola Legrottaglie started at centre-back and Fabrizio Miccoli got regular minutes further forward. Simply put, it was a different time.
Now, for the first time in the best part of two decades, Italian football fans have to prepare for a Chiellini-less national team once more. The Juventus veteran has announced this summer's 'Finalissima' against Argentina at Wembley will be his last appearance in that famous blue shirt, and the next chapter will begin whether the country is ready for it or not.
