Federico Chiesa: Deep Dive - How Past Resilience Hints at a Hugely Successful Future

by Steven Northover

The history of Liverpool Football Club is festooned with a myriad of players who, for whatever reason, never really ‘made it’ at Liverpool, but had a hand in some of the club’s most glorious moments. 

Players who, despite never really starting that much, whenever they came on you expected *something*. 

I'm thinking Divok Origi making Barcelona look pedestrian in 2019, or mid-noughties John Arne Riise smashing in literal ‘leg-breakers’ from 40-yards against Manchester United. 

Into this bastion of “bloody hell, he could win this on his own” enters Federico Chiesa.

The son of former Sampdoria and Parma striker Enrico Chiesa, Federico was born in Genoa, Italy. 

After starting as a youth for Settignanese, an amateur team based out of a small village outside of Florence, he caught the eye of Fiorentina scouts and became a member of their academy in 2007. 

Nine years later, he signed his first professional contract, before making his debut in the first game of the 2016/17 Serie A season, a 2-1 away loss to rivals Juventus.

It was at Fiorentina where Chiesa developed his skills as a fast, skillful winger - deployed mainly on the right but more than capable of working just as well on the left. 

His early promise led to being called up to the Italian national team in 2018, after just 27 appearances for the Fiorentina first team - eventually going on to win the delayed Euro 2020 Championships against England at Wembley, as well as be named in the team of the tournament. 

Meanwhile, back in Florence, Chiesa’s performance drew considerable admiration both inside and out of Italy. A host of Serie A teams was linked with him, along with interest from Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea in the UK. 

Eventually, the winger chose to remain in Italy and move to Juventus, initially as a loan but with obligation for the Turin club to buy Chiesa for around €50 million (including add-ons). 

The move was highly controversial, given the rivalry between Fiorentina and Juventus, fans branded Chiesa a ‘traitor’. Meanwhile, Juve fans were angered that the club had spent so much on Fiorentina’s ‘star’ player. 

Despite the backlash, however, his time in Turin was arguably the most productive of his career - winning the Copa Italia twice (2020-21 and 2023-24), as well as the Italian Supercup in 2020. 

Indeed, in his first season, he scored 14 goals in 43 games - the most he has scored in a season to date. 

His career appeared to be going from strength to strength: a regular for his club, and a mainstay for his Nation - not to mention his already noted success in Euros - it appeared that Federico Chiesa was becoming one the most prestigious wingers in world football. 

However, in January 2022 during a match against Roma, Chiesa left the field following a heavy challenge from Chris Smalling, with what was initially thought to be a knee sprain. 

However, tests later revealed the winger had in fact ruptured his left ACL, an injury that would require surgery and a considerable recovery period - instantly ruling him out for the rest of the 21/22 season. 

At the time, he said, “My parents, my brothers, and my girlfriend have been very close to me. My father gave me many pieces of advice and still does since I occasionally have small aches. I missed the past game due muscle fatigue in the flexor muscle on the same leg I had knee surgery on.”

All told, it took Chiesa ten months to fully recover from the injury, making his eventual comeback in a final group match against Paris Saint-Germain in November 2022, with Juventus losing the game 2-1. 

Even then, he didn't reach full fitness until the end of the 22/23 season, and despite a number of exciting personal performances, Chiesa found his chances to start more and more limited under new manager Thiago Motta, eventually being completely excluded from first team activities entirely. 

At the time Motta said, “You’re not particularly in the project, you'll have to find yourself another team.”

As luck would have it, Chiesa did find another team…

Joining for a fee of around £10 million in August 2024, the Italian’s signing caused some excitement with the fan base - essentially because, Giorgi Mamardashvili aside, he represented Liverpool’s only foray into the Summer Transfer market that year. 

Chiesa stated about moving to Liverpool, "I'm so happy to be a Liverpool player. When Richard Hughes called me and he said, 'Do you want to join Liverpool?' – and the coach called me – I said yes immediately because I know the history of this club, I know what it represents to the fans."

Despite the perception that Liverpool’s midfield appeared ‘light’, Chiesa found his starting opportunities limited, not helped by a muscle strain injury that kept him out of 14 games during the 24/25 season.

Combined with the inevitable period required to ‘bed-in’ with the rest of the squad and understand tactics, he only managed to play a further 14 games in all competitions that season, scoring two goals. 

However, it was his relationship with the fans, bolstered by his ‘never say die’ attitude on the pitch and constant reaffirmation that ‘he wanted to play for Liverpool’ off it, which was his biggest strength in those fallow weeks and months. 

He stated, early into his time at LFC, “We have a great team and it’s hard to play, but that’s normal, because I want to be here, I want to play for Liverpool, I want to challenge myself.”

Even when it looked likely he was going to leave the club in the summer, to either Napoli or to the Bundesliga, it was Chiesa’s preference to stay at Anfield and fight for his place. 

It's a resilience that appears to be paying off. 

In a season where Liverpool appear to be depending on luck, rather than skill, to win games, Federico Chiesa is a shining light. 

Goals against Bournemouth, a double assist in the Carabao Cup, and another late goal that (at the time) appeared to steal a point from a much better Crystal Palace have cemented his profile as the player Arne Slot can turn to when the team’s back is against the wall. 

Will he play every game? Probably not. But whereas a year ago, his absence from a match team squad would be met with a dismissive shrug, it now feels that without Chiesa somewhere in the first team, Liverpool are missing a massive piece of the puzzle.

Tuesday’s match against, is a case in point - an underperforming front line, devoid of ideas and energy, was crying out for a player of Chiesa’s abilities.

However his own injury had led to him being left in Liverpool, itself telling that until the unfortunate injury to Giovanni Leoni, Chiesa was even in the European Squad for Liverpool. 

The story, thus far, of Federico Chiesa’s career at Liverpool, is a story of resilience, character, and the measure of a man willing to give it his all, even if there are scant rewards (aside, from League Winner’s medal - only the second Italian player to do so - but you get what I mean). 

Besides, how many other Liverpool players have their own song booming from every section of Anfield, after less than twenty games?