Andrea Pirlo

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Pirlo began his club career in 1995 as an attacking midfielder with his hometown club Brescia, winning the Serie B in 1997. He signed for Serie A club Inter Milan a year later, but limited game time and loans away from the club saw him transfer to cross-city rivals AC Milan in 2001. There, Pirlo matured into a world-class player in a deep-lying playmaker role, 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 departed for Juventus in 2011, where he won four consecutive Serie A titles, two Supercoppa Italiana titles, and another Coppa Italia. In 2015, Pirlo joined Major League Soccer (MLS) club New York City FC, where he played for two years before retiring in 2017. At the international level, Pirlo played 116 matches for the Italy national football team, which is the seventh-most of all time. He made his senior debut in 2002 and captained his nation to a bronze medal in the 2004 Olympics. Pirlo was instrumental in Italy's triumph at the 2006 FIFA World Cup, winning the Bronze Ball and being elected to the Team of the Tournament. He repeated similar success as he led Italy to the UEFA Euro 2012 final. Pirlo also represented his country at the 2004 and 2008 UEFA European Championships, the 2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cups, and the 2009 and 2013 FIFA Confederations Cups.

In Their Own Story

In the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Pirlo was instrumental in Italy's triumph. He won the Bronze Ball and was elected to the Team of the Tournament. In the 2005 UEFA Champions League final against Liverpool, on 25 May, Pirlo assisted Paolo Maldini's opening goal, after 50 seconds, from a free kick, and combined with Kaká before the Brazilian unleashed Hernán Crespo with a long pass for Milan's third goal before halftime. In the second half, however, Liverpool made a three-goal comeback, sending the match into extra time. After a 3–3 deadlock, the match went to penalties, and Milan were defeated by the English team in the shoot-out. Despite Pirlo's performance throughout the competition and in the final, Pirlo had missed his penalty kick during the shoot-out in the final when it was saved by Jerzy Dudek.

Reader's Guide

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

Did You Know?

• Pirlo made his senior debut for Italy in 2002.
• He captained Italy to a bronze medal at the 2004 Olympics.
• Pirlo won the Bronze Ball at the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
• He is the all-time Italian top assist provider in the UEFA Champions League with 15 assists.