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Andrea Pirlo has revealed he looked to the heavens for help during the 2006 World Cup final - because he knew God would favour Italy.

The veteran midfielder has released his autobiography, I Think Therefore I Play, where he opens up about his playing career for club and country.

One of many fascinating games revisited by the gifted playmaker is the 2006 World Cup final, where Marcello Lippi's side defeated France in a penalty shootout.

Pirlo was given the first penalty in Berlin - and duly dispatched it past Fabien Barthez - but he has revealed how he looked for divine intervention, such were his nerves.

He brilliantly remembers: "Being first on the spot, kicking off that torture in the biggest, most incredible game that a player can play or imagine.

"That's not necessarily good news. It means they think you're the best, but it also means that if you miss, you're the first on the list of d********.

"I lifted my eyes to the heavens and asked for help because if God exists, there's no way he's French.

"I took a long, intense breath. That breath was mine, but it could have been the manual worker who struggles to make it to the end of the month, the rich businessman who is a bit of a s***, the teacher, the student, the Italian expats who never left our side during the tournament, the well-to-do Milanese signora, the hooker on the street corner. In that moment, I was all of them."

"You won't believe me, but it was right in that very moment I understood what a great thing it is to be Italian. It's a truly priceless privilege."

Other topics in Pirlo's typically-stylish book include the 2005 Champions League final, his 'panenka' penalty against England and how he came close to joining Barcelona.