Juventus midfielder Andrea Pirlo claims he came close to joining Chelsea and Real Madrid during his days at AC Milan. The 33-year-old told Voetbal Primeur: "I had already reached an agreement with Chelsea, but (Silvio) Berlusconi intervened and I stayed at AC Milan.

"I was also very close to a move to Real Madrid in 2006, when coach (Fabio) Capello was there. And (Pep) Guardiola approached me in 2011 to convince me to go to Barcelona, but again it was Berlusconi who put a stop to it."

Pirlo finally secured a switch away from AC Milan, after ten years of loyal service, in 2011 and has enjoyed a new lease of life in Turin. He added: "It was definitely the best decision for my career to sign a deal with Juventus.

"Am I sorry for my departure from Milan? I needed a new challenge. It was best for both parties."