Andrea Pirlo's 10 secrets
Andrea Pirlo's 10 secrets
10 things about Pirlo you might not know
10 things about Pirlo you might not know
He played for 5 clubs in Italy: Brescia, Inter, AC Milan, Juventus and...
The day Guardiola 'convinced' him to join Barcelona
We need you, Andrea. We are looking for a midfielder to alternate with Xavi, Iniesta and Busquets, and that is you. You have all the attributes to play for Barcelona."
Pep Guardiola to Pirlo
on August 25 2010
The sniper of Serie A
Pirlo along with Mihajlovic are the players to have scored most direct freekicks in Serie A. Both have 28 strikes.
His freekick idol
The blank cheque to avoid a move to Madrid
In 2006, Pirlo had just won the World Cup with Italy. But he still had one ambition to fulfil. "I was a Real Madrid player in my head, heart and soul. I had a five-year contract waiting for me there and a salary that was out of this world," he said in his biography 'I think therefore I play'. But Adriano Galliani, vice-president of AC Milan, gave him no option to leave.
Andrea, my friend, you're not going anywhere. You're not leaving because you're going to sign this. It's for five years and we've left the salary details blank so you can put what you want."
Galliani to Pirlo
6. Ancelotti and his wise decision
When Pirlo started out, he played in a more advanced role, almost as a second striker. It was with Carlo Ancelotti at AC Milan where he move to a deeper position in central midfield.
Ancelotti is like a father to me."
Pirlo
Which player chased Pirlo with a fork?
Gennaro Gattuso. "During meals at Milanello, we invented a thousand ways of tormenting him, until he picked up a fork and tried to stab us with it. On more than one occasion he hit and got the fork into our skin," wrote Pirlo in his autobiography.
Receiving an ovation at the Estadio Bernabeu
Pirlo was subsitutes by Andrea Barzagli in the 78th minute when Juventus were playing against Real Madrid in the Santiago Bernabéu. And the fans, despite the score being 1-1 which would have, and did, put Los Blancos out, there was a standing ovation for Pirlo in celebration of his quality. It was May 13, 2015.
Pirlo and wine
Pirlo is interested in wines, and as a youngster he helped out at his family vineyard in Flero and now he owns 'Pratum Coller', a vineyard in Brescia.
The PlayStation
Pirlo is a PlayStation fan, which he plays on trips away with teammates. And another secret is that he almost always chooses Barcelona.
The next day I left the house early, even leaving my classic PlayStation game with Alessandro Nesta.”
Pirlo, in his autobiography
10+1. An outstanding debt