Juventus midfielder Andrea Pirlo has explained the reason why he supported his current club’s slogan of ’30 titles on the pitch’.
Pirlo, who will be celebrating his 35th birthday in May, has publicly come out dedicating his love and commitment to his current employers in the recent past.
The veteran play maker briefly wrote in his book, I think Therefore I play, of the Calciopoli scandal and his reason to wear a t-shirt embodying the motto of winning 30 titles after the Bianconeri had won the Scudetto in Antonio Conte’s first season.
“The whole Calciopoli thing lent a hand to the Juventus team of that time,” said Pirlo
“But to my dying day, I’ll remain convinced they would have won the same number of trophies relying on their own means,
without any kind of external assistance.
“And that’s why I wore a t-shirt with the slogan ‘30 [titles] won on the pitch’ after we clinched the league in Trieste. I came from a world that went to war with Juventus over what happened but, for me, a title that’s taken away and then not assigned or handed to another team remains an honour you have won.
“If you’re not a bianconero, or if you don’t become one as I did, you’ll never understand. Winning that title was a return to normality, a soft landing delayed for several years by turbulence.”
The Azzurri international also dedicated an entire chapter in his book to the Juventus president Andrea Agnelli and his role in rejuvenating a Juventus side that had finished seventh on two consecutive seasons before Conte took over.
He also wrote of the La Vecchia Signora as an opponent he faced prior to making the switch to Turin in 2011.
“Andrea Agnelli has given Juventus their old mentality back,” added the former AC Milan player. “It’s one that really used to get on my wick as an opposition player. You always knew that they’d fight to the death and give every last drop of sweat.
“They’d never hold back: they’d get kicked and they’d get straight back up again. They’d score a goal and you just knew they’d get another one a few minutes later.
“You’d try to intimidate them and they’d just get angry. And when they were cross, they seemed to perform even bet
