The coolest man in world football is heading to the Big Apple and Major League Soccer as Andrea Pirlo is poised to join New York City FC after Saturday’s Champions League final.
The Juventus midfield maestro will join Frank Lampard is a star-studded midfield that will give the expansion team a major boost after an inauspicious start to the MLS campaign, where they have only won one game all season.
Reports in Spain say that the 36-year-old Pirlo has already agreed to a contract with New York but it is understood he will not make any formal announcement until after the Champions League final as he looks to concentrate on ending his career with the Italian champions on a high.
The addition of Pirlo would give New York their third Designated Player, joining Lampard and David Villa.
Pirlo said recently in an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport that he intends to keep playing beyond this season, even if his time in Turin comes to an end.
I won’t stop playing; I’ll go on as long as I have the same great desire to keep training every day,” Pirlo said at the time. “Juventus will be my last Serie A team, whatever happens. MLS could be an idea, but for the moment I don’t have anything; Juve are the only thing on my mind.”
Pirlo’s decorated career includes the 2006 World Cup title, six Serie A titles, two Champions League crowns and two appearances at the Olympics. He was called into the Italian national team squad as recently as last October and has five goals in 30 appearances for Juventus across all competitions this season.