Andrea Pirlo announced his retirement from football earlier this week after the final match of the season for NYCFC.
The announcement received messages from many of Pirlo’s former teammates and opponents, including Gennaro Gattuso who spent 10 seasons next to Pirlo in an AC Milan uniform.
Andrea Pirlo enjoyed a tremendous career for Milan and the Italian national team alongside Gattuso. The two had a great relationship on the pitch as Pirlo was looked at as more of a playmaker while Gattuso was known for his ferociousness.
The player known as “Rino” spoke to Radio 24 about his former teammates, “When I saw him play it made me think I had to change profession.”
“Did I help free him up a bit? Don’t talk nonsense, let’s not confuse Nutella with sh*t.”
Gattuso mentioned a part of Pirlo’s game that he is not most noted for, “it wasn’t only about his quality, but he was an animal covering 1000 meters, he had this athletic quality which is why he played until this age. He was someone who ran so much.”
“I played for him for about 20 years when you consider the national team youth sector, in difficult moments I just passed him the ball, I always felt assured when I was next to him” continued the Milan Primavera manager.
He finished with a personal side of Pirlo that people don’t know well: “In the dressing room? He was a son of a b*tch, with all due respect to his mother! He teased me for months, he was very funny. I punched him more times than Bud Spencer did Terrance Hill.”
