Choosing to leave the city of Milan, where he had played for more than a decade, leaving Italy where he had grown up and going to the strange and dangerous England, Pirlo made a very bold and courageous decision a year ago.

Over the past year, there have been countless journalists who have tried to find out what made him leave AC Milan, but in the few individual interviews he has given to him, Pirlo has said that he chose to join Tottenham Hotspur because he was eager for a new thrill and challenge.

One of the most important explanations he explained was to defend himself, saying that he did not join Tottenham Hotspur for money, because the salary he would receive at Tottenham Hotspur was much lower than that offered by AC Milan and other teams, including Juventus, because he wanted to accommodate the overall salary structure of Tottenham Hotspur.

However, some media have disclosed that Pirlo did take a half salary cut to join Tottenham Hotspur, but under the commercial operation of Tottenham Hotspur, according to the team's consistent salary plus commercial development salary model, Pirlo's income is not lower than when he was in AC Milan, and even higher, because half a year after joining the team, Tottenham Hotspur helped him sign thirteen sponsorship contracts.

There is no doubt that in less than a year, Pirlo, who was considered to be dying before the season, has conquered the fans of Tottenham Hotspur and the entire Premier League, thanks to his skills and his reserved and low-key personality.

The arrival of Andrea Pirlo has continued Tottenham's overall style of play, his short and long passes are very accurate, he can control the ball, he can organise and use all kinds of means to change the rhythm of the team, he has made all Tottenham Hotspur fans forget Fabregas, forget David? Silva and Yaya? Toure.

When almost all the media around the world evaluate the best transfer signing this season, the first place must be Andrea Pirlo, which is completely unsuspenseful, because a player who joins for free can play at such a wonderful world-class level, who can ask for more?

Pirlo's outstanding performance in the Premier League even made AC Milan's Allegri have to admit one thing when he was criticized by AC Milan fans, "There is nothing to regret when he lets Pirlo go, but he is a very good player!" ”

It has even been revealed in the media that Galliani is still dissatisfied with Allegri for Pirlo's departure.

After the results of the draw for the quarter-finals of the Champions League were announced, all the journalists and media were excited because Pirlo returned to the San Siro stadium for a match that will attract the attention of the world.

Unexpectedly, two days before the game, Tottenham Hotspur decided to arrange for him to be interviewed exclusively by Milan Sports Newspaper after seeking Pirlo's consent, in this interview, Pirlo mentioned for the first time the real reason why he left AC Milan, that is, he and AC Milan had basically reached a contract renewal clause, but Allegri's attitude shook the club, and finally made him feel insulted, so he decided to leave.

"I believe that all professional players want to play in a team that recognises our importance, and when you realise that your team can't give you that kind of attention, you're going to be disappointed, so I chose to leave, but I still have a good relationship with AC Milan and I received congratulatory texts from almost all of my Milan teammates when we broke AC Milan's 58-game unbeaten run."

"And did Berlusconi and Galliani have?" The reporter asked.

"Nope!" Pirlo shook his head, "But I have a lot of respect for them!" ”

"Ye Qiu is a great head coach, I have experienced a lot of managers in my career, but no one has ever been like him, he has laid out almost everything very clearly, he is very well prepared, and even organizes us to watch the analysis video of the opponent before every game, which is a very detailed and targeted analysis."

"The moment we walked on the pitch, we felt everything about the opponent very clearly and thoroughly, we had a very professional and large team behind the back, which made us invincible, but more importantly, this team has a strong mental strength, everyone is eager to keep working hard, keep improving, beat their teammates, beat their opponents, this strong belief allows us to play at the best level in every game!"

After listening to the reporter of Milan Sports Newspaper, he nodded, "There are many Pirlo fans who find it very interesting, this season Pirlo has played very amazing statistics in the Premier League, goals and assists have set new career highs, but more importantly, you are almost thirty-three years old, but your average number of passes per game and success rate are very amazing, and even you have not been affected by injuries throughout the season, and the average distance traveled per game has reached 11 kilometers, which you have never done before." ”

Pirlo smiled, "Yes, as I just said, we have a very large and very professional and advanced team behind us, and they will tell me every day what you should pay attention to if you want to continue to perform well, how to arrange training, etc., they are the most professional team I have ever seen!" ”

"You're talking about the Theobald Research Center?" The reporter tried to ask.

Pirlo smiled and said nothing, which is a key secret for Tottenham Hotspur, and after a pause, he continued: "I think I have to thank my team-mates for having such a good performance this season, I have a group of top team-mates in the world and you know when you're surrounded by such a group of really good team-mates, it's going to be easy for you to pass. ”

"And, of course, our head coach, Mr. Ye Qiu, he is a genius, but not just a genius in the field of head coaching, I know that he will one day change the whole world of football, and I am very proud and very proud to be part of his whole plan, which is an honor for any professional footballer."

"I feel like I'm playing for a team that has a chance to make history like Michels, or the Saki Milan dynasty, and now I feel like I've never been as good in my career as I am today!"

"Really?" The reporter tried to ask.

"Pretty sure!" Pirlo nodded solemnly.

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This remark appeared on the front page of the Milan sports newspaper the day before Tottenham Hotspur came to Milan City the day before the game, and immediately caused a huge reaction throughout Milan City and the world, many people affirmed, but many people doubted.

According to those who affirm him, Andrea Pirlo has indeed reached the pinnacle of his career this season, both statistically and in terms of performance, and more importantly, he has become the main midfielder of the history-making Tottenham Hotspur team.

But there are also those who believe that this is a psychological tactic by Tottenham Hotspur to split AC Milan before the game, especially when Allegri is at odds with several players in the team, such as Nesta.

The AC Milan veteran is in the same situation as Andrea Pirlo last season, and there are even media reports that he almost got into a big fight with Allegri in the dressing room, and although Allegri has been forced to rely on Nesta in some games, Allegri has put up obstacles for Nesta when it comes to the renewal of the team's contract.

As a result, before the game, the players of both sides lined up to leave the dressing room aisle, and Pirlo joked with Nesta, the only player in the AC Milan starting line-up who could talk, jokingly asked if he also got a Cartier pen with the Milan crest and whether he would like to switch to the Premier League like he did last summer.

"Don't worry, Alessandro, I'll help you get revenge!" Pirlo smiled and leaned into Nesta's ear.

"With me here, don't even think about it!" The former world number one centre-back responded with a provocative smile.

In fact, Nesta did play very well in the game, and he proved one thing with his standout performance against Tottenham Hotspur, he is indeed 36 years old, but he can continue to hold on because he has never been a centre-back who feeds on his body.

Maldini can play until he is forty, and so can Nesta!

It's not just about helping AC Milan beat their opponents and get some leverage for a contract extension, it's also a way for the top superstar to prove his dignity by showing everyone that despite his age, he's still one of the best centre-backs in the world.

So in the game, Nesta not only performed well, but also showed the excellent ability of the defensive manager, he commanded Mex, Antonini and Abate and other defensive partners, plus the four attacking and defensive midfielders in the front, organized a tight defense again and again, and defused Tottenham Hotspur's wave after wave of attacks.

From the first half to the second half, Tottenham Hotspur dominated the ball and possessed an astonishing amount of possession, but it was never able to effectively break through AC Milan's goal.

Is it really going to end this game with a draw?

Pirlo was not reconciled, he had fantasized about his return to the San Siro so many times that he had even thought before the game that he would try to beat AC Milan on the road anyway, and he wanted to use a win to show Allegri that giving up on himself a year ago was the biggest mistake he had made since taking charge of AC Milan.

But Pirlo is about to turn thirty-three, he has passed the age of losing his mind because of anger, he knows very well that anger is his motivation, but he must not let anger control his thoughts, so he is patiently waiting for the opportunity.

Ye Qiu quickly made adjustments, replacing the underperforming left-back Marcelo and replacing Raul at the same time.

Although Raul played Napoli before, he performed eye-catching after coming off the bench and became the hero of the team's promotion, but Raul, who started again in this game, performed in a slump, and under the joint clamping of Nesta and Mex, Raul did not get the space to play similar to the game against Napoli.

This time, Ye Qiu replaced Raul with Neymar, moving Messi to the middle, and Ribery and Neymar formed two wings.

The former Real Madrid captain also looked lonely when he came off the pitch, his chances at Tottenham Hotspur this season are becoming less and less, and he himself is very aware of his situation, his physical condition is no longer suitable for such a fierce Premier League and Champions League competition, after Beckham told him to retire in the summer, he also moved to leave.

The team's sponsors in the Middle East have also moved their minds to invite Raul to play in the Middle East and offer a high salary, which is also an option for Raul, after all, he can continue to play in semi-retirement.

After a round of adjustments, Tottenham Hotspur's control of the game situation seems to have loosened, and AC Milan began to have a chance to play counterattacks, and all of this was pushed by Pirlo behind his back, because Ye Qiu told him that the purpose of letting AC Milan play a proper counterattack is to hope that AC Milan can press out and play, so that the defense will definitely loosen.

However, it is clear that Allegri is very careful, and the counter-attack is more dependent on the front three players such as Pato and Cassano and Boateng, and is unwilling to invest more troops in the counter-attack, obviously to ensure his own defense at the back.

Pirlo saw this and had to wait for another opportunity.

"It seems that Allegri really has the attitude that a draw is a victory!" Mauro? Tasotti also felt that it was a headache, once the Italian team held on to it, it would be very difficult to break through.

0:0 at home, this score is not necessarily a bad thing for both sides, Tottenham Hotspur did not score away goals, although Milan could not win the opponent at home, but the away side had the opportunity to play all out, as long as they got an away goal, then they had the advantage.

The away goal mechanism of the Champions League knockout game is indeed very complex and almost all-round, and it is this away goal mechanism that creates the suspense and enjoyment of the Champions League knockout round.

Of course, Ye Qiu could guess Allegri's attitude, "Since he plans to do this, then let's take a step further!" ”

After finishing speaking, Ye Qiu walked to the front of the white line in the command area of the away team, shouted at the players on the field, and changed the gestures in his hands, signaling the players to make more fuss on the two wings and continue to strengthen the wing attack.

After receiving Ye Qiu's instructions, Tottenham Hotspur began to launch an offensive on the wing.

Pirlo made a diagonal long diagonal pass near the center circle, which fell accurately to the right, and Ribery, who switched to the right, quickly sprinted forward in the direction of attack, and after unloading the ball with his feet, left-back Antonini quickly caught up and blocked Ribery's inward route, and Nesta was also very clever to block between Ribery and Messi.

One-on-one, Ribery is sure to break through Antonini, but even if it passes, it will be caught in the opponent's bag, so Ribery feels that there is no chance and knocks the ball back, Kyle? Walker rushed up from behind, received the ball and wanted a cross, but AC Milan were clearly prepared, Kyle? Walker's cross landed very well and Allegri asked his players to be careful before the game.

Van Bommel rushed up quickly, forcing Kyle? Walker didn't have a chance to cross, and a stop-and-go smash took the ball down and knocked it back to Andrea Pirlo, who was dragging down the middle.

After passing the middle circle, Pirlo was on the periphery of AC Milan's 30-metre zone and picked up Kyle? Walker's return pass was accompanied by a glance on the left side out of the corner of his eye, which is not uncommon in Tottenham Hotspur's attack, especially after Pirlo joined this season, almost all of his diagonal long passes are diagonal attacks, looking for two wings.

Neymar and Messi in the penalty area, because just now Tottenham Hotspur right Ribery and Kele? The reason why Walker launched the attack, so AC Milan's defense leaned towards their left side, and there were some gaps on the right.

Pirlo turned to the left and Boateng first rushed to Pirlo, but the latter curled a long diagonal ball with his left foot, which landed just in front of AC Milan's baseline.

I saw the ball cross a large half of the court, accurately falling about ten meters away from the bottom line, and I don't know when, the substitute left-back Alba quickly crossed the right-back Abate's defense area, rushed to the ball before the ball landed, hooked and unloaded, and stopped very well.

Pirlo's long ball has his own characteristic, which is that the person who receives the ball is very comfortable.

Harvey? Alonso should be regarded as the player with the longest distance of accurate long passes in today's football after Beckham's gradual withdrawal, he can complete the long pass from his own penalty area to any point in the middle of the opponent's penalty area, but although this kind of ball lands very well, it is very difficult to receive the ball, so he has a lot of long passes, and the landing point is also very good, but the success rate is not high.

Barcelona's midfielder Xavi is another characteristic, he rarely uses long passes, so he has the fewest long passes among the top midfielders in the game, but has the highest success rate of 92. 4%, which cannot be said that Xavi's long pass is the strongest, because he is the least daring to take risks, and he will not launch a long pass without enough certainty.

Scholes is another player with excellent long passing ability, his long ball arc is not big, he is relatively fast, and his accuracy is not as good as Xavi's? Alonso, but the accuracy rate is very high, which is mainly reflected in finding the wings in the middle, or crossing from the wings, and is a player who has a better grasp of the scale between the precise distance and accuracy.

Pirlo's passing ability is excellent, as evidenced by his ability to pass long and short balls, but what really sets him apart is that he doesn't just pass the ball, he uses it to tell his teammates how to attack.

It's like sometimes he sees that your front is a very dense defensive area, and the defender is ready to cover you, he passes you to the position behind you, makes you stop and turn around, and the moment he receives the ball, he just gets rid of the defense, and sometimes he thinks that your position is too far back, so he passes you in front of you and asks you to rush forward, just to break through the opponent's defense.

There are really not many players with this kind of passing awareness, very few, Xavi is one of them, and Riquelme, and Xavi? Alonso, Paul Scholes and others are more just combing and splitting the ball.

This is also why Pirlo has been named one of the twenty people who have influenced football history.

It's like the diagonal long pass he gave Alba, after the Spanish left-back rushed up, because the ball was passed diagonally from the middle to the left, so Alba had to stop the ball to his right side, that is, leaning towards the middle, and the landing position was very good.

In fact, as soon as Alba stopped the ball, he didn't wait for a reaction, and Abate, who quickly returned to the defense, approached, and directly crossed it. The point is very good, but the difficulty of receiving the ball is very high, so he has a lot of long passes, and the landing point is also very good, but the success rate is not high.

Barcelona's midfielder Xavi is another characteristic, he rarely uses long passes, so he has the fewest long passes among the top midfielders in the game, but has the highest success rate of 92. 4%, which cannot be said that Xavi's long pass is the strongest, because he is the least daring to take risks, and he will not launch a long pass without enough certainty.

Scholes is another player with excellent long passing ability, his long ball arc is not big, he is relatively fast, and his accuracy is not as good as Xavi's? Alonso, but the accuracy rate is very high, which is mainly reflected in finding the wings in the middle, or crossing from the wings, and is a player who has a better grasp of the scale between the precise distance and accuracy.

Pirlo's passing ability is excellent, as evidenced by his ability to pass long and short balls, but what really sets him apart is that he doesn't just pass the ball, he uses it to tell his teammates how to attack.

It's like sometimes he sees that your front is a very dense defensive area, and the defender is ready to cover you, he passes you to the position behind you, makes you stop and turn around, and the moment he receives the ball, he just gets rid of the defense, and sometimes he thinks that your position is too far back, so he passes you in front of you and asks you to rush forward, just to break through the opponent's defense.

There are really not many players with this kind of passing awareness, very few, Xavi is one of them, and Riquelme, and Xavi? Alonso, Paul Scholes and others are more just combing and splitting the ball.

This is also why Pirlo has been named one of the twenty people who have influenced football history.

It's like the diagonal long pass he gave Alba, after the Spanish left-back rushed up, because the ball was passed diagonally from the middle to the left, so Alba had to stop the ball to his right side, that is, leaning towards the middle, and the landing position was very good.

In fact, as soon as Alba stopped the ball, he didn't wait for a reaction, and Abate, who quickly returned to the defense, approached, and directly crossed it.