Sampdoria coach Pirlo: Joining Juventus was revenge on AC Milan

Sampdoria coach Andrea Pirlo admits he joined Juventus as an act of revenge on former club AC Milan.

Pirlo concedes his time with Milan didn't end as he wanted.

He told Radio TV Serie A: With Milan I won everything, but the best victory was the first Champions League. Almost all of us were at our first experience and had been waiting to reach this goal since the beginning of the season, after a semi-final win against Inter.

"Over the years I have had the opportunity to experience wonderful emotions also thanks to my teammates who made every moment beautiful. The wound from the final in Istanbul is difficult to heal, we won the next one, but at that moment you don't think about future opportunities and on that occasion I even thought about quitting.

"My adventure with Milan didn't end as I dreamed; I hoped I could stay and still be useful. When I realized that I was no longer seen as an important player, I didn't hesitate to change teams. At that time there was a policy whereby those over 30 were only offered a one-year contract; I was still young and unable to find an agreement I went in another direction."

On moving to Juve, Pirlo also said: This was revenge for me. I had a great desire to prove to everyone that I was still a strong player and capable of playing at a high level and with Juve I won 4 championships and we reached a Champions League final.

"The ride that led us to win the first championship without defeats and then the following ones began with Conte; I have a very nice relationship with him. He was the first to start making me analyse situations on the pitch, I thought almost like a coach. He was a great teacher on the field and in football. In the way I manage some situations and my boys' training, I take my example from him."