Faced with the biggest stages, Andrea Pirlo always felt undaunted and utterly at home.
“I don’t feel pressure. I don’t give a toss about it,” the Italian maestro wrote in his autobiography, ‘I think therefore I play’. “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.”
Given the enjoyment, and success, he found when the spotlight was at its brightest, Pirlo acknowledges he would have relished the new-look FIFA Club World Cup™.
“Unfortunately, I can’t play in it [because] it would have been great [to experience] this format,” said the former midfielder, who conquered the world with AC Milan in 2007. “It’s really interesting and it’s something new. I am sure it will be very exciting.
“The best clubs in the world are competing, so I am sure FIFA has done an excellent job and it will be a great experience for everyone.”
As well as giving a thumbs-up to the FIFA Club World Cup’s 32-team format, Pirlo is delighted that its inaugural edition will take place in a country he knows and admires.
Pushed on what makes the United States a perfect host for this star-studded event, he explained: “There’s a lot of enthusiasm. People want to watch football because MLS (Major League Soccer) is growing a lot.
“Watching so many top teams is a true spectacle for all the fans, for the whole world and especially for the United States, where people watch games with such passion.”
Having won world titles with both club and country – “that feeling is always fantastic”, he reflects – Pirlo will be a keen spectator as the beautiful game’s elite clubs do battle in 12 spectacular US venues. Among those hopefuls will be two of his former teams, with Juventus and Inter Milan set to fly the flag for Italy.
“They’re currently focusing on other things, like Serie A and the Champions League,” said Pirlo. “But when the time [for the Club World Cup] comes, they will manage the situation with the right motivation.”
Those clubs, like all those bidding for global glory, can only hope for players with Pirlo’s quality and coolness when the world stage beckons.
