Andrea Pirlo

Andrea Pirlo (born 19 May 1979) is an Italian football manager and former player, currently in charge of UAE Pro League side Dubai United. Regarded among the finest midfielders ever, he stood out for his vision, technique, creativity, passing, and free-kick skill. He holds the record for most assists by an Italian in the UEFA Champions League, with 15.

Pirlo started his club career in 1995 as an attacking midfielder at hometown club Brescia, helping them win Serie B in 1997. He moved to Inter Milan a year later but saw limited playing time and was loaned out. In 2001, he joined city rivals AC Milan. There, he developed into a world-class deep-lying playmaker, winning two Serie A titles, two Champions Leagues, two UEFA Super Cups, a FIFA Club World Cup, a Coppa Italia, and a Supercoppa Italiana. He left for Juventus in 2011, winning four straight Serie A titles, two Supercoppa Italiana titles, and another Coppa Italia. In 2015, he joined MLS side New York City FC, playing two seasons before retiring in 2017.

Internationally, Pirlo earned 116 caps for Italy, seventh all-time. He debuted in 2002 and captained the team to a bronze medal at the 2004 Olympics. He was key to Italy’s 2006 World Cup victory, winning the Bronze Ball and a spot in the Team of the Tournament. He also led Italy to the Euro 2012 final. He played at Euro 2004 and 2008, the 2010 and 2014 World Cups, and the 2009 and 2013 Confederations Cups.

Pirlo finished in the top four of the IFFHS World’s Best Playmaker award five times between 2006 and 2015. He placed fourth for UEFA Best Player in Europe in 2011 and seventh in 2015. He was named Serie A Footballer of the Year three times and made the Serie A Team of the Year four times. He was elected to the UEFA Team of the Year in 2012, the Champions League Squad of the Season in 2015, and the FIFPro World XI in 2006. He finished seventh for the 2007 FIFA World Player, placed in the Ballon d’Or top ten three times, and was an MLS All-Star in 2016. In 2019, he was inducted into the Italian Football Hall of Fame.

Pirlo was born in Flero, in the province of Brescia. He began at the Flero youth team, then Voluntas, before joining Brescia’s youth setup in 1992, initially as a supporting forward. At 16, he made his Serie A debut for Brescia against Reggiana on 21 May 1995, becoming the club’s youngest Serie A player. Coach Mircea Lucescu promoted him. The next season, he played only for the youth team, winning the Torneo di Viareggio. He broke into the first team during the 1996–97 Serie B season and helped Brescia win promotion by taking the Serie B title. He scored his first Serie A goal on 19 October 1997 in a 4–0 win over Vicenza.

Inter Milan signed him in summer 1998, reuniting him with Lucescu. But he couldn’t secure a regular spot, and Inter finished eighth in 1998–99. Inter loaned him to Reggina for 1999–2000 alongside Mohamed Kallon. After a strong season, he returned to Inter but made only four league appearances. He spent the second half of 2000–01 on loan at Brescia, playing alongside his childhood idol Roberto Baggio. Since Baggio played as an attacking midfielder, coach Carlo Mazzone moved Pirlo to a deep-lying playmaker role, where his long passing shone. Brescia finished seventh in Serie A and reached the Coppa Italia quarter-finals, qualifying for the 2001 Intertoto Cup. A highlight was his long pass setting up Baggio’s late equalizer against Juventus on 1 April 2001.

On 30 June 2001, Pirlo was sold to AC Milan for €17,043,078, with Dražen Brnčić moving the other way. The deal was part of a series of swaps later reported as creating false profit through inflated player values. At Milan under Carlo Ancelotti, Pirlo developed into a world-class deep-lying playmaker and set-piece specialist, achieving major domestic and European success.