Andrea Pirlo is
the thinking man's footballer - a wine-sipping sophisticate who doesn't
bomb around the pitch but rather seems to float from end to end,
elegantly sculpting the play around him. It's maybe for this reason the
Juventus man has named his new autobiography 'I Think, Therefore I
Play'. A fascinating insight into his life and career to date, Icons
took a sneak peek at the book ahead of its forthcoming release. Here's
some of its most interesting revelations...
He almost joined Barcelona
Imagine Pirlo linking up with Xavi and Andres Iniesta. Just think about that for a second. Well, it almost happened according to the Italian, who claims Pep Guardiola convinced him to move to Catalan giants Barcelona in 2011. AC Milan owner Silvio Berlusconi stepped in before the transfer could go through, however, leaving fans of sumptuous passing play the world over to wonder what could have been.
He also almost joined Chelsea and Real Madrid
"I had already reached an agreement with Chelsea, then Berlusconi intervened and I stayed at Milan," Pirlo writes. "I was also very close with [Fabio] Capello at Real Madrid and nearly joined them in 2006."
Antonio Conte is "a beast"
Pirlo's a man of few regrets, but he has one big one. “Going back, there is one thing I wouldn’t do again – choose the locker right next to Gigi Buffon at the Juventus Stadium, the one in front of the door,” writes Pirlo. “It is the most dangerous spot in Turin, especially at half-time. Conte storms in and – even when we are winning – throws anything he can get his hands on towards the wall, which is my spot. He’ll throw anything he can find, almost always plastic bottles full of water. Very fizzy water. He becomes a beast..."
He loves Playstation
"After the wheel, the greatest invention in history is the PlayStation," says Pirlo in the new book, adding that he has probably played four times as many football games on the console as he has in real life. He and Alessandro Nesta would play PlayStation from 9am until 11, playing as Barcelona vs Barcelona, train, have lunch then play until 4pm.
There's only one position for Pirlo
“I still thought I could give my best there," writes Pirlo about a spell playing on AC Milan's left wing. "A fish breathes when it is in deep water. It makes do when near the surface, but it’s not the same thing.”
He almost joined Barcelona
Imagine Pirlo linking up with Xavi and Andres Iniesta. Just think about that for a second. Well, it almost happened according to the Italian, who claims Pep Guardiola convinced him to move to Catalan giants Barcelona in 2011. AC Milan owner Silvio Berlusconi stepped in before the transfer could go through, however, leaving fans of sumptuous passing play the world over to wonder what could have been.
He also almost joined Chelsea and Real Madrid
"I had already reached an agreement with Chelsea, then Berlusconi intervened and I stayed at Milan," Pirlo writes. "I was also very close with [Fabio] Capello at Real Madrid and nearly joined them in 2006."
Antonio Conte is "a beast"
Pirlo's a man of few regrets, but he has one big one. “Going back, there is one thing I wouldn’t do again – choose the locker right next to Gigi Buffon at the Juventus Stadium, the one in front of the door,” writes Pirlo. “It is the most dangerous spot in Turin, especially at half-time. Conte storms in and – even when we are winning – throws anything he can get his hands on towards the wall, which is my spot. He’ll throw anything he can find, almost always plastic bottles full of water. Very fizzy water. He becomes a beast..."
He loves Playstation
"After the wheel, the greatest invention in history is the PlayStation," says Pirlo in the new book, adding that he has probably played four times as many football games on the console as he has in real life. He and Alessandro Nesta would play PlayStation from 9am until 11, playing as Barcelona vs Barcelona, train, have lunch then play until 4pm.
There's only one position for Pirlo
“I still thought I could give my best there," writes Pirlo about a spell playing on AC Milan's left wing. "A fish breathes when it is in deep water. It makes do when near the surface, but it’s not the same thing.”