TURIN • In eight days, Andrea Pirlo has gone from waiting for his big break, to being appointed Juventus' Under-23 coach to landing the top job with the nine-time defending Serie A champions.
The club believe he has what it takes to lead them to long-awaited Champions League glory after naming him as their new coach on a two-year deal, following Maurizio Sarri's sacking on Saturday.
Despite leading Juve to their 36th Scudetto, the former Chelsea manager paid the price for their Champions League last-16 exit to Lyon on away goals on Friday.
His predecessor, Massimiliano Allegri, was also ushered out for his failure to end the club's European Cup drought dating back to 1996.
Rookie Pirlo will, however, start with a clean slate and having won every honour in the game, including the 2006 World Cup, in stints with AC Milan, Juve and the Azzurri, the club are convinced he will bring about "a new chapter in world football".
An official statement read: "The choice is based on the belief that Pirlo has what it takes to lead from his debut on the bench, an expert and talented squad to pursue new successes.
"Today, begins a new chapter of his career in the world of football: from maestro to mister."
Since the end of his playing career in 2017, the 41-year-old has mainly been working as a TV pundit, while finishing his Uefa coaching licence.
His often jaded persona on air made him a popular figure on the Internet, notably the meme, "Pirlo is not impressed".
He will have to be on the ball from the get-go, as not only will the new Serie A season start in just over a month but he will also have to learn to manage some of his former teammates such as 42-year-old goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon.
The ex-Italy No. 1 issued a warm welcome, tweeting: "So now I have to call you Mister!?!?! Good luck for this new challenge Andrea."
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Years Andrea Pirlo spent at Juventus - from 2011 to 2015.
But not everyone is convinced, with Napoli coach Gennaro Gattuso, a former AC Milan midfielder, telling the Evening Standard: "He's lucky to be starting at Juve, but this profession is one where a great playing career is not enough.
"Being a player and being a coach is really not the same thing at all... It's a different world."
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
