por Andrea Pirlo
Andrea Pirloone of soccer’s best midfielders with AC Milan and Juventus, led Italy to the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
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Born May 19, 1979 in Flero, Italy, Andrea Pirlo He began his professional career with Brescia before moving to Internazionale.
A specialist in set pieces and penalty kicks, he is considered one of the best midfield playmakers of all time.
midfielder
He began his career at the club as an attacking midfielder, but was often a non-starter for various clubs he played for, mostly due to his lack of pace.
During his time at Brescia, Carlo Mazzone made the innovative decision to use Pirlo as a playmaker.
He thrived in the new position. His outstanding and almost otherworldly passing ability was in full swing as he was instrumental in his future team, AC Milan, which dominated both Italian domestic soccer and the European circuit.
After becoming a free agent in 2011, he signed with Juventus and had an equally effective career with them. As a member of the Italian national team, he is the fourth most capped player, with 116 caps.
He captained the Italian contingent that won the bronze medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics. He currently plays for ‘New York City FC’ in the United States.
early career
Born on May 19, 1979 in Flero, Italy, soccer player Andrea Pirlo began his career with Brescia Calcio’s youth team in 1994.
He made his senior national team debut in 1995, and after becoming a promising midfielder in the 1997-98 season, he signed for prominent Serie A club Internazionale.
Pirlo endured a disappointing spell at Internazionale as he struggled to crack the starting XI and was loaned twice to other clubs.
But he impressed as captain of the UEFA European Under-21 Championship-winning side in 2001, and it was during his second loan spell, to Brescia, that he readjusted to a deep midfield role alongside the great Roberto Baggio.
AC Milan and international success
The change in position did wonders for Pirlo, who blossomed after joining AC Milan in 2001. With his beautiful passes and deadly free-kicks, «L’Architetto» led Milan to two Serie A titles, the Milan Super Cup, UEFA and the Champions League.
Pirlo also showed great form with the Italian national team that won the bronze medal at the 2004 Olympics.
He enjoyed the height of success during the 2006 FIFA World Cup, winning Man of the Match titles three times while leading Italy’s winning run with his brilliant passing.
However, although he remained a very effective player until he was 30 years old, his contract was not renewed by the Milanese club, who were looking to inject youth into their backfield.
Juventus revival
Pirlo signed for Juventus FC in 2011 and removed any concerns about his age, leading the «Old Lady» to back-to-back Serie A and Italian Super Cup titles.
He was also recognized as the Serie A Player of the Year and named to the UEFA Team of the Year in 2012.
The veteran playmaker proved he was as vital as ever to Italy’s cause during the 2012 European Championship, earning him the Team of the Tournament title as Italy trailed in the final.
He scored from a free kick while making his 100th international appearance at the 2013 Confederations Cup, an apt moment in the career of a star accustomed to making big plays in the spotlight.
Childhood and Early Life
Andrea Pirlo was born on May 19, 1979 in Flero, a municipality in the province of Brescia, in Lombardy, Italy, to parents Luigi and Lidia. He has a brother named Ivan.
Pirlo was a soccer protégé. As a child, he played with his brother and his friends in the sands of the Viareggio seaside resort, in Tuscany, where his family went on vacation.
He first came to international attention at the age of 13, when he and his team, ‘Voluntas Brescia U15s’, took part in the 1992 ‘Dana Cup’. They reached the semi-finals before being eliminated.
Club career
Signed from Brescia, Andrea Pirlo played his first ‘Serie A’ match against Reggiana on May 21, 1995, at the age of 16.
His play impressed Inter Milan manager Mircea Lucescu who brought him into his squad.
His time at the club was not especially productive; he was seen sporadically on the playing field. However, he was loaned out briefly by Inter to Reggina for the 1999-2000 season, which turned out to be an impressive game.
In the following season, he was loaned out again and this time to his old club, Brescia. His coach, Carlo Mazzone, was the first coach to put him ahead of the defense. Playing alongside his childhood idol, Roberto Baggio, he would guide the team to a respectable seventh place in the league.
He was bought by AC Milan from Inter after having been on the latter’s books for three seasons. There he met the team’s coach, Carlo Ancelotti, who would guide his career onto a new trajectory that would make him a world-class player.
He made his debut for the team on September 20, 2001 against the Belarusian team ‘BATE Borisov’ in the UEFA Cup. Milan won the match 2-0.
Milan midfielder
Pirlo was a midfielder for Milan for the next decade, winning a Coppa Italia (2003), an Italian Super Cup (2004), a FIFA Club World Cup (2007), two Serie A titles (2004 and 2011), two UEFA Champions Leagues (2003 and 2007) and two UEFA Super Cups (2003 and 2007). He played 401 games for the club and scored 41 goals.
In 2011, he left Milan after making a joint decision with the club. He joined Juventus on a free transfer and made his Serie A debut with a 4-1 win against Parma.
Before Pirlo came to Juventus, the team had been trophyless since 2003. He brought the club four Serie A titles (2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015), two Supercoppa Italiana titles (2012 and 2013) and one Italian Cup (2015). He played 164 games with them and scored 19 goals.
In 2015, he signed with ‘New York City FC’, a team that is part of ‘Major League Soccer’, where he has been to date.
International Career
Andrea Pirlo he captained Italy’s under-21 team to the 2000 European Championship, winning both the best player and top scorer awards.
He was in the Italian squads at the 2000 and 2004 Summer Olympics, winning the bronze medal in the latter edition.
At 23, he made his senior team debut in a 2-0 win against Azerbaijan. He played a pivotal role in his country’s qualifying campaign for the 2006 World Cup.
He scored Italy’s first goal of the tournament against Ghana and helped Fabio Grosso score his first goal against Germany in the semi-final on 4 July.
The best logres
On July 9, in the final against France, he continued his best form. A very close match, which ended in a penalty shootout after both teams failed to overcome a 1-1 draw.
He was the first to take a penalty since the Italian team, and converted it into a goal. Italy would win the match and become world champions after 24 years. Pirlo was named «Man of the Match» in both the semi-finals and the final.
He was vice-chairman to captain Gianluigi Buffon at Euro 2012. They beat Ireland, England and Germany to reach the final, where they suffered a 4-0 defeat at the hands of Spain.
Although he announced his retirement from the national team after the 2014 World Cup, he returned to the Italian national team for the 2016 European Cup qualifying matches. However, his move to the US brought unintended repercussions.
On 23 May 2016 it was announced that he had been cut from the 30-man squad for Euro 2016.
Awards and achievements
In 2004, Andrea Pirlo was awarded the rank of Knight (official title: ‘Cavaliere Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana’). Two years later, he received the rank of Officer («Ufficiale Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana»).
He won the «Bronze Ball» and «Top Assist Provider» award at the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
Andrea Pirlo has received the ‘Pallone d’Argento’ 2011-12 for having «the fairest and for his football talent, his sporting correctness, his good morale and his generosity towards the weakest», judging by the ‘Unione Stampa Sportiva Italiana’ (Italian Sports Press Union) or USSI.
He was proclaimed Serie A Player of the Year in the consecutive years 2012-14.
Life and personal legacy
Andrea Pirlo married Deborah Roversi in 2001. They have two children together; their son Niccolo was born in 2003 and their daughter Angela was born in 2006.
The couple divorced in 2014 after 13 years of marriage. It was later reported that Pirlo had an affair with real estate agent Valentina Baldini, whom he had met at her golf club.
He published his autobiography, ‘Penso Quindi Gioco’ (I think, therefore I play) on April 30, 2013, through ‘Arnoldo Mondadori Editore’.
Endlessly quoted and brimming with wit and charm, the book was well received by critics and fans alike.
Net worth
His net worth is estimated at 50 million euros.
Trivia
Pirlo’s teammates on the Italian national team have given him the nickname «the architect». He has also been called «il professore» (the professor), «Master» and «Mozart».
For most of his career, Pirlo has worn the number 21 shirt.
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