It Is Inappropriate For A Captain Like Chiellini To Say Badly About Balotelli And Melo

Giorgio Chiellini (Instagram @ciorgiochiellini)

JAKARTA - Marco Tardelli expressed his disappointment over Giorgio Chiellini's harsh comments about Mario Balotelli and Felipe Melo.

Chiellini, who has released a new book titled Io Giorgio, accused Mario Balotelli of being a "negative person" who deserves to be slapped for his behavior when he was part of the Italian squad at the 2013 Confederations Cup.

The Juventus defender was even harsher when he talked about his former club mate Felipe Melo. Chiellini called the Brazilian "the worst of the worst" and said he told team management that the midfielder was a rotten apple.

The two players immediately responded to Chiellini's attack, who also expressed hatred for rivals Inter Milan. Balotelli emphasized that he had never disrespected the Italian jersey and regretted that the Juve player never said it directly. Meanwhile Melo called the veteran defender unprofessional.

Tardelli reacted to Chiellini's words on Twitter, posting: "I am truly disappointed by the statements of Giorgio Chiellini, the captain of the national team, Juventus and a prominent man on the board of the AIC [Italian Footballers Association].

"Rant against teammates - colleagues who should take it as a reference.

Sono veramente dispiaciuto delle dichiarazioni di Giorgio #Chiellini, capitano della #Nazionale, della #Juventus e uomo di spicco nel direttivo #AIC. @chiellini pic.twitter.com/kDdaujLVxS

- Marco Tardelli (MarcoTardelli82) May 10, 2020

"The hatred declared against other clubs creates hatred. Respect for opponents even in the toughest of fights, that's what I learned from captains like Dino Zoff and Gaetano Scirea."

Tardelli spent 10 seasons with Juve and then two with Inter to end his Serie A career. He won the World Cup with Italy in 1982.