Andrea Pirlo has admitted to FourFourTwo that he's never watched back the 2005 Champions League final – where his AC Milan side fell victim to Liverpool's 'Miracle of Istanbul' comeback – despite currently being in charge of the team who play at the ground where it took place, the Ataturk Olympic Stadium.
The legendary Italian playmaker, 43, was appointed as head coach of Turkish Super Lig outfit Fatih Karagumruk in June, having been sacked by Juventus the previous month.
And, unsurprisingly, it's been hard for his new surroundings not to rekindle bad memories of that iconic clash – in which Milan went in 3-0 up at half-time, before Liverpool roared back to win on penalties, with Pirlo seeing his spot-kick saved by wobbly-legged Reds goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek.
In an interview with Arthur Renard for the latest issue of FFT available to buy, though, Pirlo reveals that he's not visually re-lived that truly dramatic night in the 17-plus years since.
"Even today, we [Milan's players from the game] can't understand what happened," he says. "We played one of the best first halves of any final, not only at European level but in general. We even had some chances to make it 4-0 at the start of the second half. Then they scored three goals in seven minutes and, from one moment to the next, you can't react anymore.
"We had more chances to win the game," he continues, "but when a match is meant to go a certain way, there is simply nothing you can do to take it in a different direction. We knew the match wasn't finished – that's always the case when you're playing an English team, with loads of supporters in the stadium and with the spirit Liverpool have always had. We played well, but it went down in a way no one could have imagined. I've never watched that game back."
