Pirlo’s farewell to Lucescu: ‘You raised me like a son’
Italy legend Andrea Pirlo bids farewell to his former Brescia and Inter coach Mircea Lucescu: ‘You raised me like a son, I’ll never stop thanking you.’
Lucescu, a former coach of Pisa, Inter, Reggiana, and Brescia, died on Tuesday, aged 80.
Italian legend Pirlo made his Serie A debut at Brescia in 1995, aged 16. Lucescu had been sacked by the Rondinelle a few months earlier but remained at the club as the technical director.
Pirlo made his Serie A debut under Lucescu’s assistant Adelio Moro with Brescia already relegated to Serie B.
“Thank you for everything, mister. I will never stop thanking you,” Pirlo wrote on Instagram, posting a picture of him hugging Lucescu.
“You raised me like a son, giving me the opportunity to challenge myself with others when I was very young. You taught me what it means to love this sport in all its details. I will never stop thanking you. Have a good trip, mister. Thank you, Mircea.”
A few years later, Pirlo played under Lucescu at Inter, making 16 appearances in the 1998-99 campaign.
The Nerazzurri have also paid tribute to their former coach with a message on social media.
Lucescu’s last game was just a few days ago, as he took charge of the Romanian national team in the World Cup play-off semi-final against Turkey, one of his former teams.