The World Cup winner does not say much but
when he does open his mouth, it's always worth
listening to - while some of the game's greats
have been awestruck by the midfielder
By Mark Doyle
Marcello Lippi once described Andrea Pirlo as "a
silent leader who speaks with his feet". In that
sense, Pirlo is a poet of the football field, a master
of style and rhythm. He can do whatever he wants
with the ball, but he runs the game because he
understands the game. He is one of the football's
great thinkers.
He knows it, too, as evidenced by the fact that he
called his autobiography, 'I think, therefore, I play.'
It is difficult to think of any other footballer who
could have selected such a seemingly pretentious
title without provoking widespread ridicule.
But then, Pirlo has always been different. He is a
rarity in the modern era: a truly world-class
midfielder who does not rely on power or pace to
dominate games. He sees the game differently;
plays the game differently. That is why he is so
loved.
And that is also why when this "silent leader" does
speak, the whole footballing world sits up and
takes notice. And why many of the game's greats
have been left enthralled by his genius. As he bids
farewell to his European career by joining New
York City FC, here are a selection of the best
quotes by and about Pirlo...
"I’m a bit of a wandering gypsy on the pitch... All
I’m after is a few square metres to be myself. A
space where I can continue to profess my creed:
take the ball, give it to a team-mate, my team-
mate scores. It’s called an assist and it’s my way
of spreading happiness."
- The pursuit of happiness, according to Andrea
Pirlo.
"After the wheel, the PlayStation is the best
invention of all time."
- Pirlo on his favourite pastime - other than
football, of course!...
"It's nothing but masturbation for conditioning
coaches."
- However, it's fair to say that the midfielder is not
a fan of the pre-game warm-up.
"Being part of a team that belongs to everyone
makes me feel good and at peace with myself. A
lot of the time, it's better than sex: it lasts longer
and if it all falls flat, it can't just be your fault."
- Pirlo prefers to get his kicks representing Italy.
"Watching him play, I thought, 'God exists!'
Because it’s simply embarrassing how good he
is."
- Gianluigi Buffon had an epiphany the first time he
saw Pirlo in action.
"I’ll never watch that match again. I’ve already
played it once in person and many other times in
my head, searching for an explanation that
perhaps doesn’t even exist.""
- Pirlo on former club AC Milan losing on penalties
to Liverpool in the Champions League final - after
being 3-0 up at half-time.
"I don’t feel pressure … I don’t give a toss about
it. I spent the afternoon of Sunday, 9 July, 2006
in Berlin sleeping and playing the PlayStation. In
the evening, I went out and won the World Cup."
- Pirlo is not like the rest of us.
"To pass the ball to Pirlo is to hide it in a safe."
- Juve icon Zbigniew Boniek on Pirlo's remarkable
propensity for protecting possession of the ball.
"Roy Hodgson mispronounced my name. He called
me Pirla (a Milanese term meaning 'd**khead'),
perhaps understanding my true nature more than
the other managers."
- Pirlo found the former Inter coach unintentionally
insightful.
"Even Sir Alex Ferguson, the purple-nosed
manager who turned Manchester United into a
fearsome battleship, couldn’t resist the
temptation. He’s a man without blemish, but he
ruined that purity just for a moment when it came
to me. A fleeting shabbiness came over the legend
that night."
- Pirlo on former Manchester United boss Alex
Ferguson electing to man-mark him during his
Milan days.
"When I watch Pirlo play, I have to admit that it's
a wonder to behold. I remain stupefied by him and
I often watch Juventus games on TV only to
admire him."
- Former Barcelona icon Xavi expresses his
respect for a kindred spirit.
"I then lifted my eyes to the heavens and asked
for help, because if God exists, there's no way
he's French."
- Pirlo sought divine intervention before his spot-
kick in the shootout in the 2006 World Cup final
against France.
"We also need Mario Balotelli. I’m not sure he
really appreciates it yet, but he’s a special kind of
medicine, an antidote to the potentially lethal
poison of the racists you find in Italian grounds...
Whenever I see Mario at an Italian training camp, I
give him a big smile."
- Pirlo on the importance of Balotelli to the Italian
game.
"He's the epitome of class; a man who leads the
team using all the weapons that some consider
antiquated yet, for me, are irreplaceable:
deception, the pause, the fake, precision ... These
are all the exact opposite of that word that is so
fashionable today and such a disaster for the
game: intensity."
- Jorge Valdano hails Pirlo's old-school qualities.
"[Antonio Cassano] says he's slept with 700
women in his time, but he doesn't get picked for
Italy any more. Deep down, can he really be
happy? I certainly wouldn't be."
- Pirlo burns one of his former international team-
mates!
"One day I’ll be able to say: 'I played with Pirlo.'"
- Carlos Tevez pays tribute to his Juventus team-
mate.
"If I look in the mirror when I get up, or before
going to bed at night, I see a man of average
ugliness. With stubble, an unruly mane of hair, a
squint nose, slightly protruding, ears and bags
under my eyes. But I also see a man who’s
completely happy with the figure staring back at
him.”.”
- Self-reflectiion.
"Andrew Pirlo belongs to a protected category: he
is the footballer for everyone. Every stadium is his
stadium, the fans watch him and they see a
universal champion, capable of transcending the
concept of support for only one club."
- Former Italy boss Cesare Prandelli sums up
Pirlo's popularity perfectly.
No comments:
Post a Comment