Andrea Pirlo

General

Image gallery

Andrea Pirlo
Personal information
Full name:	Andrea Pirlo
Date of birth:	19 May 1979 (1979-05-19)
Place of birth:	Flero, Italy
Height:	1.77 m (5 ft 9+1⁄2 in)
Playing position:	Midfielder
Club information
Current club	Sampdoria (manager)
Youth clubs
1994–1995	Brescia
Senior clubs
Years	Club	App (Gls)
1995–1998 1998–2001 1999–2000 2001 2001–2011 2011–2015 2015–2017 Total	Brescia Internazionale → Reggina (loan) → Reggina (loan) Milan Juventus New York City	047 00(6) 022 00(0) 028 00(6) 010 00(0) 284 0(32) 119 0(16) 060 00(1) 570 0(61)
National team
1994 1995 1995 1995–1997 1998–2002 2000–2004 2002–2015	Italy U15 Italy U16 Italy U17 Italy U18 Italy U21 Italy Olympic Italy	003 00(0) 006 00(2) 004 00(0) 018 00(7) 037 0(15) 009 00(1) 116 0(13)
Teams managed
2020 2020–2021 2022–2023 2023–	Juventus U23 Juventus Fatih Karagümrük Sampdoria

Andrea Pirlo (born 19 May 1979) is an Italian former professional football player who is the head coach of Serie B club Sampdoria. Pirlo was usually deployed as a deep-lying playmaker in midfield for both his club and national teams and he is widely regarded as one of the greatest ever exponents of this position due to his vision, ball control, technique, creativity and passing ability, as well as for being a free-kick specialist.

Pirlo began his club career as an attacking midfielder with his home-town side Brescia, where he later helped the team to win the Serie B title and obtain Serie A promotion in 1997. His promising performances led to a move to Internazionale in 1998, but he struggled to gain playing time at his new club, due to his lack of pace, as well as heavy competition with other players in his position, and was subsequently sent on loan in 1999. Despite successful spells with Reggina, and Brescia once again, Pirlo was still unable to break into Inter's starting line-up, and was sold to cross-city rivals Milan in 2001. At Milan, manager Carlo Ancelotti decided to shift Pirlo in front of the defence as a deep-lying playmaker, which allowed him more time on the ball to orchestrate his team's attacks. Pirlo excelled in his new role, and soon developed into a world-class midfielder, playing a key role in Milan's subsequent successes, as he won two UEFA Champions Leagues (2003 and 2007), two UEFA Super Cups (2003 and 2007), two Serie A titles (2004 and 2011), a FIFA Club World Cup (2007), a Supercoppa Italiana (2004), and a Coppa Italia (2003) with the club. After joining Juventus in 2011, who had gone trophyless since 2003, he added four more Serie A titles (2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015), which he won consecutively, as well as two Supercoppa Italiana titles (2012 and 2013), and a Coppa Italia (2015). After playing in Italy for over 20 seasons, Pirlo joined MLS side New York City FC in 2015. After two years in this club, he ended his sports career.

At international level, Pirlo is the fourth-most capped player in the history of the Italian national team with 116 caps. He has played for the Italian youth teams at U15, U18 and U21 level, captaining and leading the latter to victory in the 2000 UEFA European Under-21 Championship as the Golden Player and Top Scorer of the tournament. He joined the Italian senior side in September 2002 and captained the Olympic team to a bronze medal in the 2004 Olympics. Later, he was instrumental in their victory in the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He was named Man of the Match three times, including the final, more than any other player in the tournament, and ultimately won the Bronze Ball (awarded to the third best player of the tournament) also being elected to the Team of the Tournament. He was also elected as part of the UEFA Euro 2012 Team of the Tournament, after leading Italy to the final, winning three Man of the Match awards in the process, the most of any player along with Andrés Iniesta. He has also represented the Italian senior side at the 2004 and 2008 UEFA European Championship, the 2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cups, and the 2009 and 2013 FIFA Confederations Cups, finishing third in the latter edition in Brazil, where he was also elected to the Team of the Tournament.

Pirlo came in third, second, fourth, and third again in the IFFHS World Playmaker of the Year awards in 2006, 2007, 2012, and 2015, respectively. He placed fourth in the 2012 UEFA Best Player in Europe Award, and seventh in the 2015 edition. He placed 7th in the 2007 FIFA World Player, 5th in the 2007 Ballon d'Or and 7th in the 2012 FIFA Ballon d'Or award. He was also named as part of the 2006 FIFPro World XI and the 2012 UEFA Team of the Year. In 2012, 2013, and 2014, Pirlo was also elected as Serie A Footballer of the Year, and was also named as part of the Serie A team of the Year. After helping Juventus to the 2015 UEFA Champions League Final, he was named to the squad of the season. In 2012, Pirlo was named the eighth best footballer in the World by The Guardian, and in 2013, Bloomberg ranked him the fifth best player in Europe. In 2015, France Football rated him as one of the 10 best footballers in the world who are over the age of 36.

Honours

Player

Club

Brescia

• Serie B: 1996–97

A.C. Milan

• Coppa Italia: 2002–03
• UEFA Champions League: 2002–03, 2006–07; Runner-up 2004–05
• UEFA Super Cup: 2003, 2007
• Serie A: 2003–04, 2010–11
• Supercoppa Italiana: 2004; Runner-up 2003
• FIFA Club World Cup: 2007
• Intercontinental Cup: Runner-up 2003

Juventus

• Serie A: 2011–12, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2014–15
• Supercoppa Italiana: 2012, 2013, Runner-up: 2014
• Coppa Italia: 2014-15, Runner-up: 2012
• UEFA Champions League Runner-up: 2014-15

International

• UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship: 2000
• Olympic Bronze Medal: 2004
• FIFA World Cup: 2006
• UEFA European Football Championship Runner-up: 2012
• FIFA Confederations Cup Bronze Medal: 2013

• Individual
• UEFA European Under-21 Championship Golden Player: 2000
• UEFA European Under-21 Championship Top Scorer: 2000
• 2006 FIFA World Cup: All-star team
• 2006 FIFA World Cup: Bronze Ball
• 2006 FIFA World Cup: Top Assist Provider
• 2006 FIFA World Cup Final: Man of the Match
• IFFHS World's Best Playmaker: 3rd place 2006, 2nd place 2007, 9th place 2009, 4th place 2012, 3rd place 2013, 3rd place 2015
• FIFPro World XI: 2006
• FIFA FIFPro World XI 3rd team: 2013, 2014
• Ballon d'Or: 2006 (9th place), 2007 (5th place), 2012 (7th place)
• FIFA World Player of the Year: 2007 (7th place)
• UEFA Super Cup Man of the Match: 2007
• ESPN World Team of the Decade: 2009
• ESM Team of the Year: 2011–12
• Pallone d'Argento: 2011–12
• Pallone Azzurro: 2012
• Guerin d'Oro: 2012
• UEFA European Championship Teams of the Tournament: 2012
• UEFA Best Player in Europe Award: 2012 (4th place), (7th place)
• UEFA Team of the Year: 2012
• 2011–12 Serie A Top Assist Provider
• Serie A Team of the Year: 2011–12, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2014–15
• Serie A Midfielder of the Year: 2012
• Serie A Footballer of the Year: 2012, 2013, 2014
• Premio Nazionale Carriera Esemplare "Gaetano Scirea": 2013
• FIFA Confederations Cup Team of the Tournament: 2013
• FIFA Confederations Cup Castrol Index Top XI: 2013
• UEFA Europa League Team of the Season: 2013–14
• UEFA Champions League Team of the Season: 2014–15
• A.C. Milan Hall of Fame
• All-time UEFA European Under-21 Championship dream team: 2015
• New York City's Ride of Fame: September 2015
• Globe Soccer Awards Player Career Award: 2015
• UEFA European Championship All-time XI: 2016
• Major League Soccer All-Star: 2016
• Juventus Greatest XI of All Time: 2017
• Premio internazionale Giacinto Facchetti: 2017
• Golden Foot Award Legends: 2018

Manager

Juventus

• Coppa Italia: 2020–21
• Supercoppa Italiana: 2020

External links

• Andrea Pirlo profile at Soccerbase
• Andrea Pirlo profile at Transfermarkt
• Adam Digby, Andrea Pirlo still as good as ever, SI.com, 3 May 2012
• ESPN Profile

Template:U.C. Sampdoria managers

Template:Fatih Karagümrük S.K. managers

Italy – UEFA Euro 2004

1. Buffon 2. Panucci 3. Oddo 4. Zanetti 5. Cannavaro 6. Ferrari 7. Del Piero 8. Gattuso 9. Vieri 10. Totti 11. Corradi 12. Toldo 13. Nesta 14. Fiore 15. Favalli 16. Camoranesi 17. Di Vaio 18. Cassano 19. Zambrotta 20. Perrotta 21. Pirlo 22. Peruzzi 23. Materazzi Manager:   Giovanni Trapattoni

Italy – 2006 FIFA World Cup - Winner (4th title)

1. Buffon 2. Zaccardo 3. Grosso 4. De Rossi 5. Cannavaro 6. Barzagli 7. Del Piero 8. Gattuso 9. Toni 10. Totti 11. Gilardino 12. Peruzzi 13. Nesta 14. Amelia 15. Iaquinta 16. Camoranesi 17. Barone 18. Inzaghi 19. Zambrotta 20. Perrotta 21. Pirlo 22. Oddo 23. Materazzi Manager:   Marcello Lippi

Italy – UEFA Euro 2008

1. Buffon 2. Panucci 3. Grosso 4. Chiellini 5. Gamberini 6. Barzagli 7. Del Piero 8. Gattuso 9. Toni 10. De Rossi 11. Di Natale 12. Borriello 13. Ambrosini 14. Amelia 15. Quagliarella 16. Camoranesi 17. De Sanctis 18. Cassano 19. Zambrotta 20. Perrotta 21. Pirlo 22. Aquilani 23. Materazzi Manager:   Roberto Donadoni

Italy – 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup

1. Buffon 2. Santon 3. Grosso 4. Chiellini 5. Cannavaro 6. Legrottaglie 7. Pepe 8. Gattuso 9. Toni 10. De Rossi 11. Gilardino 12. De Sanctis 13. Gamberini 14. Amelia 15. Iaquinta 16. Camoranesi 17. Rossi 18. Palombo 19. Zambrotta 20. Montolivo 21. Pirlo 22. Dossena 23. Quagliarella Manager:   Marcello Lippi

Italy – 2010 FIFA World Cup - Group stage (F)

1. Buffon 2. Maggio 3. Criscito 4. Chiellini 5. Cannavaro 6. De Rossi 7. Pepe 8. Gattuso 9. Iaquinta 10. Di Natale 11. Gilardino 12. Marchetti 13. Bocchetti 14. De Sanctis 15. Marchisio 16. Camoranesi 17. Palombo 18. Quagliarella 19. Zambrotta 20. Pazzini 21. Pirlo 22. Montolivo 23. Bonucci Manager:   Marcello Lippi

Italy – UEFA Euro 2012 – Runners-up

1. Buffon (c) 2. Maggio 3. Chiellini 4. Ogbonna 5. Motta 6. Balzaretti 7. Abate 8. Marchisio 9. Balotelli 10. Cassano 11. Di Natale 12. Sirigu 13. Giaccherini 14. De Sanctis 15. Barzagli 16. De Rossi 17. Borini 18. Montolivo 19. Bonucci 20. Giovinco 21. Pirlo 22. Diamanti 23. Nocerino Manager:   Cesare Prandelli

Italy – 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup

1. Buffon (c) 2. Maggio 3. Chiellini 4. Astori 5. De Sciglio 6. Candreva 7. Aquilani 8. Marchisio 9. Balotelli 10. Giovinco 11. Gilardino 12. Sirigu 13. Marchetti 14. El Shaarawy 15. Barzagli 16. De Rossi 17. Cerci 18. Montolivo 19. Bonucci 20. Abate 21. Pirlo 22. Giaccherini 23. Diamanti Manager:   Cesare Prandelli

Italy – 2014 FIFA World Cup – Group stage

1. Buffon (c) 2. De Sciglio 3. Chiellini 4. Darmian 5. Motta 6. Candreva 7. Abate 8. Marchisio 9. Balotelli 10. Cassano 11. Cerci 12. Sirigu 13. Perin 14. Aquilani 15. Barzagli 16. De Rossi 17. Immobile 18. Parolo 19. Bonucci 20. Paletta 21. Pirlo 22. Insigne 23. Verratti Manager:   Cesare Prandelli