The son of former Italy striker Enrico Chiesa, who scored 139 goals in 380 Serie A appearances for the likes of Sampdoria, Parma, Fiorentina and Lazio, Federico had a lot to live up to when he joined La Viola from local club Settignanese as a 10-year-old.
Blessed with blistering pace, he quickly rose through the youth ranks in Florence before breaking into the first team as an 18-year-old, making his senior debut for the club in August 2016 – against none other than Juventus.
Though still a teenager, it wasn’t long before Chiesa established himself as one of the first names on the team sheet.
“Chiesa was a fantastic player – very unique with a complete set of skills,” a Fiorentina club journalist told BBC Sport. “He was great at pressing, defending, and of course attacking, often creating chances out of nowhere.
“He played left and right winger in a 4-3-3, and as a second striker and wing-back in a 3-5-2. He did everything, and did it well. He needed to improve his finishing, but he was also playing in an average, defensively-minded Fiorentina side who created little up front.”
Chiesa’s final season in Florence was his most prolific. He registered 10 goals and nine assists across 34 Serie A appearances in 2019-20, earning him a move to Juventus in October 2020.
His debut campaign in Turin yielded similar numbers, and he appeared to have the world at his feet after being named in the Euro 2020 team of the tournament on the back of several eye-catching displays for winners Italy – only to suffer an anterior cruciate ligament injury in early January 2022 which kept him out for 10 months.
When he finally returned to action in November 2022 he struggled to recapture his fitness and form, managing just 11 goals and eight assists across 54 Serie A outings since – with nine of those goals coming last season under Massimiliano Allegri.