The Sampdoria coach: ‘The most beautiful memory at Milan is the first Champions League victory. After Istanbul, I considered retirement.’
Andrea Pirlo is a legend of Italian football. After growing up with Brescia and progressing with Inter and Reggina, the “Maestro” won everything with Milan and achieved success with Juventus before concluding his career in MLS.
As a child, I was a huge Inter fan; my dad used to take me to the training grounds on vacation, and when Inter was having training sessions, I would go there to get autographs. But when you become a professional, you don’t cheer for teams in the same way anymore.
But it was with the Rossoneri colours that he reached the biggest success of his career. During those years, Pirlo was the desire of coaches throughout Europe. He stated, “After Calciopoli, we had just won the World Cup, and the future of Italian football was uncertain. I had already signed a contract with Real Madrid, but then Milan restarted in Serie A and the Champions League, so I made a U-turn and signed with the Rossoneri.”
A few years later, another Spanish giant, Barcelona, tried to bring him to La Liga: “After the Gamper Trophy, Guardiola wanted to meet me in his dressing room to convince me to join Barcelona. However, talks were also underway for Ibrahimović’s move to Milan, and in the end, it materialized, and I stayed,” Pirlo commented on Radio TV Serie A.
The adventure with Milan brought trophies and a disappointment with the final farewell: “With Milan, I won everything, although the most important trophy was the first Champions League. After Istanbul, I even thought about quitting football. It’s regrettable how it ended for us, but during that time, Milan only offered one-year contracts to players over 30, and I felt I could still contribute a lot.”
Then came Juventus and more championships as a key player: “That was my revenge because I wanted to prove that I was still a strong player. I won 4 Serie A titles and played in another Champions League final. It was great with Conte; he was the first to make me start analyzing on-field situations, and from there, I almost started thinking like a coach. I was motivated by him and his way of managing the trainings and the players.”
His coaching career began on the Juventus bench with two trophies in one season. Now, he is at Sampdoria: “Coaching Juventus was a good experience; it was a young group and the beginning of a journey for me. I have no regrets. Having coached someone like Cristiano Ronaldo makes you understand how to become the world number 1, he is a professional in every aspect. Now, at Sampdoria, we have started a long-term project, and I hope to achieve our goals.”
