New York City midfielder Andrea Pirlo has revealed the one regret in his career is never having played in La Liga for either Real Madrid or Barcelona.
The 37-year-old was a target for both clubs while he was at AC Milan, but the Rossoneri would not let him leave when he was approached.
"I still have a thorn in my side at not having played for Real Madrid or Barcelona, because playing there is a dream for every player,” Pirlo explained in an interview with Marca.
"But I consider myself very satisfied to have played for the best teams in Italy.
"Real Madrid? Any player would like to play for them; Fabio Capello was there and there were a lot of rumours circulating about Milan's future because of the scandal.
"Milan wouldn't let me go, and they gave me a new contract. Was I disappointed? Well it's true that unfortunately they wouldn't let me leave, but at the same time I spent 10 years at Milan, winning everything there was to win."
Four years after Los Blancos failed with an approach, Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona then attempted to lure the deep-lying midfielder to La Liga.
"How could you not want to go there? Guardiola told me he wanted me in his team," Pirlo continued.
He then joined Juventus on a three-year deal a year later, where he would win four straight Serie A titles and also lose a Champions League final to Barcelona in 2015.
"I needed another team with a new project, but still a winning one," he said.
"Juve were perfect, as they hadn't won in a long time and were making their debut in their new stadium. It was the best place to start building."
