Andrea Pirlo quotes

Andrea Pirlo is an Italian former professional footballer and current football manager, renowned for his exceptional vision and passing ability. Regarded as one of the greatest deep-lying playmakers of his generation, he won numerous domestic and international titles with clubs like AC Milan and Juventus. He is admired for his intelligence on the field and his composure under pressure. Here are 25 of his quotes:

Swearing's my release, and the one weapon I have to defend myself against destiny when it elects to strike without pity.

Andrea Pirlo

If God exists, there's no way he's French.

Andrea Pirlo

I thought about quitting after Istanbul because nothing made sense any more...I no longer felt like a man. All of a sudden, football had become the least important thing, precisely because it was the most important: a very painful contradiction. I didn't dare look in the mirror in case my reflection spat back at me. The only possible solution I could think of was to retire.

Andrea Pirlo

I like to think of myself as a director, on the pitch and in life.

Andrea Pirlo

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.

Andrea Pirlo

If I look in the mirror when I get up, or before going to bed a night, i see a man of average ugliness...But I also see a man who's completely happy with the figure staring back at him. Who's proud of every single second of his past.

Andrea Pirlo

I'm a bit of a wandering gypsy on the pitch. A midfielder constantly on the lookout for an unspoilt corner where I can move freely just for a moment...A space where I can continue to profess my creed: take the ball, give it to a team-mate, team-mate scores. It's called an assist, and it's my way of spreading happiness.

Andrea Pirlo

I perceive the game in a different way. It's a question of viewpoints, of having a wide field of vision. Being able to see the bigger picture.

Andrea Pirlo

Sometimes a pinch of sadism is the ingredient that makes victory taste that little bit sweeter.

Andrea Pirlo

Being a philosopher is to think, seek wisdom, and have principles that guide and influence what you do. It's to give meaning to things, find your way in the world, believe that in the end, in every instance, good will overcome evil, even if there's a bit of suffering along the way.

Andrea Pirlo

For me, it's always better to keep chasing down the guy in front and maybe finish second, rather than stopping altogether.

Andrea Pirlo

I strike dead balls alla Pirlo. Each shot bears my name and they're all my children.

Andrea Pirlo

I've got a fair few kilometres under my belt, but it's the short distances that wear me out. They're tests of your mental stamina, rather than your speed. For Neil Armstrong, it was walking on the surface of the moon and, in my case, the ultra-green pitch of the Olympiastadion.

Andrea Pirlo

Ibid [p. 88].

Andrea Pirlo

He 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?

Andrea Pirlo

Simply put, he crapped. Crapped a hell of a lot. This isn't a bad thing in itself, but the fact he'd do it at the ground, in our dressing room, just before the game, got on our nerves somewhat.

Andrea Pirlo

He's a special kind of medicine, an antidote to the potentially lethal poison of racists you find in Italian grounds.

Andrea Pirlo

A Rolex with Swatch batteries. Utterly refined, extremely long lasting.

Andrea Pirlo

Being first on the spot, kicking off that torture in the biggest, most incredible game that a player can play or imagine...that's not necessarily good news. It means that they think you're the best, but it also means that if you miss, you're first on the list of dickheads.

Andrea Pirlo

The perfect moment to let your hair down is usually after a triumph, because defeats deserve a different kind of reaction...When you lose, it's all about thinking and reflecting. When you win, burping takes priority.

Andrea Pirlo

Many individuals make a team, just as many dreams make a triumph. And if you're really lucky, they make history as well.

Andrea Pirlo

After a while, I began to suspect that it wasn't Mark David Chapman who killed John Lennon. It had been one of the Milan directors.

Andrea Pirlo