The Samp coach between past, present and future: “Conte, master of the pitch and of football. Juve was a revenge for me. Bellingham is predestined, he was born to play football”
“I have always lived with many expectations. Everyone expected me to do something important. Little by little I did what I did, demonstrating on the field what I collected, always ready to suffer criticism. It is not easy for a child to live like this, however you have to think about playing and having fun.” Words from Andrea Pirlo to the microphones of Radio TV Serie A. The former midfielder, 2006 world champion, spoke about himself far and wide: “I never set limits for myself, I wanted to be one of the best. I wanted to win a world cup and a Champions League. I have never been satisfied in my life; what I had done before was never enough for me, I was always trying to improve. Talent is improved with work and with the stimuli that must push you to always do better.”
Inter, Milan and Juventus
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Andrea Pirlo is one of the very few players to have worn the shirts of Inter, Milan and Juventus. With the Nerazzurri he took his first steps in adult football. With the Rossoneri he became a champion and won his first trophies. Finally, with the Bianconeri he discovered a new youth, becoming the director and brains of Conte and Allegri’s teams. This is how he talks about his life: “As a child I was a huge Inter fan; my dad took me to Viareggio on holiday and when Inter were on their training camp in those areas, I joined them to get autographs. But when you become a professional you no longer support in the same way. If anything, you support the team you play for. With Milan I won everything, but the best victory was the first Champions League. The wound from the final in Istanbul is difficult to heal, I even thought about quitting. My adventure with Milan didn’t end as I dreamed; I hoped I could stay and still be useful, but in that period there was a policy whereby those over 30 were only offered a one-year contract, and so I chose Juventus. It was a revenge for me. I had a great desire to prove to everyone that I was still a player capable of playing at a high level and with Juve I won 4 championships and we reached a Champions League final. Conte was a great field and football teacher”.
coaches
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In addition to Conte, two other coaches made the difference in his growth path: “I won with almost all the coaches who trained me; I have wonderful memories with each of them. Certainly with Lippi I won the trophy that every footballer hopes to win Lucescu was the first to bring me into the first team: he was crazy about me and even when I trained with the “big boys” he always had an eye on me and pushed me to always do better. Mazzone was the one who started my career. career; for him I was the Falcao of Brescia and from the attacking midfielder or midfielder that I was, he moved me to become the director of the midfield.”
2006: the World Cup and Real Madrid
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2006 was a very particular year, starting from the victory at the World Cup: “Lippi chose me as the first to kick the penalty in the final. It wasn’t a walk in the park because the tension was so high, but I didn’t think too much and I kicked.” Then came the call from Real Madrid: “It was the period of calciopoli, and it wasn’t clear how Serie A would restart. As soon as the World Cup ended I signed a contract with Real, but then when they announced that Milan would restart from Serie A with a penalty, in agreement with Galliani, I chose the Rossoneri”
coach and young people
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Finally, Andrea Pirlo spoke about his experience as a coach and his vision on young people: “Coaching Juve was a beautiful experience. It was a journey with a young and new team; I have no regrets. Coaching Ronaldo makes you understand how to becomes number 1 in the world. He is an exemplary professional in everything: from eating, to recovery, to training itself. With Samp we have started a long job; I feel great and I hope to be able to achieve the objectives. The young guys, if they are strong, you see them immediately. But everyone has their own times. There are those who have everything right away like Donnarumma and those who need more time. The Italian football movement is one of the few where it is not possible to give confidence right from the start. immediately to the kids; everything is different abroad, those who deserve to play play, regardless of age. I don’t look at the player’s identity card, what matters is that he shows his aptitude and qualities. Bellingham is predestined, he was born to play football and it is right that he has this career. He is a player of great prospect combined with Ancellotti who is a coach with great experience and human qualities.”
Gazzetta dello Sport
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