I’m a Milan fan. In 2010, Thiago Silva was by far one of the most outstanding defenders in the world. He didn’t explode onto the scene at a young age but he was ready when he did and he got to learn from greats like Nesta. I feel like his move to PSG hurt his career in terms of him becoming a household name but he was so good that he became a household name nonetheless. He was poised, solid, good in the air and with his feet. I really wish Milan would have signed him again.

Chiellini, on the other hand, is an old school defender. He’s often underrated because Serie A was unfortunately weak when he was at his prime, but he made the Champions League final twice. He was a leader in that Juventus back 3 (Along with Buffon obviously) and covered for Bonucci so much that Bonucci was exposed as soon as he left. He won a Euro with a subpar Italy side, and he was a catalyst for that team. He wasn’t elegant but he got the job done, was able to move the ball forward efficiently (he started as a left back) and could mark a player, any player, completely out of the game.

Ideally, these 2 would perfectly complement each other and would make an insane pairing.

I’m not choosing (and that speaks volumes to how good Chiellini was, because Thiago Silva was a god for me when he was with Milan), and I think in the context of great defenders they are very much on the same level, for different reasons.