Andrea Pirlo's autobiography 'I Think Therefore I Play' is out in English tomorrow. In his column in today's Irish Times, Ken Early has an extract from the book about 'that night in Istanbul' when Liverpool came from 3-0 down against Pirlo's AC Milan to eventually become champions of Europe.

I’ll never fully shake that sense of absolute impotence when destiny is at work. The feeling will cling to my feet forever, trying to pull me down... There are always lessons to be found in the darkest moments. It’s a moral obligation to dig deep and find that little glimmer of hope or pearl of wisdom. You might hit upon an elegant phrase that stays with you and makes the journey that little bit less bitter. I’ve tried with Istanbul and haven’t managed to get beyond these words: for fuck’s sake.


The man is just as fascinating in print as he is on the pitch.

Picture credit: David Maher / SPORTSFILE