Andrea Pirlo's career in ten memorable quotes as Italian calls time on his career

Aditya Devavrat 23:22 06/11/2017
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  • Pirlo hasn't played since November 2017.

    Andrea Pirlo has called time on his brilliant career after his current side, New York City FC, were knocked out of the MLS playoffs on Sunday.

    The Italian leaves behind an immense legacy, having developed into one of the best players of his generation. He was part of two of Serie A’s best-ever sides, starring for AC Milan in the early 2000s and the current, dominant Juventus team. He won everything there was to win, with the pinnacle being a glorious World Cup triumph with Italy in 2006. And he redefined the deep-lying midfield position with his superlative vision and unfathomably superb passing.

    Pirlo also had a certain eloquence with words, which he showcased in his autobiography, I Think, Therefore I Play. So who better to describe his career than the legend himself?

    Here’s a look back at Pirlo’s career through ten memorable quotes.

    GATTUSO, THE TERROR OF MILAN

    “You could see the red mist coming down and he just wasn’t able to hide it. We could tell what was coming and so we’d commandeer all the knives. Gattuso would grab a fork and try to stick it in us.

    “Some of us ended up missing games because of one of Rino’s fork attacks, even if the official explanation from the club was one of muscle fatigue.”

    Gennaro Gattuso: dangerous for teammates and opponents alike.

    Gennaro Gattuso: Dangerous for team-mates and opponents alike.

    THE PLAYSTATION DUELS

    “After the wheel, the PlayStation is the best invention of all time. And ever since it’s existed, I’ve been Barcelona, apart from a brief spell way back at the start when I’d go Milan.

    “I can’t say with any certainty how many virtual matches I’ve played over the last few years but, roughly speaking, it must be at least four times the number of real ones.

    “Pirlo vs Nesta was a classic duel back in our Milanello days. We’d get in early, have breakfast at 9am and then shut ourselves in our room and hit the PlayStation until 11. Training would follow, then we’d be back on the computer games until four in the afternoon. Truly a life of sacrifice.”

    Pirlo and Nesta: Close friends, and thus FIFA rivals.

    Pirlo and Nesta: Close friends, and thus FIFA rivals.

    FREE-KICKS ARE HIS CHILDREN

    “I’m Italian, but I’m also part-Brazilian. Pirlinho, if you like. When I take my free-kicks, I think in Portuguese and at most I’ll do the celebrating in my native tongue.

    “I strike those dead balls alla Pirlo. Each shot bears my name and they’re all my children. They look like one another without being twins, even if they do boast the same South American roots. More precisely, they share a source of inspiration: Antonio Augusto Ribeiro Reis Junior, a midfielder who’s gone down in history as Juninho Pernambucano.”

    Pirlo spent hours trying to master Juninho's free-kick technique. Clearly, it worked.

    Pirlo spent hours trying to master Juninho’s free-kick technique. Clearly, it worked.

    PIRLO: FOOTBALLER, PHILOSOPHER

    “I’m a bit of a wandering gypsy on the pitch. A midfielder continually on the lookout for an unspoilt corner where I can move freely just for a moment, without suffocating markers or randy Maltese guys sticking to me like shadows. All I’m after is a few square meters to be myself. A space where I can continue to profess my creed: take the ball, give it to a teammate, my teammate scores. It’s called an assist and it’s my way of spreading happiness.”

    Only Pirlo could describe himself so eloquently.

    Only Pirlo could describe himself so eloquently.

    FOOTBALL, OR SEX?

    “Being part of a team that belongs to everyone makes me feel good. A lot of the time, it’s better than sex: it lasts longer and if it falls flat, it can’t just be your fault.

    “Take someone like Antonio Cassano. He says he’s slept with 700 women but he doesn’t get picked for Italy any more. Can he really be happy? I wouldn’t be.”

    Unlike Antonio Cassano, Pirlo had his priorities straight.

    Unlike Antonio Cassano, Pirlo had his priorities straight.

    THE NIGHTMARE OF ISTANBUL

    “I’ll never watch that match again. I’ve already played it once in person and many other times in my head, searching for an explanation that perhaps doesn’t even exist.

    “It was suggested we hang a black funeral pall as a permanent reminder on the walls of Milanello, right next to the images of triumph. A message to future generations that feeling invincible is the first step on the path to the point of no return.

    “Personally, I’d add that horrendous result to the club’s honours board. I’d write it slap bang in the middle of the list of leagues and cups they’ve won, in a different coloured ink and perhaps a special font, just to underline its jarring presence.

    “You might hit upon an elegant phrase that stays with you and makes the journey that little less bitter. I’ve tried with Istanbul and haven’t managed to get beyond these words: for f***’s sake.”

    It's safe to say Pirlo doesn't remember the 2005 Champions League final as the Miracle of Istanbul.

    Pirlo certainly doesn’t remember the 2005 Champions League final as the Miracle of Istanbul.

    WORLD CUP FINAL? PRESSURE? WHAT PRESSURE?

    “I don’t feel pressure. I don’t give a toss about it. I spent the afternoon of Sunday, 9 July, 2006 in Berlin sleeping and playing the PlayStation. In the evening, I went out and won the World Cup.”

    Pirlo scored Italy's first penalty in the 2006 World Cup final shootout.

    Pirlo scored Italy’s first penalty in the 2006 World Cup final shootout.

    DOGFIGHT WITH PARK JI-SUNG

    “Even Sir Alex Ferguson, the purple-nosed manager who turned Manchester United into a fearsome battleship, couldn’t resist the temptation. He’s a man without blemish, but he ruined that purity just for a moment when it came to me. A fleeting shabbiness came over the legend that night.

    “At Milan, he unleashed Park Ji-sung to shadow me. He rushed about at the speed of an electron. He’d fling himself at me, his hands all over my back, trying to intimidate me. He’d look at the ball and not know what it was for.

    “They’d programmed him to stop me. His devotion to the task was almost touching. Even though he was a famous player, he consented to being used as a guard dog.”

    Pirlo with "guard dog" Park Ji-Sung in close attention.

    Pirlo with “guard dog” Park Ji-Sung in close attention.

    PIRLO-XAVI-INIESTA – WHEN PEP APPROACHED PIRLO

    “I would never have expected it. Perhaps I’d spent so much time on the PlayStation that I’d ended up inside it, sucked into a parallel universe by my favourite hobby and now at the mercy of a puppeteer with some kind of enchanted hand.”

    AC Milan refused to sell Pirlo to Barcelona. What could have been...

    AC Milan refused to sell Pirlo to Barcelona. What could have been…

    PIRLO, SOCIAL JUSTICE WARRIOR

    “We also need Mario Balotelli. I’m not sure he really appreciates it yet, but he’s a special kind of medicine, an antidote to the potentially lethal poison of the racists you find in Italian grounds.”

    Pirlo hit back against the racism Mario Balotelli had to endure in Italy.

    Pirlo hit back against the racism Mario Balotelli had to endure in Italy.

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