Andrea Pirlo named Serie A's player of the year
Juventus midfielder Andrea Pirlo claimed Serie A’s player of the year
award for the third consecutive year during a gala event on Monday
organised by the Association of Italian Footballers.
The 34-year-old playmaker celebrated alongside former Juve handler Antonio Conte, who picked up the best coach of the year award after leading the Bianconeri to their third consecutive Serie A title last season before quitting to become Italy’s national team coach.
“It’s always a pleasure to win this award,” said Pirlo, one of several Juve stars to be named among the Serie A team of the year.
After being sidelined for Juve’s opening five games of the campaign, Pirlo returned in time for a 3-2 win over title challengers Roma on what was his 100th appearance for the Old Lady of Turin.
On the day of the club’s 117th anniversary, Pirlo opened the scoring in a 2-0 win over Empoli. It was the Italian’s 26th goal from a free kick in Serie A, leaving him two short of all-time record holder, Sinisa Mihajlovic.
Pirlo marked another milestone, his 100th appearance in the Champions League, by scoring a trademark freekick in a 3-2 win over group A rivals Olympiakos to score his first goal in the competition with Juventus.
In 2011, Juventus signed Pirlo on a free transfer on a contract until 2014. His debut with Juventus was in a friendly match against Sporting Clube de Portugal, which they lost 2–1. His first competitive match with La Vecchia Signora was the Serie A opening match against Parma at home and tallied two assists, for Stephan Lichtsteiner and Claudio Marchisio, in a 4–1 victory.Antonio Conte played him alongside younger midfielders Marchisio and new signing Arturo Vidal in a three-man midfield. His first goal for Juventus was a free kick against Catania on 18 February 2012 securing a 3–1 victory for the Bianconeri and put the club back at the top of the Serie A table, above his former side Milan. On 18 March, Pirlo scored in a 5–0 demolition of Fiorentina and after the game dedicated the win to Fabrice Muamba, who suffered a cardiac arrest playing for Bolton Wanderers during a match against Tottenham Hotspur the same day.
He finished the season as a winner of the 2011–12 Serie A after helping Juve secure a 2–0 victory over Cagliari. The midfield general also provided the most assists in the Serie A season, with 13.Pirlo also found the back of the net three times in the league as he was named to the Serie A "Team of the Year" along with midfielder partner Arturo Vidal, proving that he still has what it takes to cut it at the top level following his departure from Milan. Pirlo and Juventus also finished runners up to Napoli in the Coppa Italia final.Pirlo's fine form in the 2011–12 season, in which he led Juventus to the league title, the Supercoppa Italiana and Coppa Italia Final, as well as leading Italy to the final of Euro 2012, saw him nominated for the 2012 UEFA Best Player in Europe Award, in which he finished 4th. He was also elected to be part of the ESM 2012 Team of the Year and the 2012 UEFA Team of the Year.
The 34-year-old playmaker celebrated alongside former Juve handler Antonio Conte, who picked up the best coach of the year award after leading the Bianconeri to their third consecutive Serie A title last season before quitting to become Italy’s national team coach.
“It’s always a pleasure to win this award,” said Pirlo, one of several Juve stars to be named among the Serie A team of the year.
After being sidelined for Juve’s opening five games of the campaign, Pirlo returned in time for a 3-2 win over title challengers Roma on what was his 100th appearance for the Old Lady of Turin.
On the day of the club’s 117th anniversary, Pirlo opened the scoring in a 2-0 win over Empoli. It was the Italian’s 26th goal from a free kick in Serie A, leaving him two short of all-time record holder, Sinisa Mihajlovic.
Pirlo marked another milestone, his 100th appearance in the Champions League, by scoring a trademark freekick in a 3-2 win over group A rivals Olympiakos to score his first goal in the competition with Juventus.
In 2011, Juventus signed Pirlo on a free transfer on a contract until 2014. His debut with Juventus was in a friendly match against Sporting Clube de Portugal, which they lost 2–1. His first competitive match with La Vecchia Signora was the Serie A opening match against Parma at home and tallied two assists, for Stephan Lichtsteiner and Claudio Marchisio, in a 4–1 victory.Antonio Conte played him alongside younger midfielders Marchisio and new signing Arturo Vidal in a three-man midfield. His first goal for Juventus was a free kick against Catania on 18 February 2012 securing a 3–1 victory for the Bianconeri and put the club back at the top of the Serie A table, above his former side Milan. On 18 March, Pirlo scored in a 5–0 demolition of Fiorentina and after the game dedicated the win to Fabrice Muamba, who suffered a cardiac arrest playing for Bolton Wanderers during a match against Tottenham Hotspur the same day.
He finished the season as a winner of the 2011–12 Serie A after helping Juve secure a 2–0 victory over Cagliari. The midfield general also provided the most assists in the Serie A season, with 13.Pirlo also found the back of the net three times in the league as he was named to the Serie A "Team of the Year" along with midfielder partner Arturo Vidal, proving that he still has what it takes to cut it at the top level following his departure from Milan. Pirlo and Juventus also finished runners up to Napoli in the Coppa Italia final.Pirlo's fine form in the 2011–12 season, in which he led Juventus to the league title, the Supercoppa Italiana and Coppa Italia Final, as well as leading Italy to the final of Euro 2012, saw him nominated for the 2012 UEFA Best Player in Europe Award, in which he finished 4th. He was also elected to be part of the ESM 2012 Team of the Year and the 2012 UEFA Team of the Year.
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