Turin: Midfield maestro Andrea Pirlo has revealed that his tears on the Olympic Stadium pitch in Berlin following the European Champions League final loss were not because he was saying goodbye to Juventus.
The Italian playmaker broke down after the Italian champions suffered a 1-3 defeat against FC Barcelona in the final -- images that resonated with supporters across the globe.
But Pirlo, 36, insists that he wasn't bidding farewell to the club he has served since 2011.
"Were my tears a goodbye to Juventus? No, they were for the defeat," Pirlo was quoted as saying by dailymail.co.uk on Sunday.
"It is simply the kind of opportunity that I will rarely get again."
Juventus director general Giuseppe Marotta also said he doesn't want to see Pirlo leave the club this summer, claiming a move for Sami Khedira is to supplement, and not replace, certain members of his midfield.
"Andrea is an icon of Italian football and has become an icon of Juventus too," Marotta said of Pirlo, who won the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
"I think his tears are understandable for a player who gave us such strong emotions over the years and it's only right he should feel those emotions too."
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