Andrea Pirlo Quotes

I’m Italian, but I’m also a little Brazilian: Pirlonho, if you like.

People compare me to Verratti, and I do really like him, but we have very different playing styles.

Being part of a team that belongs to everyone makes me feel good and at peace with myself.

It’s clear that anyone who plays in Belgium or another league with less quality still has a chance of making the Champions League or the Europa League.

Ancelotti moved me to a new position and helped me raise my game.

Yes, many times an assist is more difficult than a goal; you need to find the right space and measure the force used in order to provide your teammate with the right position in order to score.

The secret for someone in my position is to keep it simple. Keep possession and keep the ball moving quickly so that you tire out your opponents; that’s my method.

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.

I want to be successful in playing the game. I’m going to do my best to help myself and my teammates play in the best possible way and reach successful results.

I’d have considered myself fortunate to be coached by Guardiola because he really puts his stamp on teams. He builds them, moulds them, guides them, berates them, nurtures them. He makes them great. He takes them to a higher level; a place beyond mere football.

When great teams meet, there is never a problem with concentration.

I’m a bit of a wandering gypsy on the pitch.

For many years, Messi and Ronaldo will be the two best. After them, there is Xavi, Andres Iniesta, and others. I hope to be in the top ten.

When you start to achieve success, you want to get more.

I’d have signed for Real in a heartbeat. They’re a club with more glamour than Milan; more prospects, more appeal, more everything. They strike fear in their opponents, whoever they happen to be.

Madrid is Madrid. There’s nothing more to say. It’s the biggest team in the world.

To be honest, I don’t see anyone out there who plays the way I do.

I stick to a Mediterranean diet with fresh produce and olive oil. On a normal day, my diet is divided into the three main meals. I don’t eat any other snack between meals during the day.

Scoring from a dead-ball brings me massive satisfaction. It sets me up as an example for other players to follow, copy, and perhaps even emulate over the course of time. For them, I’m a Juninho Pernambucano 2.0, a Brazilian with a Brescia accent.

In football, like in life, there are always millimetres which can change things – the course of a goal or of a life.

There were times we were kept in our dressing room until late at night because it wasn’t safe to go home. Our bus would get attacked, the tires slit.

When I was a kid, I’d take a small foam ball and try to get my shot over the couch so it would finish in the corner of the window.

I’ve never told anyone, but my ambition is to become the leading all-time scorer of free kicks in Serie A.

When I take my free-kicks, I think in Portuguese, and at most, I’ll do the celebrating in my native tongue.

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.

As a player, you get to the stage where you realise that you are not 25 anymore – and can’t play the way you used to. The intelligent players adapt – and Steven Gerrard has the ability to do that. He is an excellent passer of the ball, possesses an intelligent football brain, and has great vision.

My favourite England player is Harry Kane.

I came to New York City as a player, so my objective is to take the team as high as possible, preferably to victory. If that helps Major League Soccer grow, then that’s welcome, too, but I was signed as a New York City FC player and to do what’s best for the team.

All my ex-teammates didn’t want to become coaches, yet they’ve all done it.

I don’t feel pressure.

I’ve always been used to playing 60 games – one every three days – and I’ve played on artificial turf. There is artificial turf in Europe as well in some places. There is heat as well. And if it’s hot for me at 110 degrees Fahrenheit, it’s hot for the others as well.

Swearing‘s my release. It’s the one weapon I have to defend myself against destiny when it elects to strike without pity.

I love the food scene in New York.

I still have a thorn in my side at not having played for Real Madrid or Barcelona, because playing there is a dream for every player. But I consider myself very satisfied to have played for the best teams in Italy.

I never compete to take part but to finish first.

Messi is the best player in the world; he is amazing.

Before every match, I eat pasta with tomato and chicken breast a few hours beforehand. In the hottest months, I choose to drink an energy drink before the match, too, but normally, I drink just water.

To get onto the Maracana pitch is the dream of every child.

Each free kick carries my name, and all are my children. And they have South American roots.

Pogba has never stopped improving. He has everything to become a great player. If he keeps his head on his shoulders, he can make history.

I think if somebody knows how to play the game, he or she can play anywhere. You know how to fit in.

I played with Baggio when I was young. I grew up with his myth, and to actually play with him was like being in a dream. I tried to hang out with him, to study how he played and to learn from him.

I always play to win. I always have big targets in mind.

Do I regret leaving Milan? I decided I needed a change. I needed to find new ideas, and that was the best thing for both parties.

Real Madrid? Any player would like to play for them.

People who don’t know me think I’m so serious. I’m a prankster; I like to have fun with the people who know me better.

Just being able to go out to dinner at the trendiest restaurants – in Italy, I can’t do that.

My passion is always the same. In fact, with a new adventure, the passion always grows.

On the first training session Pogba had with Juventus, the players were laughing. We were not laughing for any other reason than we were just in total disbelief that this player with so much obvious ability was able to leave the club the size of Manchester United for free – and I think Juventus are still laughing.

I have always said that it is fundamental to have a strong core of Italian players in a club squad. At AC Milan, we had that and we won. The same at Juventus.

I don’t like going on TV programmes.

If you look after yourself and are willing to adapt – there is no reason why you can’t play at the top level until your late 30s.

I’ve always been able to play for the love of the sport.

There are so many different factors – luck, being in good shape when it matters, the draw. For these reasons, it’s hard to win a European Cup.

Messi is always compared to Maradona, but he needs to win the World Cup because if you don’t win the World Cup, you can’t be up there with the very best.