Azzurri legend could also have moved to Real Madrid.
Veteran Juventus midfield player Andrea Pirlo has claimed that he came very close to signing for Premier League giants Chelsea a few years ago.
The Italy international, 33, has been one of the most sought after individuals on the Continent since he first broke on to the scene with Inter Milan in Serie A 15 years ago.
However, it was when the holding midfield player then joined Inter’s city rivals AC Milan in 2001 that his career really took off, culminating in Pirlo playing a starring role in his country’s unexpected World Cup win in Germany in 2006.
It was after that tournament that Pirlo nearly joined Spanish giants Real Madrid, only for the proposed move to collapse.
“I was also very close to a move to Real Madrid in 2006, when coach [Fabio] Capello was there. And [Pep] Guardiola approached me in 2011 to convince me to go to Barcelona, but again it was Berlusconi who put a stop to it,” he told Voetbal Primeur.
And, when his compatriot Carlo Ancelotti left San Siro to become Chelsea head coach in 2009, he attempted to bring his ball-playing defensive midfield player with him to west London, only for the transfer to yet again fall through at the last minute.
“I had already reached an agreement with Chelsea, but [Silvio] Berlusconi intervened and I stayed at AC Milan,” he added.
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