Andrea Pirlo has spoken about his past with AC Milan and also about the rumours that he could have become the new head coach if Stefano Pioli had been fired.
Just after Paolo Maldini was sacked as the technical director back in June, reports emerged from various sources – including journalist Franco Ordine – claiming that Maldini spoke with Pirlo about the potential of him succeeding Pioli.
That would never come to fruition and in the end Pirlo left Turkey to coach in Serie B with Sampdoria who had just been relegated to the second tier, and he has so far earned mixed reviews there to put it nicely.
Pirlo is the current coach of Sampdoria, ex-coach of Juve and ex-player of Italy, Milan, Inter and Juve among others, and he spoke on the stage of the Trento Sports Festival about a number of topics. His comments were relayed by Calciomercato.com.
Who were the best coaches you worked with?
“Ancelotti, with whom we won everything at Milan, and Giovanni Trapattoni, the first to call me up for the senior national team, are also special. Conte was able to give me so much motivation, he made me relive a second youth. With Lippi we became world champions, the Italian adventure is unforgettable for everyone.”
What was your relationship like with Allegri?
“I had a normal relationship with Allegri despite many things being said and written. We were together for two years, one at Milan and the other at Juventus. He thought that I was no longer a footballer for that Milan, he had found other solutions and had thought that I was no longer important and I decided to leave.
“At Juventus, however, we finished a good winning cycle. I left because I didn’t want to be a burden to anyone and to be left aside for the important matches. I wanted to always play , so I left and it was my decision.”
Is it true you held talks over becoming Milan head coach?
“With Maldini just chatting between friends…”
What was it like winning the Champions League at Milan?
“The first Champions League with Milan was one of the greatest satisfactions ever. I had never played that competition, it was a very long journey that even started from the preliminaries. It was the best victory achieved with Milan, the first Champions League victory is never forgotten.
“We were an extraordinary group, just as it was exciting to see all those fans in Manchester. The secret of that Milan was the group, we liked to feel good and live the daily life of Milanello. We talked about everything, we fooled around, we discussed everyday life. Good moments.”
And then you moved to Juventus…
“I had a great relationship with Milan. In life, however, you make choices and after ten years I aspired to new motivations. And I also wanted to demonstrate to Milan that I was not a finished player, but capable of influencing the new course.
“In fact, given what was done in the new course of Juventus, I was right. The project that Andrea Agnelli illustrated to me was that of a club that wanted to win again, it was very stimulating and I refused also some possibilities abroad.
“The first retreat in Philadelphia with Conte was very tough. It was 40 degrees, someone left the pitch on a stretcher. But from that retreat a great Juventus was born.”
“He had found other solutions and had thought that I was no longer important…” What kind of goofball says one of the greatest midfielders of all time is irrelevant?
Thanks Allegri!
“Is it true you held talks over becoming Milan head coach?
“With Maldini just chatting between friends…”
“Former Fatih Karagumruk player Colin Kazim-Richards claims that Italian coach Andrea Pirlo allowed the Italian players to smoke in the locker room, even at half-time. ”
Pirlo was a great player, but for Maldini to think that he should replace Pioli at Milan is crazy. He wasn’t doing that good in Turkey and he has Sampdoria in the relegation zone in serie B.
And we were told the report that Maldini was trying to hire Pirlo was just a media spin paid by the big bad wolf Cardinale.
This is why I’m glad Maldini is no longer at Milan. I respect and appreciate Maldini as a former great player for the club but decisions like this is beyond crazy.
He would have set us back to the banter era. Pioli is the right man for the job at the moment and Pirlo is a downgrade. Smh
Can’t you read? Maldini did not offer Pirlo the position of Milan coach.
Even if he ask Pirlo whether he has desire to become Milan coach, it is not an offer, just want to know the desire of a friend. It’s also just an empty talk as Maldini positioned himself as friend instead of director.
“Can’t you read? Maldini did not offer Pirlo the position of Milan coach.”
So says Pirlo. Of course he says that. Why would he snitch on his mate?
It’s up to you if you don’t want to believe what Pirlo said. Everyone can lie afterall.
Maybe “With Maldini just chatting between friends…” could be interpreted as maybe in the future as chatting between friends shows some lowkey discussion, anyways ive always supported pioli so i would prefer keeping him instead.
Pirlo started at Juventus, went to Turkey and now he is in serie B trying not to get Sampdoria, a club that was in serie A last season, relegated to serie C. Pirlo’s coaching career is going the wrong direction. He is years away, if ever, being capable of coaching a club like Milan.
He hasn’t even shown that he is qualified to coach Milan Primavera, let alone take over the first team from Pioli.
So, based on what it was reported towards the end of last season and his answer here, the chat was about the immediate hire, not maybe in the future.
I know that and as i said i prefer pioli but who knows what the future could bring, pirlo isnt necessarily a lots cause yet as he is only 44 and you can also argue that there has been younger coaches that seemeed great but bombed later on onwards and vice versa.
I know there was some reports but as i said the phraisng could be considered very lowkey discusion as he even said himself it was just chatting between friends so i for one would consider those reports as only media reports but who knows what was in the plans but it doesnt seem like more than just being speculative if his phrasing is to been taken into consideration and i deffently doesnt see it as he would have replaced him right away.
pirlo isnt necessarily a lost cause yet ….
Chat between friends IS NOT chat between director and potential coach. Chat between friends = not discussing about job.
Also means: just empty talk
What were you talking about? Pirlo denied that Maldini offer him to become Milan coach.
Is it true you held talks over becoming Milan head coach?
“With Maldini just chatting between friends…”
Where is denial? 🤔 🫨
Chatting between friends means not work related. Only Maldini hatters would put it another way. This is just pure stupid!
I disagree with Maldini over some things such as pursuing Renato Sanches and I would disagree with Maldini IF HE ATTEMPT TO HIRE PIRLO, but he never attempted it. Even Pioli himself had said he has good relation with Maldini, they even had goobye lunch. The rumour of fracture in their relationship was hoax.
Ha ha ha.
Maldini fans are relentless.
He is literally answering a direct question about becoming Milan’s new coach.
The journalist is even formulating the question to give him a way out without mentioning Maldini. Pirlo is the one that drops Maldini’s name.
They didn’t ask him if he has talked to Maldini recently and reminisce about the old days or family matters, It was a direct question and Pirlo did everything but denied that.
Having lunch with someone who you tried to fire a month earlier doesn’t disprove the fact that he wanted to replace him.
A lot of directors stay friends with coaches after they fire them. They are just ending their professional relationship not their friendship. Just because Maldini thought that Pioli time has been over as a Milan coach doesn’t mean that he has anything against Pioli as a person. It’s part of the job and Pioli and every coach understands that.
But it doesn’t matter to you guys. Even if Maldini comes out and say that he held talk with Pirlo, you’d still say it’s a media spin.
One party, Pirlo, of the 2 involved, Maldini and Pirlo, literally comes out and says that he “chatted” with Maldini about becoming Milan coach and still that’s not enough proof for the fanboys.
Maldini fanboys? Maldini fans? Lol. I adamantly opposed Maldini’s attempt to sign Renato Sanches. I even got involved in heated discussion against pro-Renato. I’m glad Maldini fail to sign him. I agree with Maldini over some things, I disagree with Maldini over some things. I agree with Cardinale over some things, I disagree with Cardinale over some things. I am a Milan fan, not Maldini fan, not Maldini hater, not Cardinale fan, not Cardinale hater.
Maldini has a friend who is a coach and also a Milan legend, he happen to be in the same city as himself after not meeting him for a long time. It is normal that if in the reunion he got curious and ask whether that friend had a dream of becoming Milan coach one day.
Simple chat between friends were overblown into hiring attempt, that was media foul play.
@yelnats There’s only fringe elements on this site. It’s either you’re in a group or not. Your either like Maldini and EVERYTHING he does or you don’t like him. There’s no middle ground here and it’s quite sickening. People also put you in positions of defence because of their inability to comprehend diction 🤷♂️
Chatting between friends means Maldini do not use his position as director but as a friend. It is normal for a friend to ask if his friend has desire to become a Milan coach, but even then, that is not a hiring attempt, just empty talk.
Just stop dude. At this point you are embarrassing yourself.
Maldini was a director at Milan, who talked to another coach about replacing his current coach.
“Oh he wanted to find out if Pirlo has a desire to become a Milan coach”. Ha ha ha.
You are just exposing yourself as Maldini hater. Pirlo just revealed that it wasn’t a hiring attempt, only chat between friends.
Even Pirlo know that the chat was just as a friend with another friend instead of a director with a coach. Yet some fans who doesn’t even know them personally claimed otherwise. In case you don’t know, director/coach also has personal life. Lol
I couldn’t give a flying f*ck about Maldini, Pirlo or Pioli.
I’m just using my brain and reading skills, not my emotions, to draw a conclusion from what it was said by Pirlo in this interview.
You, on the other hand, refuse to accept the truth because it hurts your feelings and destroys your illusions.
I don’t even blame Maldini for trying to fire Pioli. Pioli gets judged based on results, and his results since January were awful.
You just don’t want to accept that Maldini was trying to replace Pioli with Pirlo, something that was reported at the time and confirmed by Pirlo here.
It wasn’t me in this interview that said that Maldini talked to Pirlo, it wasn’t a report that said that, it was Pirlo himself that said that.
If he wanted to deny it he could have easily said NO, ITS NOT TRUE, but instead he said that he chatted with Maldini.
You must accept the truth from whatever source it comes and this truth came straight from the horses mouth.
✌️
Apparently, your reading skill is affected by your emotional bias against Maldini hence why you come to the conclusion that “Maldini to think that he should replace Pioli at Milan”.
We don’t even know the detail of the conversation. Does Maldini really ask Pirlo to replace Pioli or does Maldini only ask him if he dream of coaching Milan? The only thing revealed is that the conversation is between friends, not between director-coach. So the conclusion that can be draws is that THERE IS NO HIRING ATTEMPT, ONLY EMPTY TALK.
I don’t care who the director is. Even if it’s Maldini, I will still oppose the attempt to hire Pirlo just like I oppose the attempt to sign Renato.
Pioli is Milan coach on a hot seat because of poor results.
Maldini, Pioli boss, is in charge of the sporting department at Milan.
Pirlo is a head coach without a job.
How does that look.
Maldini “chatts” with Pirlo , a man that he knows for over 20 years, at this concrete time about Pirlo desires about ever becoming a Milan coach.
Ha ha 😂.
It doesn’t matter if they talked at casa Milan, from an official Milan phone, in a restaurant, at Maldini’s house or on the street. When an official Milan sporting director talks to a coach specifically about becoming a Milan coach while his coach is on the hot seat and it’s on the firing block, they are talking about Pirlo replacing Pioli.
Hot seat? Lol.
The chat happened just few days after Milan beat Napoli by 4-0 in an away game.
Bro, check Milan results from after the salernitana game in early January up until the Napoli game. Milan went from being 5 points behind to 25 points behind Napoli. That would put Gvluardiola on the hot seat, let alone Pioli.
At this point you are just trying desperately to save face by denying actual facts. You even go that far to say that Pioli wasn’t on the hot seat. If Pioli contract wasn’t extended for extra 2 years in late November and Milan didn’t have to pay him to stay home for 2.5 years, Pioli would have been fired after he coached Milan to the worst month in Milan history.
As I said earlier, time for you to accept the truth and stop grasping for straws.
Pioli deserved to be fired based on the results and performances. Maldini was trying to fire him. Pirlo was one of the coach he talked to.
Didn’t we just have a situation where De Laurentiis talked to Conte to replace Garcia at Napoli. He failed, and Garcia is still his coach. They still have conversations and probably even have a meal together. It’s all part of the job. No hard FEELINGS because they are grown man.
You trying too much to prove something here. I don’t even know what your goal is. It’s plain and simple. Maldini didn’t do anything wrong. It’s just a confirmation from what it was reported towards the end of last season and the confirmation came from Pirlo. There was no denial as you claim so delusionally.
Maldini as any director was doing his due diligence to think of a plan in case he fired Pioli. Usually team already have a replacement in mind before they fire their current coach.
Pirlo had clarified that the talk was merely talk between friends yet you are hellbent on framing it as talk between director-coach. It is you who cannot accept what was revealed.
Pioli just guide the team to beat the team they are going to face in quarter-final of UCL by 4-0. At that point Milan were brimming with confidence that they could reach UCL semifinal.
Have a good day bro.
I wasted enough time on this with you.
You can not have an honest and meaningful debate
with people who willfully
ignore facts and the truth.
Pirlo said it plain and simple, you keep believing your lies.
It is a GREAT DISHONESTY to frame chat between friends as hiring attempt of director to a coach.
Dishonesty?
Let’s look at facts about Pioli not being on the hot seat and the team beaming with confidence.
Since January
Milan – Roma 2-2
Milan-Torino 0-1 That’s 10 men Torino
Lecce- Milan 2-2
Milan Inter 0-2
Lazio – Milan 4-0
Milan- Sassuolo 2-5
Inter – Milan 1-0
Milan- Torino 1-0
Milan-Tottenham 1-0
Monza- Milan 0-1
Milan- !Atalanta 2-0
Fiorentina – Milan 2-1
Tottenham- Milan 0-0
Milan- Salernitana 1-1
Udinese-Milan 3-1
Napoli- Milan 0-4
Beaming with confidence after the Napoli win. Huh! lets see.
Milan- Empoli 0-0
Milan- Napoli 1-0
Bologna- Milan 1-1
Napoli- Milan 1-1
Milan Lecce 2-0
Roma Milan 1-1 last minute Saelemakers goal.
Milan Cremonese 1-1
Milan-Lazio 2-0
Milan-Inter 0-2
Spezia- Milan 2-0 Milan players and Pioli getting scolded by curva sud in front of the whole world
Inter – Milan 1-0
Milan- Sampdoria 5-1
Juventus Milan 0-1
Milan- Verona 3-1
Yeah , great results by Pioli’s team. They were beaming with confidence and Pioli at no point was on the hot seat. Maldini at no point was thinking about firing Pioli. 🤔
Nothing I have said you disproved , you keep making up stuff and acting like a child who believes that a Milan official talked to a potential coach, while his coach and team were performing awfully, only as friends.
Ha ha ha.
Embarrassing
Forgot to include the Super Copa embarrassment 3-0 for inter
Lol. I thought you had enough.
You are still trying to shift the goalpost, aren’t you? Pirlo stated that it was just chat between friends, it is already enough to deny that Maldini offer him coach position regardless of Milan result. Stop spitting out irrelevant information. The fact is, at the time the chat was supposed to happen, Milan were brimming with confidence, they just beat Napoli by 4-0 prior to facing Napoli at UCL quarterfinal.
I had already mentioned earlier that the confidence is confidence to qualify to UCL semifinal. They did.
“confidence that they could reach UCL semifinal”
See, I didn’t say confidence in Serie A or reaching UCL final.
So the media report that Maldini ask Pirlo to become Milan coach is just garbage, a smear attempt.
Yelnats24 I applaud you for the time you are taking to explain simple logic to persons who don’t know how to read to understand but rather reply.
Andrea is one of my favorite players of all time but as a coach he’s been a disaster at every single club. Now he has Samp in the relegation zone in Serie B! He’ll have to achieve impressive results for years before we even think about him coaching Milan.
As a player he is a superstar, but as a coach it is not yet time to become Milan’s coach. Milan needs an experienced coach, maybe like Pep or Rangnick
So the rumors that Maldini was trying to replace Pioli with Pirlo were true?
I am not Pioli’s biggest fan but I’d still keep Pioli over Pirlo.
After Pioli gets fired Milan will need a proven coach who will take the team to higher levels, not someone learning on the job.
Love Pirlo the player but neither him nor any other ex Milan player should coach the team anytime soon unless their name is De Zerbi.
No, it wasn’t. Pirlo just clarify that it was merely chat between friends which means Maldini did not act as a director trying to recruit coach.
Nb:
Asking someone whether he is interested to become Milan coach is not the same as asking him to become Milan coach. The former is a question out of curiosity while the latter is a recruitment attempt.
That’s your interpretation based on what?
I read the article, and I already read your back and forth with the other fan, and he already explained everything perfectly.
Pirlo didn’t deny it and by Maldini being in an official position as a Milan director every conversation between him and another coach about that coach becoming Milan coach, even a friend, is not just shooting the sh!t between 2 old buddies.
As the other guy already said, Maldini and Pirlo know each other for maybe 30 years.
The timing of everything is very telling. The team wasn’t doing well. Maldini even criticized Pioli after Milan got knocked out of UCL.
“The gap is real. It hasn’t been a contest in the last four games against them. Today, we played a little better, but it was compromised by the first leg,” he said.
“It’s Inter’s way of playing that bothers us, and WE’RE UNABLE TO FIND COUNTERMEASURES, then WE HAVE ALSO STRUGGLED AGAINST TEAMS LESS STRONG THAN INTER IN THE RECENT PERIOD.”
Maldini talked to Pirlo if he wanted to coach Milan during a time when Milan played bad and the results were lacking isn’t coincidence and just a random conversation. Any coach will wanna coach Milan at some point in their career. To actually believe that Maldini brought that up while they were drinking wine or having dinner, it’s just silly.
But , you believe what you wanna believe.
Claiming it as chat between friends is already a denial. If any recruiting attempt took place, it will no longer be between friends but between director-coach. PERIOD
Maldini even criticized Pioli about the way he used his most expensive signing.
“Commentator Daniele Adani revealed during a segment on Rai Sport that he has spoken to Maldini about De Ketelaere and his development so far, with his comments relayed by MilanLive.
“Maldini told me that Charles is very strong, a respectable boy and that they believe in him. There is great trust on the part of Milan, take the examples of Tonali and Leao. HE SAID HE LIKES TO PLAY STRIKER. He has incredible values, he is a boy who has just arrived at San Siro and must be accompanied,” he said.”
Now compare that with how Pioli used and treated CDK.
Pioli opinion of CDK forced even the new management to let him leave on loan, even though Moncada, was also a big fan of CDK, who he scouted while he played at Brugge as a striker, not a midfielder, like Pioli used him.
Based on all of that, If Maldini had his way Pioli would have been fired. Add that to Maldini coincidentally spiking to Pirlo during that period about coaching Milan and you have your answer.
Or, you can live in DENIAL.
You are living in denial when you cannot accept Pirlo’s denial.