Chiellini becomes Chie-meme after handball hilarity

Juventus defender Giorgio Chiellini was perhaps best known for being the favourite dish of serial biter Luis Suarez, but today the Italian became a meme in his own right after a cheeky handball in the UEFA Champions League.

Juventus' defender Giorgio Chiellini handballs blatantly against Monaco in the Champions League (AFP) Source: AFP

Up against Monaco, and holding a 1-0 lead from the first leg of their quarter-final tie, Chiellini wasn’t going to let a slight slip-up hand Joao Moutinho a path to goal, so he commited a handball that was about as subtle breaking wind in a library.

Chiellini with the most obvious handball of the year. pic.twitter.com/UDgP4ozcQK — Sam (@samuelJayC) April 22, 2015

Not surprisingly, Chiellini was booked for his effort. Perhaps even less surprising was how quickly the imagination of the Internet clicked into gear, spawning a series of memes with Chiellini’s hilarious handball at the centre of them.

A few of our favourites follow, but before that, some trivia: it’s two years to the day since Luis Suarez apologised to Liverpool fans for biting Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic. How times have changed. Will he and Chiellini meet in the semi-finals of the Champions League? With Juventus holding on to draw 0-0 today and winning through on aggregate, it's a definite possibility.

Our appetite is certainly whet for that prospect. Let’s hope Suarez’s isn’t. And so to the memes.

Check out more of the quirky tidbits from the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals in The Early Shower.