From "Maestro" to "Mester" ... Pirlo was coach of Juventus
Juventus, the Italian champions, announced on Saturday the appointment of its former star Andrea Pirlo as coach of its first team, hours after the sacking of Maurizio Sarri after the team was excluded from the price of the European Champions League final on Friday in front of Lyon, France.
Juventus noted that "Pirlo signed a contract today for a period of two years until June 30, 2022."
Pirlo, 41, who was 2006 world champion and Juventus midfielder between 2011 and 2015, was appointed ten days ago as coach of the U-23 team participating in the third division championship and does not have much training experience.
"Pirlo has had a legendary career in football as a player, winning everything from the Champions League to the 2006 World Cup," Juventus said in their official statement.
"In his four years at the center of Juventus, Pirlo won several titles, several league titles, the Italian Cup and the Super Cup," he continued.
Sari, 61, was sacked after one season on his arrival from Chelsea, despite his leadership of the "old lady" to the title of the league for the ninth year in a row.
Sarri, who contracted with the "old lady" for three years after coming last season, paid the price for the team's failure to win the Champions League title since 1996.
Despite the coronation in the league that ended modestly after returning from Corona, Juventus lost with him the cup final to Napoli by penalty shootout and the Super Cup to Lazio.
Pirlo began his football career at Brescia in 1995, then moved to Inter (1998), who loaned him to both Regina and Brescia, then moved to neighboring Milan, where he spent ten years (2001-2011) during which he won the league twice, the Cup and the Super Cup locally, and in my own league. Twice European champions, the European Super Cup and the Club World Cup.
Then he joined Juventus (2011-2015), where he won the "Serie A" title four times in a row, and concluded his career as a player in New York City (2015-2017).
Juventus added, "Pirlo begins a new chapter in his football career, and as it was said last week: from Maestro to Mester (coach)."
He continued, "Starting today, he will become the coach for everyone at Juventus, as the club decided to assign him to lead the technical leadership of the first team, after having previously chosen the Under-23 squad. Today's decision is based on the belief that Pirlo has what it takes to lead from the bench seat, an expert and talented squad to achieve new successes."
At the national team level, Pirlo played 116 international matches, during which he scored 13 goals, and was a decisive factor in his country's victory in the 2006 World Cup in Germany.