Pirlo eyes potential Champions League swansong

Juventus midfielder Andrea Pirlo says victory against Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League semi-finals would set up a dream scenario for what could be his farewell to the club.

The 35-year-old has again been key to Juve’s continued domestic success this term – with Massimiliano Allegri’s men tying up a fourth straight Scudetto at the weekend.

Pirlo’s contract runs until 2016, but the Italy international has been linked with a move away, meaning a European showpiece in Berlin could be his last act in a Juve shirt.

“[It would be] something incredible [to reach the final],” Pirlo told La Gazzetta dello Sport ahead of Tuesday’s first leg in Turin.

“To complete my journey in Turin with the Champions League in my pocket would be the culmination of a dream.

“I will go on [playing] as long as I have the same great desire to train every day.”

Juve have struggled to convert their dominance of Serie A into Champions League form during recent seasons and will be underdogs this week against the holders.

“We have matured a lot in recent years, the international experience has served the team well,” Pirlo, a two-time winner of the competition while at Milan, added.

“In the three seasons with [former coach Antonio] Conte we were still missing something, maybe we were not ready, and this year we have grown, along the way, the awareness that we can have our say everywhere.

“We play good football, without fear or awe. Real Madrid are the biggest club in the world, the most prestigious, but we have a 50 per cent chance of going through.”