Andrea Pirlo announced as new Juventus head coach

Turin: Italian midfield great Andrea Pirlo has been announced as the new head coach of SerieA champions Juventus. Pirlo will replace Maurizio Sarri in the role, who was sacked after the Champions League exit and the 41-year-old former World Cup winner was announced as his successor.

"Andrea Pirlo today signed a two-year contract until 30 June 2022," said Juventus in their statement.

The decision also comes just nine days after Pirlo was announced as the coach of the side's under 23 squad. This will be the first managerial job for Pirlo, who retired from football in November 2017.

Juventus was the last club Pirlo played for in Italy after a highly successful 10 years at AC Milan. He won two Champions League titles, two UEFA Super Cups, two SerieA titles, a FIFA Club World Cup, a SupercoppaItaliana, and a Coppa Italia before joining Juve on a free transfer in 2011.

With the Turin giants, Pirlo won four more consecutive SerieA titles alongwith two SupercoppaItaliana titles, and a Coppa Italia. His final game for Juventus and in Europe was a 3-1 defeat to Barcelona in the 2015 Champions League final. Pirlo is also the fifth-most capped player for Italy with 116 appearances. He played an instrumental role in their victory at the 2006 FIFA World Cup.