Giorgio Chiellini is having the time of his life. Twenty-three years into a professional soccer career that has seen Chiellini play in two World Cups, win an Olympic bronze medal, captain Italy to a European Championship and capture nine Serie A titles with Juventus, Chiellini still embraces every game and training session like it’s his first.

“He's a big kid, but in a good way,” LAFC teammate Kellyn Acosta said. “Sometimes it's hard to believe that he's, I don't know, 45 years old?” Close. Chiellini will turn 39 midway through the coming MLS season, which kicks off Saturday with LAFC facing the Galaxy at the Rose Bowl. But if he’s made any concession to age, it’s an insistence on enjoying the final days of an unparalleled career that saw him recognized as one of the best defenders of his generation.