Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini talked on Friday (24th June) about the upcoming last 16 tie against Spain at Euro 2016, his thoughts on the Brexit referendum and the future of former team-mate Alvaro Morata.

Giorgio Chiellini will be facing a familiar foe when his Italy side lines up against Spain in the last 16 of the European Championship in Paris on Monday.

Italy were humiliated 4-0 by Spain in the Euro 2012 final in Kiev, Ukraine, having lost on penalties to La Roja in the quarter-finals four years previously in Vienna.

They also lost to the Spanish in a shoot-out in the semi-finals of the 2013 Confederations Cup.

Chiellini is a stalwart in an Italy defence that kept Belgium's much-vaunted attack quiet and also shut out Zlatan Ibrahimovic's Sweden.

The spine of that defence has been playing together for years at both club and country level, with Chiellini, Andrea Barzagli, Leonardo Bonucci and veteran goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon all team-mates at Juventus.

Spain striker Alvaro Morata, who scored three goals in the group stage, spent the past two years at Juventus before Real Madrid exercised its option to buy him back this week.

The news of Britain's decision to leave the European Union has become a topic of discussion for players at the European Championship.

Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini and his team-mates went to bed thinking Britain would vote to remain in the European Union and they were shocked to learn the country chose to leave.

"This vote is the symptom of a general discontent that you can feel in Italy and all across Europe, but I think that discontent shouldn't lead to a vote for disintegration", Chiellini said on Friday.

Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini talked on Friday (24th June) about the upcoming last 16 tie against Spain at Euro 2016, his thoughts on the Brexit referendum and the future of former team-mate Alvaro Morata.

Giorgio Chiellini will be facing a familiar foe when his Italy side lines up against Spain in the last 16 of the European Championship in Paris on Monday.

Italy were humiliated 4-0 by Spain in the Euro 2012 final in Kiev, Ukraine, having lost on penalties to La Roja in the quarter-finals four years previously in Vienna.

They also lost to the Spanish in a shoot-out in the semi-finals of the 2013 Confederations Cup.

Chiellini is a stalwart in an Italy defence that kept Belgium's much-vaunted attack quiet and also shut out Zlatan Ibrahimovic's Sweden.

The spine of that defence has been playing together for years at both club and country level, with Chiellini, Andrea Barzagli, Leonardo Bonucci and veteran goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon all team-mates at Juventus.

Spain striker Alvaro Morata, who scored three goals in the group stage, spent the past two years at Juventus before Real Madrid exercised its option to buy him back this week.

The news of Britain's decision to leave the European Union has become a topic of discussion for players at the European Championship.

Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini and his team-mates went to bed thinking Britain would vote to remain in the European Union and they were shocked to learn the country chose to leave.

"This vote is the symptom of a general discontent that you can feel in Italy and all across Europe, but I think that discontent shouldn't lead to a vote for disintegration", Chiellini said on Friday.

Parc des Expositions, Montpellier, France. 24th June, 2016.

1 00:00 Defender Giorgio Chiellini arrives for news conference

2. 00:11 SOUNDBITE: (Italian) Giorgio Chiellini, Italy defender: (on the Round of 16 match against Spain)

"I'm anticipating a very balanced match, where one small detail can make the difference. There's mutual respect, certainly two different schools of football, but it will be a great match, too bad it will already happen at a last 16 tie, but that will be further motivation for us."

3. 00:40 Cutaway of news conference

4. 00:44 SOUNDBITE: (Italian) Giorgio Chiellini, Italy defender (on the current Spanish team compared to the squad of the 2014 World Cup):

"This is definitely a livelier team, they have found again the will to fight and to win. Then of course they have their own flaws, and we will try to take advantage of them, but they're not a dead team, we all have to realise that right now."

5. 01:05 Cutaway of Chiellini holding news conference

6. 01:08 SOUNDBITE: (Italian) Giorgio Chiellini, Italy defender (on the Brexit referendum):

"I think this vote is the symptom of a general discontent that you can feel in Italy and all across Europe, but I think that discontent should not lead to vote for disintegration. It should be instead a reason to get together and find a policy of unity to get out of these problems."

7. 01:40 Cutaway of Chiellini holding news conference

8. 01:43 SOUNDBITE: (Italian) Giorgio Chiellini, Italy defender: (on the Brexit referendum):

"Discontent can lead to vote for a change, even without any programme or logic behind, and I think that unfortunately this is what happened in the UK."

9. 02:02 Cutaway of news conference

10. 02:06 SOUNDBITE: (Italian) Giorgio Chiellini, Italy defender (on forward Alvaro Morata leaving Juventus to go back to Real Madrid):

"I'm happy for him. I hope that he will be able to stay at Real Madrid, because he deserves to be the striker of both the national team and of Real Madrid. I always said that to him as well, and I would be really sorry if he would be used as a commodity exchange, just to make money. Because he doesn't deserve that, and because he grew up within Real and cares a lot about Real, and I can't see how he won't play for Real for the next 10 years."

11. 02:49 Chiellini leaving at the end of news conference

DURATION: 02:59