Just as he briefly announced: "The past 10 years have been unforgettable, I came here to say goodbye to everyone, I'm leaving." Ten years is a long time, enough for a young player to grow into a superstar. Yet ten years is also short, so short that when it comes to saying goodbye, it seems like everything just happened. Back then, Pirlo left behind too many beautiful memories and keywords for AC Milan. Besides his 401 appearances and 41 goals, his "elevator free-kick" once moved the entire Italian football world, his elegant playing style made all European coaches dream of having their own "playmaker defensive midfielder," and his calm and expressionless demeanor left people with the most emotional image of him running expressionlessly after scoring while kissing his ring.
Back then, it was also the extravagant era of Berlusconi. Under the brilliance of Rui Costa, it was normal for Pirlo to become a substitute. For Pirlo during his 10 years at AC Milan, that was a rather unsatisfactory season. That season, Trapattoni resigned mid-season, and Ancelotti took over, barely leading the team into the Champions League qualifiers. After the season, there were also rumors that Pirlo might be sold.
However, under the TV cameras of Sky Italia, behind the few words, were Pirlo's teary eyes. Saying goodbye to the memories of the past 10 years wasn't easy for anyone, not for Pirlo, not for AC Milan club or its fans. The imprint left over 10 years can never become a blank space...
In the end, another young man, Donati, left. Pirlo and Rui Costa stayed, and at this point, Ancelotti made a change that would shock the football world in the future - changing Pirlo's position from attacking midfielder to defensive midfielder. Although there had been elegant defensive midfielders like Falcao and Redondo before, transforming an attacking midfielder who was thought to be defensively weak but highly creative into a defensive midfielder was rare in football history. Ancelotti's concept of "four number 10s" became a groundbreaking change.
Just like every day after training at Milanello, facing the microphone of Sky Italia, Pirlo's parting words were ordinary, just like himself. But from now on, every day at Milanello, that seemingly lazy figure will no longer be seen, the locker in the home dressing room at San Siro has been cleared out, waiting for its new owner. Due to consecutive injuries, this season's AC Milan championship actually had little to do with Pirlo, but whether on the bench or in the stands, AC Milan's No. 21 was always in the hearts of teammates and fans, the backbone of AC Milan. In the days to come, the young players could only rely on their own efforts...
Pirlo made AC Milan, and AC Milan made Pirlo. That season, AC Milan won the Champions League and the Italian Cup. Pirlo's excellent performance in the defensive midfield position was the main reason for AC Milan's success that season. At the age of 24, Pirlo was selected by UEFA as one of the "20 Greatest Stars Who Changed Football History," becoming the "only irreplaceable player" of AC Milan in the mouths of Galliani and Ancelotti. A series of glories began from then, until the 2007 Champions League title, which pushed Pirlo's career to its peak. There were also national team honors, and in the 2006 World Cup, he was the key to Italy's victory, and with his outstanding performance, he won the "Bronze Ball" of that World Cup.
Ten years ago that summer, the young Pirlo came to AC Milan. The talented genius of the Italian youth team did not have a satisfactory experience at Inter Milan, and Moratti did not put up much resistance to his transfer. With an 8 million euro price tag, he joined the rival in the same city. Back then, the relationship between AC Milan and Inter Milan was not so adversarial, and back then, Pirlo was still a well-known young attacking midfielder in Italy. Everything back then seems like another world.