Andrea Pirlo Named as New Juventus Head Coach on Two-Year Deal

Former Juventus star Andrea Pirlo has sensationally been announced as the club's new head coach, following the dismissal of Maurizio Sarri on Saturday afternoon.

The Old Lady were dumped out of the Champions League in the Round of 16 stage on Friday, losing on away goals to Ligue 1 giants Lyon.

That humiliating exit from the European competition proved to be the final straw for the Juve hierarchy, who took the decision to sack Sarri on the following day, and they have already come to a decision over his replacement.

I Bianconeri announced they have chosen Pirlo to step into the role as head coach, despite having never taken charge of a professional game as a manager. The 41-year-old had taken a step back from football following his retirement in 2017, but he was set to make his return as Juve's new coach for the Under-23 side at the beginning of August.

But the ex-Bianconeri star has now been selected as the man to succeed Sarri at the Allianz Stadium, after their failure in the Champions League saw him relieved of his duties.

The Italian champions haven't lifted the famous trophy since 1996, and hopes were high for them to break their curse this season with Cristiano Ronaldo still in their ranks.

A premature exit to Lyon forced the Old Lady's hand, however, although very few would have anticipated the decision which has since been made. Sarri's dismissal was met with a flurry of rumours surrounding his possible replacement, with Zinedine Zidane, Pep Guardiola, Simone Inzaghi and Mauricio Pochettino all tipped as potential candidates for the job.

But club president Andrea Agnelli has placed his trust in Pirlo to end Juve's barren spell in Europe, and the rookie coach will be hoping to bring home an incredible tenth successive league title for the team he represented so brilliantly on the pitch.