The Retiring Andrea Pirlo Has Left An Indelible Mark On World Football

The Retiring Andrea Pirlo Has Left An Indelible Mark On World Football
15:13, 08 Oct 2017

There is not much love lost between supporters of Italian football. Notoriously tribal, only sides with official “gemellaggio” (twinning) status can enjoy a friendly relationship, whilst there are many that actively despise each other, viewing each encounter with their rival as an opportunity to go to war. On the pitch there are very few players that have been able to transcend this intensity, and Andrea Pirlo is one of that very exclusive group.

A true national treasure, the classy midfield playmaker signed for Inter in 1998 before winning two Serie A titles and two Champions League trophies at most hated rivals Milan. He then ended his career in Italy with four league wins at Juventus, joining a truly elite band of players. Only ten footballers have ever played for all three of those aforementioned giants, and Pirlo joins the likes of Giuseppe Meazza, Christian Vieri, Roberto Baggio and Zlatan Ibrahimovic who have all done the same.

The Brescia-native was also instrumental in Italy’s 2006 World Cup win, and wowed audiences across the globe with his revolutionary deep-lying playmaker role. Not only did he dig in to help Italy retrieve a point against the USA once Daniele De Rossi had been sent off in his side’s second match, he was able to turn on the style as we all know he can in the final against France.

He supplied the corner kick from which Marco Materazzi scored the equaliser that day, but despite a virtuoso performance he was unable to steer the Azzurri to victory in normal time. Then aged 27, he was among those who stepped up to score in the shootout, scoring the vital first penalty in what would become a famous triumph.

Now at 38 years old, the veteran midfielder announced his retirement from football in Sunday’s Gazzetta dello Sport, having crossed the Atlantic back in 2015. At New York City FC, he helped the side reach the MLS playoffs for the first time ever, but has been plagued with injury in the current year.

“You realise by yourself that the moment has arrived,” the legendary midfielder said in that exclusive interview. “Every day you have physical problems. You can’t train how you would like because you always have an issue. The younger players should play. At 38-years-old, it is right to give space to the younger boys.”

He added that he would stick around to help out the Coach until December, at which time he would return to his native Italy, with no firm plans as to what he would do next. The midfielder may have been away from our screens for some time since his move to the MLS but there is no doubt as to how his absence will be felt.

Smooth and suave on the interior, exterior and in his style of play, Andrea Pirlo became the epitome of Italian style. England fans got to see this up close in the quarter-final Euro 2012, when he casually chipped a panenka penalty over Joe Hart, scoring as if it were merely a practice match.

"I made my decision right at the last second, when I saw Joe Hart, the England goalkeeper, doing all sorts on his line," Pirlo explained in his autobiography I Think Therefore I Play. "As I began my run up, I still hadn't decided what I was going to do. And then he moved and my mind was made up. It was all impromptu, not premeditated. The only way I could see pushing my chances of scoring close to 100%. There was absolutely no showboating about it - that's not my style."

This says it all about a man with enough faith in his own ability to be able to make an “impromptu” chip in such an important encounter. Andrea Pirlo is a player who really will be sorely missed not only on the peninsula, but all over the globe.

Italy visit Albania for a World Cup qualifier on Monday 9th October (Kick Off 7.45pm BST).

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