Andrea Pirlo citations

“La qualité de ses passes, qu'elles soient longues ou courtes, sa science du placement, sa vision du jeu, en un mot son intelligence, valent tous les buts du monde.”

“Quand Pirlo va, tout va.”

“Pirlo est un leader silencieux, il laisse ses pieds parler pour lui.”

“Nous avons essayé de l'avoir à l'œil, mais il est trop bon pour rester en cage et il a été merveilleux… Son tir au but est typique de sang-froid et de classe.”

“Quand je vois ce qu'Andrea fait avec un ballon, j'en viens à me demander si je suis moi-même footballeur.”

“Le Milan joue au rythme de Pirlo.”

“Pirlo, maintenant je copie tes coups-francs.”

“Pirlo, c'est Zico devant la défense.”

“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.”

“I don't feel pressure. I don't give a toss about it. I spent the afternoon of Sunday, July 9, 2006 in Berlin sleeping and playing the PlayStation. In the evening, I went out and won the World Cup.”

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

“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.”

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

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

“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.”

“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.”

“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.”

“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.”