It finally happened – the most interesting man in the world landed on New York’s shores, again, this time to stay. Andrea Pirlo, the latest Designated Player signing for NYCFC, made his official press debut today in a conference with head coach Jason Kreis in downtown Manhattan.
New York City FC takes on Orlando City at home at Yankee Stadium this Sunday, and the press conference revealed a couple of interesting, game-specific nuggets. Namely, Pirlo is still playing a bit coy about whether he’ll actually take the field – “We’re taking it day by day,” and so on.
But beyond that the entire experience, though relaxed, even subdued, was beautifully, peak Pirlo. If Pirlo’s international image is one of a kind of unflappable, unimpressed-but-loveable panache, his first address to a scrum of mere mortals only underscored that. Here’s how.
His clothes and hair radiated sophistication, as much as ever – and it even rubbed off on his coach.
Let’s look at this fine suit with the narrowest pinstripes. Most people can’t get away with those kinds of wide lapels without looking tacky, but thanks to the magic of tailoring, Pirlo can. His sartorial swagger even rubbed off on Jason Kreis, who also decided to go with a jacket, sans tie. Continental. Nice.
Pirlo’s perfect coiffure looked as carefully, roughly textured and feathered as ever, too.
#Pirloisnotimpressed. Still.
Look at this face of complete, Zen-like unruffledness. Here’s a man who has figured out how to live without attachment to emotions. Actually, if he wants to be super American during his time here, he could anoint himself a guru and offer expensive seminars or something.
Oh wait: He did crack a smile, a few times. Those were when he answered a couple of questions he clearly thought were silly, and when an Italian reporter – a doppelganger, really, assembled in the Pirlo factory – addressed him in their native tongue.
He is already well versed in New York, thankyouverymuch. Don’t treat him like a noob.
Somebody asked him – via his translator, a stylish, bespectacled woman with the enviable job of whispering in Pirlo’s ear all day – what he thought of New York City. Pirlo’s no yokel. “I’ve been to New York as a tourist several times,” Pirlo says, “so I know pretty much all the tourist areas!” (Have you been to Bushwick yet though, Andrea?)
Pirlo doesn’t have time for your pesky, gauche money talk.
Someone asked him about salary. Please, Pirlo does not talk of such topics in specificity. “Money, for me, it’s never been an issue,” he said. “Soccer is one thing, and money is another thing.” Succinct. Koan-like.
He really doesn’t have time for more tabloid nonsense, either.
No, he doesn’t care about raising his public profile here, as someone asked. “I’m not really someone who cares too much about publicity,” he said. “I am here not to be a tourist, but to play.”
Pirlo’s got comebacks for any questions about his age, too.
“I don’t feel that I am old,” he told another reporter asking about his age. “There are other players that are not so much younger than me – so let’s let people who want to talk about age, talk about age.” Zing!
Okay, so people couldn’t resist fanboying, fangirling, fan-genderless-ness-ing.
Here’s where you really felt his holy presence: at the end of the press conference. Up until now, everyone had been trying to act cool, collected, like they saw Champions League winners come to MLS every day, NBD. Until it was time for a photo op with Kreis, with a NYCFC jersey. That’s when the scene turned into this.
And after all of that, actually, Pirlo did smile. Around children, of course.
Around the corner from the press conference, Saint Andrea decided to bless one more group of humans for the day – some youth players at Downtown United Soccer Club’s summer camp at Manhattan’s Pier 40. That’s when, perhaps, Pirlo’s own inner child came out a little.
You couldn’t really call it a cheesy grin, or even jovial, but who wouldn’t be pleasantly surprised by a field full of apple-cheeked children wearing shirts with your name on it?
He moved around the field for about 45 minutes, demo-ing corner kicks and bestowing young goalies with easy shots to block, with both still-perfect hair and a genuine smile.
