Righto. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif) The classy thing would be for him to appreciate and cherish his time here, all those years. It's not like he was here for one or two seasons, mistreated and dumped by the management who hung a "For Sale" sign around his neck. For many fans he was a modern legend who had a hand in a lot of our (big and small) victories.

And now he not only leaves for free, just because the terms offered were not up to his mark, he leaves for Juventus. Not just that, Pirlo let his personal grudges show out for all to see. If I stayed almost a decade at a club, I'd have nothing but respect for the good times. Not that much to ask of, in my opinion. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) For the big players, at least.

I understand that his interviews might piss someone off, but all this hatred, really? And you can clearly read through the lines that his sole problem was with Allegri and the way our management treated his case. He'll never have harsh feels towards what the club represents, the fans or his old teammates.

Most of the stuff he does/did is completely human. I had no problem with Leo's seeking vindication after the way he was treated. What I did have the problem with is the perpetual d!ck sucking he received from some Milan fans (mainly at the R&B forum....was actually perma banned for speaking ill of him there (IMG:style_emoticons/default/king.gif) )

To summarize my own personal issues:

1) He is not a club legend by virtue of his mediocrity for such extended periods and the fact that he is simply no more than a mercenary as you can see him clearly trying to do it all for Juve. The Spain game in particular is the most efort I've seen him put out for such a long time...not to mention the assist.

2) He is overrated. Yes he has a beautiful mind for picking a pass but the fact is that his completion ratio is dwarfed by Xavi who has also won more. Granted Pirlo does attempt the more audacious passes but occasional brilliance in MY humble opinion is not worth Xavi's consistency which in turn leads to more created opportunities. albeit with less beauty and genius.

Another component to his "overratedness" is the fact that of Zidane, Seedorf, Riquelme, Xavi and Pirlo, Pirlo has decidedly the WORST physique, pace and strength of them all. This weakness is excacerbated by the fact that he plays the most recessed position of them all, i.e. requiring more defensive stability which he has largely been decidedly sub standard.

3)He is NOT a free kick master....but gets the credit for it anyway. This is related to point #2 but deserves mention as a point all on his own. Seedorf, Ronaldinho and Beckham have all scored at a more successful rate than him despite being labelled as a "dead ball specialist". AGAIN THIS ISN'T BECAUSE HE LACKED THE TALENT BUT SIMPLY THE WILL WHICH MAKES HIM EVEN MORE DESPICABLE. Now he's back with Juve he's trying his best and back to being dangerous with them (IMG:style_emoticons/default/dry.gif)

4) He is an arrogant, unaffected douche (IMG:style_emoticons/default/mad.gif) . He mightn't be in-your-face arrogant like iBra and is too lax a persona to have any kind of rage at ANYTHING...but if you read his interviews (ever since he was here) you'd KNOW he simply expects to be viewed as the best and whatever excuse for a contribution he feels like offering should be enough for everyone and there should be no complaints.

Far greater players have been forced or asked to play positions that weren't the best for them and they did it without (much) complaint. Heck even Seedorf has hated playing the in the midfield but did so for YEARS. His ONLY extended run at CAM was in '07 CL (which also present him as a case for him). He was pushed back to midfield when Ronaldinho was here and by the time he was the clear choice for the role he was so past it he couldn't have done it well. DID he leave pouting and spouting off at the mouth? No he stayed and fought and STILL gets less respect, particularly by the Pirlo fans. Of course then there's Kaka (CF), Sheva (LWF), Rivaldo (CAM) and Huntelaar(RWF).

Who the f**k is this $h!tsnake to say play me in my position or else I go?
Whatever you think of him though, it is clear that he was never truly comitted to our cause. Yes his talent was there and his value was there (under the right circumstances). But his WILL was non existent and his HEART only beat for himself.

This post has been edited by drucurl: Jun 11 2012, 08:13 PM

Hatred? What hatred for god sake? Now you're the one who's overreacting. I'm just saying he did awfully lot to make me not like him that much or regret his departure. I still love the guy, but somehow, it's not the same anymore. Just that.

Hatred, dislike, animosity, call it whatever you want. Just read the various posts against the guy. I seem to be the only one who isn't bothered by his comments.

Well hatred, dislike and animosity are quite different things. He did awfully lot to irritate people, and somehow the hatred you have toward Allegri maybe blocks it.

Nah, man, that really ain't got nothing to do with it. I just think we let Pirlo go as if he had nothing more to give as a football player, so it obviously irked him to the point of making a few annoying comments, which, I repeat, were mostly directed towards and Allegri and the management. That, I don't really mind.

Can't find a point to disagree with, drucurl. true words. especially #2 and #3.

Wow (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blink.gif) did any of you guys read the goal.com article about Pirlo saying that his penalty unsettled England???

Now just hear me out....I get that he was the best player of the game...probably the best player in Italy for the whole tournament...but is he seriously this egotistical?? The guy's f**king worse than iBra for sure!!! Even f**king Buffon the REAL hero of the shootout was humble about it and recognized that it could have gone either way.

Of course everything has to be tempered by the fact that the interviewer probably asked him a leading question like "Do you think your penalty unsettled England" etc. Then there is the matter of goal.com hilariously sensationalizing even the most mundane stories.

However my bias as a Pirlo hater, coupled by his utterly classless behaviour as LADRI SCUM makes me think there is a lot of truth to this (IMG:style_emoticons/default/dry.gif)

here's how football-italia quoted him.

“It was easier for me to chip it at that stage. Maybe my effort put some pressure on England and in fact Ashley Young missed the next one after me."


nothing wrong with saying that.

Did we need more confirmation that Pirlo is not humble, dru? they say he can be arrogant, because he's a "maestro". (IMG:style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif)

His chip changed he course of the PKs for sure and it took some balls and some genius to do that, but it would've been better if he hadn't boasted about it. but hey, at least he didn't diss us yet again (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

This post has been edited by Zed.D: Jun 25 2012, 09:07 AM

+1. Or +100 for that matter. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sleep.gif) One just needs to check the guys background (coming from a rich family that ones steel mills) to get an idea how full this guy is of himself. When you consider that champions who are a million times better (okay, I exaggerated just a bit here) like Maldini, Ronaldo, Baggio, Rui Costa and many before them.

Even CRON doesn't talk that much of himself these days, and here we have a guy who can't stop the moment he starts playing well. The best thing about this thread is that it is in the "Past Players" section. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/mellow.gif) At least, when he was here he was kept in check, don't know how Pirlo's ego suddenly woke up.

It's not that I dislike the guy, but he isn't winning many new friends with remarks like these. There are countless celebrities, athletes, players who are many a times more humble than him, I'd much rather be a fan of them. Nevertheless, good show by him in the quarters, and all I can wish if more luck to the guy. Humble or not.

He has always been egotistical. Just in a quiet way. Everyone over here knew that I guessed. I don't have a problem with any of what he did...EXCEPT those interviews. He could at least have waited a year or so like Paolo did.

Arrogance isn't the issue, if you're delivering (*hint* Balo)...the issue is being petty. Zidane is arrogant, Seedorf is twice as arrogant as Pirlo,...but Andy P with his comments (the ones against the club) was being cheap!

Shame. Because he like Nesta has a huge chance of going down as one of Italy's finest.

He might even have made a rep for himself like Baggio, if he'd kept his mouth shut about the club.

Once again, I agree with you, my pirate friend. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/96.gif) Oh well, that's that, then. Let's see what he does against Germany, I expect it to be an absolute cracker of a match up. If there's one team that can hold Germany (after the current Spain, that is) it is Italy. And vice versa. Germany have the firepower to defeat Italy.

I don't think Italy can hold Germany to be honest. For that you need much much more defensive solidity.

About the penalty: I don't think Pirlo's Panenka was decisive. I think Mario Balotelli was decisive when he told the others Hart's right side is his weaker side.