Weston McKennie tried to bring pizza & ranch to Italy, but it's... a work in progress

They say everything is better in Italy, but Americans might beg to differ. There is nothing that divides two countries, or in some cases one country, like pizza. Weston McKennie made it his mission not just to bring his undeniable soccer ability to Italy, but to teach them a thing or two about a certain dish known as pizza.

There was a hilarious clip circulating on the internet where Weston McKennie was in conversation with his Italian teammates, namely Giorgio Chiellini and Gianluigi Buffon, about the differences in food between Italy and the U.S.A. The reason it was so hilarious was that McKennie tried to convince two Italians that mixing pizza and ranch was a good idea. You can imagine being a fly in that room.

If there's one thing Italians think they know better than anyone in the world, it's pizza. We won't even get into the pasta debate, that's for a rainy day.

Weston McKennie will never know how Giorgio Chiellini truly feels about ranch on pizza

Speaking about the conversation that was captured on video production, Weston McKennie didn't let his Italian friends live it down. He said that even if Italians warmed to the idea of ranch on pizza, they'd never admit it. They're difficult to convince when it comes to food, essentially.

We asked Weston McKennie if Chiellini ever warmed to the idea of putting ranch on his pizza, to which Weston replied "No, he definitely didn't warm to that idea."

"Italians are very hard to convince to change their tradition and their food. I think I had, like, two, three people try it, my chef being one of them. And they definitely are not fans of the idea. And even if they did like it, they won't admit that."

Not many would dare to get in the way of Giorgio Chiellini, not least getting in the way of one of the biggest stalwart Italian defenders of all-time and his pizza routine. Nevertheless, we get the impression he's got a soft spot for Weston.

Heck, when Chiellini made the move Stateside to end his playing career, perhaps he kept Weston's suggestion in mind and tried out ranch on pizza. Even if he did, he'd never admit to it.

Weston McKennie has partnered with Chobani as a Nutrition Ambassador. When he's not convincing Italians to put ranch on their pizza, McKennie places a real emphasis on his nutrition outside of playing.

"I understand [now] that eating well helps me recover faster, stay strong through long stretches, and be there for my teammates and my country when it counts most."

"That’s one of the reasons being part of Chobani’s Feed the Dream team means so much to me. I know how important the right support is, and I want the next generation to have that foundation early."