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Andrea Pirlo

Andrea Pirlo  (born 19 May 1979) is an Italian football manager and former player who is currently the head coach of Serie B club Sampdoria. Considered one of the greatest midfielders of all-time, Pirlo was known for his vision, technique, creativity, passing, and free kick ability.

Pirlo began his club career in 1995 as an attacking midfielder with hometown club Brescia, winning the Serie B in 1997. He signed for Serie A club Inter Milan a year later, but limited game time and loans away from the club saw him transfer to cross-city rivals AC Milan in 2001. There, Pirlo matured into a world-class player in a deep-lying playmaker role, and he then won two Serie A titles, two UEFA Champions Leagues, two UEFA Super Cups, a FIFA Club World Cup, a Coppa Italia, and a Supercoppa Italiana. He departed for Juventus in 2011, where he won four consecutive Serie A titles, two Supercoppa Italiana titles, and another Coppa Italia. In 2015, Pirlo joined Major League Soccer (MLS) club New York City FC, where he played for two years before retiring in 2017.

At international level, Pirlo played 116 matches for the Italy national football team, which is the fifth-most of all time. He made his senior debut in 2002, and captained his nation to a bronze medal in the 2004 Olympics. Pirlo was instrumental in Italy's triumph at the 2006 FIFA World Cup, winning the Bronze Ball and being elected to the Team of the Tournament. He repeated similar success as he led Italy to the UEFA Euro 2012 final. Pirlo also represented his country at the 2004 and 2008 UEFA European Championships, the 2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cups, and the 2009 and 2013 FIFA Confederations Cups.

Pirlo finished in the top four five times in the IFFHS World's Best Playmaker award between 2006 and 2015. He placed fourth for UEFA Best Player in Europe in 2011, and seventh in 2015. He was named Serie A Footballer of the Year three times and voted to the Serie A Team of the Year four times. Pirlo was elected to UEFA Team of the Year in 2012, the UEFA Champions League Squad of the Season in 2015, and was part of the FIFPro World XI in 2006. He also placed seventh for the 2007 FIFA World Player, finished in the top ten three times for the Ballon d'Or, and was named an MLS All-Star in 2016. In 2019, Pirlo was elected into the Italian Football Hall of Fame.

Following his retirement, Pirlo was appointed as head coach at Serie C club Juventus U23 on 30 July 2020. He took charge of the first team nine days later, and won the Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana in his debut season, before being dismissed in 2021.

1992–2001: Early years and realisation of role
Pirlo was born in Flero in the province of Brescia. He began his career with the Flero youth team, later moving to Voluntas, and subsequently joined the youth sector of local club Brescia in 1992, where he initially played predominantly as a supporting forward. In 1995, at the age of 16, Pirlo made his Serie A debut for Brescia against Reggiana, on 21 May, becoming Brescia's youngest player to make an appearance in Serie A. He was promoted by his coach Mircea Lucescu. The following season, he did not appear with the senior team, although he was able to capture the Torneo di Viareggio with the youth team. After breaking into the Brescia first team during the 1996–97 Serie B season, he helped the club to gain Serie A promotion the following season by winning the Serie B title. He scored his first goal in Serie A during the 1997–98 season, in a 4–0 home win over Vicenza on 19 October 1997.

Due to his performances with Brescia, Pirlo was spotted by Inter Milan and signed in the summer of 1998, reuniting with former Brescia coach Lucescu in his first season when the Romanian replaced Luigi Simoni in December. Pirlo was unable to break into the first squad permanently, however, and Inter finished eighth in the 1998–99 Serie A campaign. Inter loaned Pirlo to Reggina for the 1999–2000 season, alongside fellow youngster Mohamed Kallon. After an impressive season, he returned to Inter but was once again unable to break into the first team, making just four league appearances. He spent the second half of the 2000–01 season on loan at his former club, Brescia, where he played alongside his childhood idol, offensive playmaker Roberto Baggio. As Baggio occupied the attacking midfield role for Brescia, manager Carlo Mazzone made a ground-breaking decision, becoming the first coach to deploy Pirlo as a deep-lying playmaker, rather than as an offensive midfielder, a deeper creative role in which he particularly excelled, due to his long passing ability. Despite initially struggling against relegation that season, Brescia would eventually manage a comfortable seventh-place finish in Serie A, also reaching the Coppa Italia quarter-finals, qualifying for the 2001 Intertoto Cup. A notable moment in Pirlo's Brescia career was his long pass which assisted Baggio's late equaliser against Juventus at the Stadio delle Alpi, on 1 April 2001.

2001–2004: Domestic and European success
After three seasons on the Inter books, Pirlo was sold to rivals AC Milan for 33 billion Italian lire (€17,043,078) on 30 June 2001, the last day of the 2000–01 financial year. The transfer fee was partially funded by the movement of Dražen Brnčić in the opposite direction for an undisclosed fee. In the same window Inter swapped Cristian Brocchi (25 billion lire; €12.9 million) for Guly (undisclosed fee; €8.537 million profit) and Matteo Bogani for Paolo Ginestra. The deals were later reported by the Italian press to have been undertaken to create "false profit" by inflating the players' values in the transfer fees in the swap deal. The exchange involving Ginestra and Bogani created an approximate €3.5 million "profit" for both clubs, but this actually manifested itself in terms of useless registration rights.

It was at Milan, in particular under manager Carlo Ancelotti, where Pirlo made big strides in developing into a world class player, and one of the best deep-lying playmakers and set-piece specialists in the world, as he went on to achieve notable domestic and international success during his time with the club. Pirlo later recalled the period he has spent in Milan with Ancelotti: "He changed my career, putting me in front of the defence. We shared some unforgettable moments. We had a magnificent past together." After Mazzone's pioneering decision to move Pirlo into a deep-seated playmaking role with Brescia during the previous season, Milan managers Fatih Terim and, in particular, Carlo Ancelotti further developed this role for him at Milan. In Ancelotti's 4–3–1–2 and 4–3–2–1 formations, Pirlo was deployed as a deep-lying playmaker in front of the defence, which allowed him to play alongside other talented attacking midfielders, such as Rivaldo, Rui Costa and eventually Kaká, replacing the gap left by Milan legend Demetrio Albertini in the deep midfield playmaking role. He would become an integral part of the Rossoneri's midfield, forming a formidable partnership with Gennaro Gattuso, as well as with Clarence Seedorf and Massimo Ambrosini, who also supported his playmaking role defensively. Pirlo was given the nickname the metronome during his time at the club, for the way in which he set the team's rhythm.

Pirlo made his Milan debut on 20 September 2001, in a 2–0 win over BATE Borisov in the UEFA Cup, after coming on for Massimo Donati. During his first season with the club, he helped the team to a fourth-place finish UEFA Champions League qualification spot, also reaching the semi-final of the UEFA Cup, the club's best ever result in the competition. On 30 March 2002, he scored his first goal with Milan in a 3–1 home win over Parma, from a free kick.

Pirlo led Serie A in the 2002–03 season in four categories – passes played (2589), ball possession (123 hours played and 39 minutes), successful balls (661), and successful passes (2093); he averaged almost 90 passes per game throughout the season. During this season, his second with the club, he also managed a career best of 9 goals in Serie A, as Milan finished the league in third place, also winning the Coppa Italia over Roma, and the UEFA Champions League, beating out Italian rivals and 2003 Serie A champions Juventus in the final 3–2 on penalties, following a 0–0 draw after extra-time. The following season saw Pirlo win the 2003 UEFA Super Cup with Milan over Porto, although the Rossoneri lost to Juventus on penalties in the 2003 Supercoppa Italiana following a 1–1 draw after extra time; during the match, Pirlo scored on a penalty in extra time, and once again in the shoot-out. Milan would also miss out on the 2003 Intercontinental Cup, losing out on penalties once again, to Boca Juniors, following a 1–1 draw after extra-time; on this occasion, Pirlo missed his penalty in the shoot-out, after previously setting up Milan's opening goal of the match. Pirlo would celebrate winning his first Serie A title with Milan during the 2003–04 season however, following up the scudetto with the 2004 Supercoppa Italiana over Lazio.

2004–2006: Struggles
Milan finished as runners up in Serie A to Juventus in the 2004–05 season. In the 2004–05 UEFA Champions League, Pirlo finished as one of the second highest assist providers with four assists, as he helped Milan to reach the final. In the 2005 UEFA Champions League Final against Liverpool, on 25 May, Pirlo assisted Paolo Maldini's opening goal, after 50 seconds, from a free kick, and combined with Kaká before the Brazilian unleashed Hernán Crespo with a long pass for Milan's third goal before halftime. In the second half, however, Liverpool made a three-goal comeback, sending the match into extra time. After a 3–3 deadlock, the match went to penalties, and Milan were defeated by the English team in the shoot-out. Despite Pirlo's performance throughout the competition and in the final, Pirlo had missed his penalty kick during the shoot-out in the final when it was saved by Jerzy Dudek. Pirlo would later state in his autobiography that the 2005 UEFA Champions League Final defeat on penalties was the worst moment of his career, and that he had considered retiring prematurely following the match:

The following season, Milan once again finished in second place behind Juventus in Serie A (before their 30-point deduction due to their involvement in the 2006 Calciopoli scandal), also reaching the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League, only to be defeated by eventual champions, Barcelona, and the quarter-finals of the Coppa Italia. In 2006, Pirlo placed 9th in the Ballon d'Or, which was won by his Italy teammate Fabio Cannavaro, and was elected to the 2006 FIFPro World XI.

2006–2009: Second UEFA Champions League title
"Andrea has demonstrated all his great talent and worth. When we played together, everything started with him. He always had the great gift of being able to visualise and anticipate plays before everyone else. His vision, what he can do with the ball, and what he's able to create, make him a true superstar. Andrea has something which you don't see very often."

Pirlo led Milan in minutes played for the 2006–07 season with 2,782 across 52 appearances, as he went on to win his second UEFA Champions League title with Milan, also helping his team to a fourth-place finish in Serie A, and another Coppa Italia semi-final. In the second leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-final against Manchester United, Pirlo set up Seedorf's goal, as Milan progressed on to the final. In the 2007 UEFA Champions League Final in Athens, Pirlo assisted Inzaghi's first goal from a free kick, helping Milan to defeat Liverpool 2–1, avenging their 2005 final defeat in Istanbul. During the 2007–08 season, Pirlo won his second UEFA Super Cup with Milan, assisting Milan's second goal in the final, and winning the Man of the Match award; he also contributed to the club's first ever FIFA Club World Cup title in 2007, once again setting-up Milan's second goal in the final. In October 2007, he was nominated for the 2007 Ballon d'Or, the 2007 FIFA World Player of the Year, and the 2007 International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS) World's Best Playmaker Awards, but they were all won by Milan teammate Kaká, as Pirlo placed 5th in the Ballon d'or, 7th in the FIFA World Player of the Year, and 2nd in the World's Best Playmaker Awards. Despite a strong start, Milan suffered a dip in form during the second half of the season, finishing the league in fifth place, failing to qualify for the UEFA Champions League; Milan also suffered eliminations in the round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League and the Coppa Italia that season. The following season, Milan managed a second-place finish in Serie A, alongside Juventus, and behind local rivals Inter, while they were eliminated in the round of 32 of the UEFA Cup, and the round of 16 of the Coppa Italia.

2009–2011: Second Scudetto and farewell

After Kaká and Ancelotti left Milan in the summer of 2009, Chelsea tested Milan's resolve by bidding $12 million and Claudio Pizarro for Pirlo. The club rejected the offer and Pirlo was said to be contemplating a transfer request. On 5 August, club owner Silvio Berlusconi decided not to sell Pirlo, who said he was overjoyed and wanted to end his career at Milan. On 21 October 2009, Pirlo scored a notable 30-metre goal in Milan's 3–2 win over Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League; Milan were eventually eliminated in the round of 16. Milan finished the season with a 3rd place in Serie A, and a quarter-final finish in the Coppa Italia under new manager Leonardo.

The following season saw Milan dominate the league. Milan played host to Genoa on 25 September 2010, with Pirlo providing a lifted ball over the top of the defence to set striker Zlatan Ibrahimović free to score the solitary goal of the game. On 2 October, Pirlo scored a 40-yard goal against Parma to give Milan their first away win of the 2010–11 season. On 14 May 2011, Pirlo appeared in his last match for Milan, coming on as a half-time substitute for Ambrosini as the club celebrated their Serie A title with a 4–1 victory over Cagliari. Four days later, Pirlo confirmed that he would be leaving Milan at the end of the 2010–11 season, after a mutual decision not to renew his contract. In his last season in Milan, Pirlo appeared in the league just 17 times under manager Massimiliano Allegri, notching just one goal and three assists. He won his second Serie A title with Milan that season, and also reached the round of 16 in the UEFA Champions League as well as the semi-final stage in the Coppa Italia.

In total with Milan, Pirlo made 401 appearances, scoring 41 goals. With the club, he won two Serie A titles in 2004 and 2011, as well as two UEFA Champions League titles in 2003 and 2007, also reaching the final in 2005; he also won a Coppa Italia in 2003, a Supercoppa Italiana in 2004, and two UEFA Super Cups in 2003 and 2007, as well as playing a key role in Milan's first ever FIFA Club World Cup title in 2007. During this period, Milan also finished as runners up in Serie A in the 2004–05 and the 2005–06 seasons, as well as finishing second on penalties in the 2003 Supercoppa Italiana, and in the 2003 Intercontinental Cup.

Juventus
"When Andrea told me that he was joining us, the first thing I thought was: 'God exists'. A player of his level and ability, not to mention that he was free, I think it was the signing of the century!"

2011–2012: Debut season

Following Pirlo's departure from Milan in 2011, Juventus signed him on a free transfer on a contract until 2014. His debut with Juventus was in a friendly match against Sporting CP, which they lost 2–1. His first competitive match with Juventus was the 2011–12 Serie A opening match against Parma at home, in which he tallied two assists, for Stephan Lichtsteiner and Claudio Marchisio – the latter of which was the first ever goal in the Juventus Stadium –, and completed 110 passes in a 4–1 victory. Antonio Conte played him alongside younger midfielders Marchisio and new signing Arturo Vidal in a three-man midfield, which allowed Pirlo to function creatively as a deep-lying playmaker, while Marchisio and Vidal supported him defensively. Pirlo's first goal for Juventus was a free kick against Catania on 18 February 2012 securing a 3–1 victory for Juventus and put the club back at the top of the Serie A table, above his former club Milan. On 18 March, Pirlo scored in a 5–0 demolition of Fiorentina and after the game dedicated the win to Fabrice Muamba, who suffered a cardiac arrest playing for Bolton Wanderers during a match against Tottenham Hotspur the same day.

Pirlo finished the season by winning the 2011–12 Serie A title, after helping Juventus to secure a 2–0 victory over Cagliari. He provided the most assists in the Serie A that season, with 13, and he also found the back of the net three times in the league. Pirlo created over 100 chances and completed 2643 passes that season, with an 87% pass completion rate, completing 500 more passes than any other player in Serie A; the only player in the world to have completed more passes than him that season was Xavi. Due to his performances throughout the season, and his key role in leading Juventus to their first Serie A title in nine years, he was named to the Serie A Team of the Year, along with his Juventus midfielder partner Vidal. Pirlo and Juventus also finished runners up to Napoli in the Coppa Italia final that season. Pirlo's fine form in the 2011–12 season, in which he led Juventus to the league title, the Supercoppa Italiana and Coppa Italia Final, as well as leading Italy to the final of Euro 2012, saw him nominated for the 2012 UEFA Best Player in Europe Award, in which he finished 4th. He was also elected to be part of the 2012 ESM Team of the Year and the 2012 UEFA Team of the Year.

2012–2014: Consistent domestic success
Pirlo played in the 2012 Supercoppa Italiana in Beijing on 11 August 2012 against Napoli, helping Juventus to a 4–2 win in extra time. He curled in a free kick to seal a 2–0 defeat of Parma on the opening day of the new Serie A season. The goal caused much controversy, as the Parma players protested that it had not gone over the line, and replays proved inconclusive. In the following league match against Udinese on 2 September, Pirlo helped to win a penalty and assisted Sebastian Giovinco's second goal of the match, as Juventus went on to defeat the home team 4–1. On 29 September, Pirlo opened the scoring when he dispatched a trade mark free kick to send Juventus on their way to a 4–1 defeat of Roma. Pirlo was nominated for the 2012 FIFA Ballon d'Or, along with Juventus and Italy teammate Gianluigi Buffon, following their performances throughout the calendar year. Pirlo provided three assists for Juventus during the group stage, helping them to top their group undefeated and advance to the knockout stages for first time since the 2008–09 tournament. Pirlo was also elected the 2012 Serie A Footballer of the Year, as well as the best midfielder of the season, also winning the 2012 Guerin d'Oro. He was named as part of the 2012 Serie A team of the Year for his performances. Pirlo also won the Pallone Azzurro, given to the best player of the year in the Italy national team, as well as placing fourth in the IFFHS World's Best Playmaker of the Year Award, and seventh in the FIFA Ballon d'Or. Pirlo and Juventus retained their Serie A title that season. Juventus were, however, eliminated by Bayern Munich in the quarter finals of the UEFA Champions League, and in the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia by Lazio; both of these teams were the winners of these respective competitions.

Pirlo featured in Juventus's 4–0 win against Lazio in the 2013 Supercoppa Italiana, on 18 August 2013, at the Stadio Olimpico, in Rome. Pirlo helped to create Paul Pogba's opening goal in the twenty-third minute of play. Pirlo was the only Italian player to be nominated for the 2013 FIFA Ballon d'Or, and was also nominated for the 2013 FIFPro World XI. On 1 December, Pirlo sustained a knee-ligament injury which would keep him off the field for over a month. On 12 January 2014, Pirlo signed a new contract with Juventus, which will keep him at the club until 2016. On 27 January, Pirlo was named Serie A Footballer of the Year for a second consecutive time, and was once again included in the Serie A Team of the Year. Juventus won their 30th league title that season with a record 102 points and 33 victories; this was also their third consecutive title since Pirlo's arrival. Juventus also reached the quarter-finals of the Coppa Italia, losing out to Roma. The Turin club suffered a group stage elimination in the UEFA Champions League, but managed a semi-final finish in the UEFA Europa League, losing out to Benfica, with Pirlo scoring a match winning goal from a free kick in the round of 16 against Fiorentina. Pirlo was chosen to be part of the 2013–14 Europa League Team of the Season, for his performances in the competition.

2014–2015: UEFA Champions League final and departure

On 11 June 2014, Pirlo signed a new contract keeping him at Juventus until 2016. Pirlo made his 100th league appearance for Juventus in a 3–2 home win over Roma on 5 October 2014. On 1 November, Pirlo scored Juventus's opening goal from a free kick in a 2–0 win over Empoli, on their 117th anniversary; this was his 26th goal from a free kick in Serie A, putting him two goals behind the all-time record holder, Siniša Mihajlović. On 4 November, Pirlo scored once again from a trademark, curling direct free kick in a 3–2 home win over Olympiacos in a group-stage UEFA Champions League fixture. This was Pirlo's 100th appearance in the UEFA Champions League, marking the occasion with his first UEFA Champions League goal with Juventus. On 15 December 2014, Pirlo was named the Serie A Footballer of the Year for the third time in his career, and for the third consecutive year since his arrival at Juventus; he was also named part of the 2014 Serie A Team of the Year. In Juventus's 2–1 home victory over Borussia Dortmund in the round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League, on 24 February 2015, Pirlo left the pitch during the first half of the match, after injuring his right calf, ruling him out for three weeks. Pirlo was called up on 11 April 2015 against Parma following his injury. He returned to the starting line-up on 14 April 2015, helping Álvaro Morata to win a penalty which was later converted by Vidal in a 1–0 victory over Monaco at the Juventus Stadium, in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals; he was replaced by Andrea Barzagli during the second half. On 26 April, Pirlo scored from a free kick in a 2–1 away defeat to local rivals Torino in the "Derby di Torino"; this was his 28th goal in Serie A from a free kick, which put him level with Mihajlović as the player with the most goals from free kicks in Serie A history. On 20 May, Pirlo played a part in both of Juventus's goals as the Turin club defeated Lazio 2–1 at the Stadio Olimpico in the 2015 Coppa Italia Final. On 6 June 2015, Pirlo played the entirety of the 2015 UEFA Champions League Final as Juventus were defeated 3–1 by Barcelona at Berlin's Olympiastadion; this was the final game of his Juventus career. Pirlo was named to the 2014–15 UEFA Champions League Squad of the season for his performances.

In total, he made 164 appearances for Juventus in all competitions, scoring 19 goals (15 of which were scored from free kicks), also providing 39 assists; 31 of his goals came in Serie A, from 119 appearances. During his four seasons in Turin, he won four Serie A titles, a Coppa Italia, and two Supercoppe Italiane, also reaching the fourth UEFA Champions League final of his career during his final season with the club. Over 20 seasons in Italy, he made 493 appearances in Serie A. With 101 assists in the Italian top flight, he is also the fifth–highest assist provider in Serie A history, behind Francesco Totti, Roberto Baggio, Alessandro Del Piero, and Gianni Rivera.

2015: Playoff disappointment
On 6 July 2015, it was announced that Pirlo had completed a move to Major League Soccer (MLS) expansion franchise New York City FC as their third Designated Player. In doing so, he became the highest paid Italian player in all leagues with an $8 million salary, until Graziano Pellè overtook him after moving to Chinese club Shandong Luneng the following year. Pirlo made his debut with the club on 26 July 2015 at Yankee Stadium in New York against Orlando City, coming on as a substitute in the 56th minute; he was involved in his team's third and fourth goals and was booked in the 88th minute as New York won the match 5–3. He made his first start for New York on 1 August, in a 3–2 home defeat to the Montreal Impact. On 12 August, it was announced that Pirlo had placed seventh in the 2015 UEFA Best Player in Europe. On 13 August he set up a goal for David Villa in a 3–1 home win over D.C. United. In October 2015, Pirlo was named to the 59-player shortlist for the 2015 FIFA Ballon d'Or. He finished the 2015 MLS season with 5 assists in 13 appearances, and ended up third in the MLS in minutes per pass, although he failed to score a goal. Despite the presence of Pirlo and two other UEFA Champions League winners, David Villa and Frank Lampard, New York City failed to qualify for the 2015 MLS Cup Playoffs at the conclusion of their debut season, which drew criticism from the press; Pirlo in particular drew criticism from the media for his low defensive work-rate. In November, Pirlo became the first MLS player in history to be nominated for the FIFPro World XI.

2016: All-Star designation
Pirlo made his first assist of the 2016 MLS season on 30 April, as he set up a goal for David Villa from a corner in a 3–2 home win over the Vancouver Whitecaps. On 18 June, he scored his first MLS goal from a free kick in the 50th minute of a 3–2 home victory over Philadelphia. In July 2016, Pirlo was included in the roster for the 2016 MLS All-Star Game. Pirlo finished his second MLS season with the club with one goal and a team seasonal best of eleven assists in 32 appearances, as New York City finished in second place in the Eastern Conference, and qualified for the MLS Cup Playoffs for the first time ever, clinching a spot in the Eastern Conference semi-final. He was ruled out of the first leg, however, after sustaining a last-minute calf injury, and New York lost the match 2–0 away to Toronto. He appeared in the second leg on 6 November, as New York were eliminated from the Playoffs 7–0 on aggregate, following a 5–0 home defeat to Toronto.

2017: Retirement
After struggling with persisting physical problems for most of the 2017 MLS season, on 8 October 2017, Pirlo announced that he would retire from professional football at the end of the season; in total, he was limited to only 15 appearances and two assists during the 2017 MLS regular season. He made his final professional appearance on 5 November, coming on as a 90th-minute substitute in a 2–0 home win over Columbus Crew, in the second leg of the 2017 MLS Cup Eastern Conference Semi-finals; New York were eliminated from the Playoffs following a 4–3 aggregate loss. In total, Pirlo made 62 appearances for New York – 60 of which came in the MLS regular season, with the other two coming in the MLS Cup Playoffs – over the course of his three seasons with the club, scoring one goal and providing 18 assists, all of which came during the MLS regular season. Pirlo officially communicated his retirement from professional football the following day, on Twitter. A testimonial match – La Notte del Maestro – was played at the San Siro Stadium in Milan on 21 May 2018, in honour of Pirlo's retirement from professional football.

International career
"Pirlo is a silent leader. He speaks with his feet." "To pass the ball to Andrea Pirlo is like to hide it in a safe." "Is he the best player of his generation? Not quite, but he is the most important."

Under-21 and Olympic career, senior team debut, and Euro 2004
Pirlo captained Italy to an Under-21 European Championship in 2000, wearing the number 10 jersey, and winning the awards for best player and top scorer of the tournament with three goals; he scored both goals – one from a penalty and the other from a free kick – in Italy's 2–1 victory over Czech Republic in the final. He also led the Italy under-21 team to a semi-final finish in the 2002 edition of the tournament. Pirlo played for Italy at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, scoring a goal in Italy's 1–0 opening win over hosts Australia on 13 September; he also helped Italy win the bronze medal as overage players at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. With 46 matches and 16 goals, Pirlo is the record appearance holder for the Italian under-21 team, and the second highest goal-scorer after Alberto Gilardino.

Pirlo made his Italy senior debut on 7 September 2002 under Giovanni Trapattoni, at the age of 23 in a 2–0 away win over Azerbaijan in a Euro 2004 qualifying match; he also appeared in a friendly match in Pescara against Turkey on 20 November, later that year, which ended in a 1–1 draw. Pirlo scored his first goal for Italy from a free kick in a 4–0 away win in a friendly match against Tunisia. His first major tournament with the Italian senior team was UEFA Euro 2004 under Trapattoni, where he made two appearances in Italy's last two group matches: the first in a 1–1 draw against Sweden, and the second in a 2–1 win over Bulgaria. The Italian team was eliminated in the first round, on direct encounters, following a three-way five-point tie with Sweden and Denmark.

2006 World Cup
Under Trapattoni's replacement, Marcello Lippi, Pirlo became a key member of Italy's starting line-up during their 2006 World Cup Qualifying campaign, and he was eventually called up as a starting member of the Italian squad for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. On 26 March 2005, he assured Italy's participation in the tournament after scoring from two free kicks in a 2–0 win against Scotland in a World Cup Qualifier.

Pirlo was named to Italy's 23-man squad for the 2006 World Cup, and appeared in all of Italy's matches at the tournament, playing 668 minutes in total. In Italy's first match of the tournament on 12 June, Pirlo scored the opening goal against Ghana, and subsequently helped set up a goal for Vincenzo Iaquinta to seal a 2–0 victory, as the midfielder was named Man of the Match. In the second match on 17 June, he set up a diving header for Gilardino from a set piece which proved to be vital in the 1–1 draw against the United States.

In the semi-final against Germany on 4 July, he assisted Fabio Grosso's opening goal in the dying minutes of extra-time, and was again named Man of the Match, as Italy triumphed 2–0 over the hosts. In the final against France on 9 July, his corner kick produced Marco Materazzi's equalising header ten minutes after France had opened the scoring with a Zinedine Zidane penalty. Following a 1–1 deadlock after extra-time, the match went to a penalty shoot-out, in which he scored the first spot kick, helping Italy to win the title. Pirlo formed a formidable midfield partnership with Milan teammate Gattuso, and he completed 475 passes out of 580 attempted throughout the tournament, while also winning 18 challenges. After the final, he was named Man of the Match for a third time, winning more Man of the Match Awards than any other player in the tournament. Pirlo was voted the third-best player of the tournament, winning the Bronze Ball. He was named as part of the 2006 FIFPro XI and as part of the 2006 World Cup Team of the Tournament for his performances, placing ninth in both the 2006 Ballon d'Or and the 2006 FIFA World Player of the Year Awards.

"'I don't feel pressure ... I don't give a toss about it. I spent the afternoon of Sunday, 9 July 2006 in Berlin sleeping and playing the PlayStation. In the evening, I went out and won the World Cup.'"

Post World Cup
Pirlo appeared in all three of Italy's group matches at UEFA Euro 2008. He was named Man of the Match in Italy's second group match, a 1–1 draw against Romania, on 13 June. On 17 June 2008, Pirlo netted a penalty as Italy defeated France 2–0 in the final group match, to send their rivals and World Cup runners-up crashing out of the European Championships in the first round. Italy lost on penalty kicks to eventual winners Spain in the quarterfinals, as Pirlo and Milan teammate Gattuso were suspended for the match.

On 15 June 2009, Pirlo assisted Giuseppe Rossi's second goal in a 3–1 win in Italy's opening match of the Confederations Cup against the United States. Italy subsequently lost the following two group matches against Egypt and Brazil, and were eliminated from the competition in the first round.

Pirlo was not able to play the first two games in the 2010 World Cup for Italy due to recent injuries. He came off the bench for Italy late in the match on 24 June against Slovakia. Even with his help in orchestrating a renewed Italian offence, Pirlo could not prevent Italy from being knocked out of the first round.

Euro 2012
Coach Prandelli named Pirlo Vice-Captain of the Italian squad, behind captain, Gianluigi Buffon. Pirlo appeared in nine matches as Italy qualified undefeated for the European Championships in Poland and Ukraine, providing several assists, and netting one goal in Italy's 5–0 victory over the Faroe Islands on 7 September 2010.

Because of his excellent performances in leading Juventus to win the Serie A title, Italy coach Cesare Prandelli included the playmaker in his 32-man provisional squad for Euro 2012, and subsequently in Italy's final 23-man squad for the tournament. Pirlo provided the cutting ball from which Antonio Di Natale scored the opening goal of Italy's 1–1 draw with World and European champions Spain in the opening round of group play on 10 June 2012. Pirlo then opened the scoring himself from a direct free kick in Italy's second group match against Croatia on 14 June, which also ended in a 1–1 draw; Pirlo was named Man of the Match. In the final group match against Republic of Ireland, Pirlo set up Antonio Cassano's goal from a corner kick to help Italy take a 1–0 lead. Italy eventually won 2–0 and progressed to the knock-out stage of the tournament as runners-up in Group C.

On 24 June, Pirlo produced a Man of the Match performance in the quarter-finals against England, as Italy won 4–2 on penalties after the game had finished 0–0 in extra time. Pirlo scored in the shoot-out with an audacious chipped penalty down the centre of the goal, also known as a Panenka. Following the match Pirlo spoke of his eloquent penalty, stating, "At the moment I saw the goalkeeper making strange movements, so I waited for him to move and hit it like that... It was easier for me to chip it at that stage. Maybe my effort put some pressure on England." Pirlo completed more passes than the entire England midfield, as he managed 131 passes, the most of any player during the match, and the second most in a single match in the history of the European Championship, behind Xavi, with an 87% pass completion rate, as Italy finished the match with 63% ball possession. He also ran 11.58 kilometres throughout the match, covering more distance than any England player.

In the semi-final round, on 28 June, Pirlo once again put up a Man of the Match performance against Germany, starting the play which led to Balotelli's first goal of the match, as Italy won 2–1 to advance to the final of the tournament. Following Italy's success in the semi-finals, Italy were defeated 4–0 against Spain in the final.

Pirlo won three Man of the Match Awards at Euro 2012, the most awards won by a single player, along with Andrés Iniesta of tournament champions Spain. Pirlo was nominated for the Player of the Tournament Award, which ultimately went to Iniesta, and he was also elected to be part of the Team of the Tournament.

2013 Confederations Cup
Pirlo was selected for Italy's squad to play in Brazil at the 2013 Confederations Cup. He won his 100th cap on 16 June in Italy's opening game against Mexico, opening the scoring with a trademark free kick as Italy won 2–1, and Pirlo was voted Man of the Match. He was only the fifth Italian player to receive 100 caps after Dino Zoff, Paolo Maldini, Gianluigi Buffon, and Fabio Cannavaro. In the second group stage match against Japan on 19 June, Pirlo assisted De Rossi's goal against from a corner, as the match ended 4–3 to Italy. The win allowed Italy to progress to the semi-finals of the competition for the first time. Pirlo did not play in the third group stage match against hosts Brazil, as he had come down with a minor injury at the end of the second match, although he would be available to play for the semi-finals. Italy were defeated 4–2 in the final group stage match on 22 June, which meant that they finished second in group A, and would be playing the winners of group B, tournament favourites Spain, in a rematch of the European Championship Final of the previous year. Italy held Spain to 0–0 draw on 27 June, as the match eventually went to penalties. Pirlo netted his penalty, but Bonucci's miss allowed Spain to advance to the final, as Italy lost the shoot-out 7–6. Pirlo was injured for the third place final, although Italy managed to defeat Uruguay 3–2 on penalties on 30 June, after a 2–2 draw. Pirlo was named to the Team of the Tournament, and was nominated for the Golden Ball award, although he failed to place amongst the top three players of the tournament, as the awards went to Neymar, Iniesta, and Paulinho, respectively.

2014 World Cup
Pirlo scored one goal during Italy's qualification campaign for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, which saw them top their group, undefeated. Pirlo converted a penalty as Italy dispatched Armenia by a score of 3–1 on 12 October 2012, and assisted several goals during the World Cup qualifying campaign. On 5 June 2014, Pirlo was selected by Italy manager Prandelli as part of his 23-man squad for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. On 12 June, Pirlo announced that he would retire from international football following the tournament.

In the 2014 World Cup, Italy were placed in Group D, along with Costa Rica, England and Uruguay, in what was called the "Group of Death". On 14 June, in Italy's opening match against England, Pirlo wore the captain's armband due to Buffon's last minute injury. The match ended with a 2–1 win to Italy. Pirlo heavily contributed to Italy's win, controlling the flow of the game, and setting up several goalscoring chances, as Italy dominated possession. During the match, Pirlo made 108 passes in total, only misplacing five, with a pass completion rate of 95.4%, completing the most passes of any other player in the previous opening matches of the 2014 World Cup. With a 93.2 pass percentage, Italy also managed to record the highest pass accuracy percentage of any team in a World Cup match since Denmark in the 1966 World Cup, completing 561 of their 602 passes. Pirlo also contributed to Italy's first goal of the match: Antonio Candreva's short corner was played to Marco Verratti, who then passed the ball out wide towards Pirlo, who drew his marker with him. Pirlo let the ball pass in between his legs to Marchisio, leaving him with space to score with a low drive from outside the area. Pirlo also managed to hit the crossbar from a swerving free kick in injury time. Italy suffered 1–0 defeats in both of their remaining matches against Costa Rica and Uruguay, however and were eliminated in the group stage for the second consecutive World Cup, finishing in a disappointing third place in their group, behind Costa Rica and Uruguay. Pirlo's appearance against Uruguay was his 112th cap for Italy, which allowed him to equal Dino Zoff's number of appearances for the Italy national team, and made him the fourth most capped player for the Italy national team. The Italian squad and manager, Cesare Prandelli, were criticised for over-relying on Pirlo to create goalscoring chances. Although Pirlo was able to set up some goal scoring opportunities and did test the opposition goalkeepers with some dangerous free kicks in the final two group games, his performances were stifled by the defensive pressure of the opposition, and he was much less dominant than he had been in the opening match against England. Although he had previously communicated his intention to retire after the World Cup, he stated, upon his return to Italy, that he would still be available to play for the national team.

Euro 2016

Despite previously announcing his international retirement following the 2014 World Cup, Pirlo reversed his decision, and under new Italy manager, and Pirlo's former Juventus manager Conte, Pirlo returned to the Italian squad. On 10 October, Pirlo started in Italy's second Euro 2016 qualifying match, which ended in a 2–1 home win over Azerbaijan, overtaking Zoff with his 113th appearance for Italy. Pirlo assisted Chiellini's first goal of the match from a corner kick. In August 2015, Pirlo was called for Italy's Euro 2016 qualifying matches against Malta and Bulgaria in September; he appeared in Italy's 1–0 home victory over Malta on 3 September, becoming the first MLS player to represent Italy; this was his final international appearance. In total, Pirlo made four appearances under Conte, as Italy qualified for Euro 2016 on 10 October in a 3–1 win over Azerbaijan. On 23 May 2016, Pirlo, along with fellow MLS compatriot Giovinco, was left off of Conte's 30-player shortlist for Italy's Euro 2016 squad. Regarding their omission, Conte commented in a press conference: "When you make a certain choice and go to play in certain leagues, you do so taking it into account that they could pay the consequences from a footballing viewpoint". In response to Conte's comments, Pirlo stated to Sky Italia: "I have spoken to Conte and there is no disappointment on my part, he knows what he has to do and what he should not do. We had discussions during the season and both parties made their own decisions. He is the coach and it's only right he makes his decisions and decides what is best for him. I hope Italy win although the favourites are other teams such as Germany, Spain and France."

In total, Pirlo made 116 appearances for Italy, scoring 13 goals, making him the fifth-most capped player in his nation's history.

Style of play
"Pirlo is a genius. Together with Baggio, I think he's the greatest talent that Italian football has produced in the last 25 years." "Pirlo spots a pass in a split-second that lesser players could spend a whole lifetime waiting to see." "Pirlo can make his feet do whatever he wants. He's a genius."

Position and reception
Tactically, Pirlo was capable of playing in several midfield positions, but was usually deployed by his club and national teams as a central midfielder, in the role of a deep-lying playmaker, due to his vision and passing accuracy. A highly technical and creative player, Pirlo is regarded by players, managers, and pundits as one of the greatest ever players in his position; throughout his career, he was considered one of the greatest midfielders in the world and of his generation, and as one of the greatest Italian players ever, and is regarded as one of the greatest midfielders of all time by several pundits, managers and players. Pirlo started his career in a more advanced role, as an attacking midfielder, and also played as a supporting striker on occasion. Although he was considered a talented young prospect, even drawing comparisons with former Italian footballer Gianni Rivera, Pirlo occasionally struggled in this role, due to his lack of pace, and competition from other talented and more dynamic players in his position.

Because of this, he was later moved to a deep-lying playmaker role by his coaches Mazzone, Terim, and Ancelotti, where he was able to excel due to his unique capabilities. This position best utilised Pirlo's attributes, and allowed him to operate creatively from a deeper position, in or even behind the main midfield line, in a seemingly defensive midfield role, where he was allowed more time on the ball to create scoring opportunities with his trademark long balls. This position has occasionally been described as "the Pirlo role," in the media, due to Pirlo's association with the role and his success in executing and popularising it. During his final season with Milan, Pirlo was also used on the wing under Allegri, due to his ability to provide accurate crosses.

Skills

Although not gifted with pace, stamina, physicality or notable defensive skills, work-rate, or tackling abilities, Pirlo was known for his composure in possession, and drew praise for his touch, technique, balance, elegance, close control, and dribbling ability, as well as his flair and creativity in beating players with feints during one-on-one situations, in order to retain the ball and create space for himself to play and receive passes. His reactions and ability to anticipate plays also enabled him to cover ground in midfield and intercept passes despite his lack of pace, tackling ability, or stamina. As a playmaker, he is highly regarded by pundits for his outstanding vision, awareness, and football intelligence, as well as his movement, positional sense, inventive play, anticipation, ability to read the game, and his wide range of distribution, which enabled him to play the ball first time and rarely relinquish possession, even when put under pressure; in addition to being capable of playing precise, short exchanges to teammates, he was also known for frequently attempting riskier and more difficult passes and is renowned in particular for his extremely accurate long-range passing, both on the ground or in the air, with either foot, despite being naturally right footed. He is considered to be one of the best passers in the history of the sport, and is also known for his accurate striking ability from distance. These characteristics allowed him to contribute to his team's offensive play with goals and assists.

Pirlo was a free-kick and penalty-kick specialist. Throughout his career, he was regarded as one of the best free-kick takers in the world, and drew praise from pundits for his versatility, and ability to both score and create chances from dead-ball situations. He was extremely effective at curling shots accurately on target from close range, a technique that he perfected by studying Baggio in training sessions during their time at Brescia together; as a youngster, Zico, Michel Platini, and Diego Maradona were also some of his major influences when taking free kicks. Pirlo was also capable of scoring from long-range free kicks with swerve and power, due to his unique technique, which was inspired by Juninho's "knuckle ball" free kicks; this technique was later dubbed the maledetta ("accursed") in the Italian media. Pirlo has scored the highest number of free kicks in Serie A, alongside Siniša Mihajlović.

Nicknames
Fellow players on the Italy national team nicknamed Pirlo l'architetto ("the Architect"), because of the way that he built plays, and set up goal-scoring opportunities with long, lobbed through passes. In later seasons, Juventus fans also dubbed him il professore ("the professor"), Maestro, and Mozart, as a reference to the Austrian composer's prodigious ability. Pirlo was also frequently compared to fellow former Milan and Italy playmaker Albertini early in his Milan career, due to their similar characteristics and style of play. Pirlo was often thought to be Albertini's heir for Milan and the national team; he inherited his nickname the metronome whilst playing at Milan, for the way in which he influenced games by controlling the tempo of his team's play through his direct, precise, and efficient passing game in midfield, as well as his ability to make himself available to teammates to receive and subsequently distribute the ball.

Managerial career
In August 2019, Pirlo enrolled in the UEFA Pro Licence courses at Coverciano. On 30 July 2020, Pirlo was appointed head coach of Serie C club Juventus U23, the reserve side of his former club Juventus. Nine days later, following the dismissal of Maurizio Sarri, Pirlo was appointed head coach of the first team, signing a two-year contract. Pirlo received his UEFA Pro Licence on 16 September 2020. Pirlo received 107 out of 110 after his oral validation of his 30-page thesis, entitled "The football that I would like" (Il calcio che vorrei). Pirlo cited the teams that "inspired [his] idea of football" as "the Barcelona of Johan Cruyff and then of Pep Guardiola, the Ajax of Louis van Gaal, the Milan of Carlo Ancelotti, and the Juventus of Antonio Conte".

In his first competitive match as a head coach, on 20 September 2020, Juventus won 3–0 at home in a league game against Sampdoria. He made his Champions League debut as a manager on 20 October, leading Juventus to a 2–0 away win over Dynamo Kyiv; as a result, he became only the third Juventus manager after Lippi and Capello to win his first away game in the competition.

On 20 January 2021, Pirlo won his first trophy as manager with Juventus, beating Napoli 2–0 in the 2020 Supercoppa Italiana. On 9 March 2021, Juventus were eliminated from the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League by Porto in the round of 16 on the away goals rule, drawing 4–4 on aggregate. On 2 May 2021, Juventus' run of nine consecutive titles was mathematically ended by Internazionale who were confirmed as champions. On 19 May, Pirlo won the Coppa Italia with Juventus following a 2–1 victory over Atalanta in the final. On 23 May, the final day of the league, Pirlo managed to secure a fourth-place finish for Juventus after a 4–1 away win over Bologna, one point above Napoli which drew 1–1 with Verona, granting Juventus qualification to the following season's Champions League. Five days later, on 28 May, Juventus announced the departure of Pirlo from his managerial position at the club.

On 12 June 2022, Pirlo was appointed as manager of Turkish club Fatih Karagümrük. The club later announced Pirlo's release on 24 May 2023.

On 27 June 2023, Pirlo was appointed manager of Sampdoria who had just been relegated to Serie B that season.

Personal life
Pirlo is one of two children along with his brother Ivan. He was married to Deborah Roversi between 2001 and 2013; the couple have two children: son Nicolò (born 2003) and daughter Angela (born 2006). The couple separated in 2014.

Pirlo's father founded a metal trading company in Brescia in 1982 called Elg Steel. Pirlo himself retains a stake in the family business. With regard to his wealth from his family business and footballing career, Pirlo stated in an interview with Italian Vanity Fair magazine that he never talks about money. Pirlo is known for being a wine connoisseur and he also runs his own vineyard in Italy, which produces around 15–20,000 bottles a year.

In 2013, Pirlo wrote an autobiography, with Alessandro Alciato, titled Penso Quindi Gioco (I Think Therefore I Play). On 1 September 2014, Pirlo, along with many current and former footballing stars, took part in the "Match for Peace", which was played at the Stadio Olimpico, in Rome, with the proceeds being donated entirely to charity. That same year, he revealed that he supported Inter in his youth, and that his favourite footballers and major influences as a player were German former midfielder Lothar Matthäus – as he played for Inter – and compatriot Roberto Baggio – due to his playing style and role on the pitch as an offensive playmaker, with which Pirlo identified at the time.

In July 2016, it was reported that Pirlo's jersey was the highest-selling MLS shirt in 2016.

On 7 July 2017, Pirlo's partner, Valentina Baldini, gave birth to their twins named Leonardo and Tommaso.

Pirlo featured in EA Sports' football video game FIFA 20 as one of the Ultimate Team Icons.

International

 * Scores and results list Italy's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Pirlo goal.

Player
Brescia
 * Serie B: 1996–97

AC Milan
 * Serie A: 2003–04, 2010–11
 * Coppa Italia: 2002–03
 * Supercoppa Italiana: 2004
 * UEFA Champions League: 2002–03, 2006–07; runner-up: 2004–05
 * UEFA Super Cup: 2003, 2007
 * FIFA Club World Cup: 2007

Juventus
 * Serie A: 2011–12, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2014–15
 * Coppa Italia: 2014–15
 * Supercoppa Italiana: 2012, 2013
 * UEFA Champions League runner-up: 2014–15

Italy U21
 * UEFA European Under-21 Championship: 2000

Italy Olympic Team
 * Summer Olympic Games Bronze Medal: 2004

Italy
 * FIFA World Cup: 2006
 * UEFA European Championship runner-up: 2012
 * FIFA Confederations Cup Bronze Medal: 2013

Individual
 * UEFA European Under-21 Championship Golden Player: 2000
 * UEFA European Under-21 Championship Top Scorer: 2000
 * 2006 FIFA World Cup: All-star team
 * 2006 FIFA World Cup: Bronze Ball
 * 2006 FIFA World Cup: Top Assist Provider
 * 2006 FIFA World Cup Final: Man of the Match
 * FIFPro World XI: 2006
 * UEFA Super Cup Man of the Match: 2007
 * ESPN World Team of the Decade: 2009
 * Premio Bulgarelli Number 8: 2012
 * ESM Team of the Year: 2011–12
 * Pallone d'Argento: 2011–12
 * Pallone Azzurro: 2012
 * Guerin d'Oro: 2012
 * UEFA European Championship Teams of the Tournament: 2012
 * UEFA Team of the Year: 2012
 * 2011–12 Serie A Top Assist Provider
 * Serie A Team of the Year: 2011–12, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2014–15
 * Serie A Midfielder of the Year: 2012
 * Serie A Footballer of the Year: 2012, 2013, 2014
 * Premio Nazionale Carriera Esemplare "Gaetano Scirea": 2013
 * FIFA Confederations Cup Team of the Tournament: 2013
 * FIFA Confederations Cup Castrol Index Top XI: 2013
 * UEFA Europa League Team of the Season: 2013–14
 * UEFA Champions League Team of the Season: 2014–15
 * AC Milan Hall of Fame
 * All-time UEFA European Under-21 Championship dream team: 2015
 * New York City FC's Ride of Fame: September 2015
 * Globe Soccer Awards Player Career Award: 2015
 * UEFA European Championship All-time XI: 2016
 * Major League Soccer All-Star: 2016
 * Juventus Greatest XI of All Time: 2017
 * Premio internazionale Giacinto Facchetti: 2017
 * AIC Lifetime Achievement Award: 2018
 * Golden Foot Award Legends: 2018
 * Italian Football Hall of Fame: 2019
 * Ballon d'Or Dream Team (Silver): 2020

Manager
Juventus
 * Coppa Italia: 2020–21
 * Supercoppa Italiana: 2020

Orders

 * ITA OMRI 2001 Cav BAR.svg 5th Class / Knight: Cavaliere Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana: 2004

 * ITA OMRI 2001 Uff BAR.svg 4th Class / Officer: Ufficiale Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana: 2006

 * [[Image:Friedrich Order.png|left|50px]] CONI Golden Collar of Sports Merit: 2006

title: Andrea Pirlo


text:
Talk:Strath Burn

Movement and naming
Some recent moving and naming of this page is discussed at Talk:Wick River. — PMcM 14:53, 6 Apr 2005 (UTC)

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Talk:Strath Burn


text:
Nambucca River

The Nambucca River is a river located in the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales, Australia.

Course and features
Nambucca River rises below Killiekrankie Mountain on the Dorrigo Plateau, part of the Great Dividing Range, and flows generally east southeast, joined by four tributaries including Taylors Arm, before reaching its mouth at the Tasman Sea of the South Pacific Ocean, at Nambucca Heads. The river descends 594 m over its 87 km course; adjacent to the towns of Bowraville, Macksville and Nambucca Heads.

The Nambucca River area has a fine subtropical climate, high rainfall and fertile volcanic soils. It was originally covered by rainforest, much of which has been cleared, although some rainforests remain in several national parks and reserves. The lowlands along the river are used for farming.

Nambucca River is transversed by the Pacific Highway and the North Coast railway line, near Macksville.

title: Nambucca River


text:
Royal Netherlands Sea Rescue Institution

The Royal Netherlands Sea Rescue Institution (Dutch: Koninklijke Nederlandse Redding Maatschappij, abbreviated: KNRM) is the voluntary organization in the Netherlands tasked with saving lives at sea. For that purpose, it maintains 45 lifeboat stations along the Dutch coast of the North Sea and Wadden Sea and on the IJsselmeer. It maintains 78 boats ranging from small boat to 21 meter long RHIBs. It also provides lifeguard services at some beaches on the Frisian Islands in the Waddensea, and the beach of Wassenaar. Its headquarters have been in IJmuiden since 1996.

The KNRM was created May 22, 1991 by merging the Koninklijke Noord- en Zuid-Hollandsche Redding-Maatschappij (founded November 11, 1824), called the Noord (North), and the Koninklijke Zuid-Hollandsche Maatschappij tot Redding van Schipbreukelingen (founded November 20, 1824), called the Zuid (South). Between 1824 and 2006, they answered 36358 distress calls and saved 79887 people out of distress situations. Yearly they have about 1700 distress calls with about 3500 people saved (2008).

The KNRM also operates the Dutch Radio Medical Service (a task taken over from the Netherlands Red Cross on January 1, 1999) and provides medical advice by radio to about 900 ships each year.

Like the comparable Royal National Lifeboat Institution, which operates in the UK and Ireland, and the German Maritime Search and Rescue Service, the KNRM is entirely financed by private donations.

Famous lifeboat-saviors

 * Henry Freeman
 * Dorus Rijkers
 * Grace Darling
 * Henry Blogg

Famous rescues

 * Rescue of the Renown


text: User talk:68.78.23.118

title: User talk:68.78.23.118


text:
Jason Dodd

Jason Robert Dodd (born 2 November 1970) is an English football coach and former professional footballer.

As a player, he was a full-back who notably spent sixteen-years playing for Southampton where the majority of those came in the Premier League. He made just shy of 400 league appearances during his stay before departing in 2005. He also played in the Football League for Plymouth Argyle and Brighton & Hove Albion, as well as non-league sides Bath City and Eastleigh. He was capped eight times at England U21 level.

Following retirement, he became manager of Eastleigh but left the club in 2007, returning to Southampton as a first team coach where he briefly managed the Saints on a caretaker basis in 2008. He then joined the coaching staff at Aldershot Town where he once more served as first team manager on a temporary basis before returning to Southampton on a third occasion as their youth academy director. In 2014 he was dismissed and later had a spell with Gosport Borough as assistant coach.

Playing career
Dodd was born in Bath, Somerset and attended the Beechen Cliff School. He joined Southampton from Bath City in 1989 for a fee of £15,000.

In December 2003, Dodd was initially credited with scoring a goal directly from a corner against Saints' rivals Portsmouth, but this was subsequently listed as an own goal by defender Sebastien Schemmel.

He was due to retire at the end of the 2004–05 season, during which he spent time on loan at Plymouth Argyle; however, after his contract expired with Southampton he left to join Brighton & Hove Albion. He made only seven appearances for Brighton during his year at the club due to injury.

In July 2006 he joined Conference South team Eastleigh on a free transfer, to play alongside former Southampton colleague, Francis Benali. A recurrence of his ankle injury prevented him playing after the first three games of the 2006–07 season, and he retired from playing in November 2006 and was appointed head coach of Eastleigh.

Coaching and managerial career
The following month he replaced Paul Doswell, who had become director of football, as Eastleigh's manager, but resigned in July 2007 to be replaced by David Hughes.

Dodd returned to Southampton as first team coach under manager George Burley in the summer of 2007, replacing Glynn Snodin. When Burley left in January 2008, Dodd became joint caretaker manager of Southampton, alongside John Gorman. However, on 23 June, Dodd was released by the club.

On 14 October 2009 he became the caretaker manager of Aldershot Town along with his former Southampton teammate Paul Williams after the previous manager, Gary Waddock, moved to Wycombe Wanderers.

On 4 November 2009, Dodd rejoined Southampton as director/chief coach of the club's youth academy to oversee the development of the next generation to come through St Mary's, but was dismissed from the role on 20 May 2014, along with his assistant Paul Williams. Dodd helped bring through a number of players into the first team squad including Luke Shaw, Calum Chambers and James Ward-Prowse.

In late 2014 Jason Dodd was back in football when he joined Gosport Borough as assistant coach. Dodd left after just over a year at the club.

Dodd is currently a member of the Physical Education department at independent school Winchester College.

Honours
Southampton
 * 2003 FA Cup runners-up medal (Awarded by club for contributions en route to final)

title: Jason Dodd


text: User talk:84.191.171.44

title: User talk:84.191.171.44


text: Category:Law enforcement in Gibraltar

title: Category:Law enforcement in Gibraltar


text:
Lydia Venieri

Lydia Venieri (born 1964) is a Greek artist.

Background
Venieri was born in Athens, Greece. She studied at the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts. She has lived in Paris and is currently living in New York. Her web site dates from 1995, and showed some of the first Internet-based art.

As artist
Venieri is well known for her evocative sculpture installations which bridge mythology with current events, and for her ability to combine humor with self-reflection on human conditions in our times, through her characters that are taken from mythology, history, fairy tales and daily life. In her stories dreams reinforce reality and reality reinforce dreams.

The provocative visualizations of the universe of Venieri's work offer a Potnian statement about the world in flux in which we live.

She has had many exhibitions around the world.

She has been noted as;

"'Lydia Venieri erects entire mythologies and symbolic systems from the already phantasmagoric world of news media. Her stories are played out using dolls and childlike imagery to counter media dementia, in painting, drawing, photography, video and the internet. Theogony explicates Venieri's universe surveying two decades of work; work of one of the most celebrated and visionary Greek artists of our time.'"

She currently shows with Stux Gallery in New York, Gallery Quang in Paris, Galleri S.E in Norway, Tokyo Terra in Japan and Gallery Isabel Aninat in Chile.

Projects

 * Byronic Heros, 2017
 * Tarot of Love, 2017
 * The Dolphin Conspiracy, 2011
 * TOMORROW ~ PHOSPHOR STARS IN WHITE NIGHTS, 2009
 * See No Evil, 2008
 * WarGames, 2006
 * For Ever After, 2004
 * Hibernation - Sleeping Beauty Conscience, 2002

iPhone art

 * Moonlight, 2009

Animations and movies

 * The Dolphin Conspiracy, 2009
 * Tomorrow, 2006
 * Epilisy, 2005
 * Last Conflict, 2005
 * For Ever After, 2004
 * Sleeping Beauty Conscience, 2002
 * Martha, 1996
 * Egg, 1995

Books

 * Moonlight, Lydia Venieri, 2006
 * Beyond Being, Lydia Venieri, 2000
 * 60 Drawings for Healthy Perversions by Tzimy Panousi, 1995

Internet art

 * Fin
 * Her Story
 * Apology
 * Temple
 * Tarot
 * Isis

Theatre

 * Set design for Sarah & Lorraine by Marc Israel-Le Pelletier, Sanford Meisner Theatre, New York.
 * Set design for Sarah & Lorraine by Marc Israel-Le Pelletier, Storefront Theatre, Chicago.
 * Set design for Hellenic Orchestra's tour of USSR, Soviet Union
 * Set design & costumes for The Lady from Ancona, Anatolia of my Soul: 75 years since the Asian Minor Catastrophy, Theatre of Northern * * Greece, Drama & Lykabetus Theatre Atheans, 1997
 * Set design for "Inventaires" de Philippe Minyana, directed by Elia Kountis, l'Institute Francais d'Athenes.
 * Set design for Daphnis & Cloe, Octana Theatrical Group, Apothiki, Athens
 * The lady form Ancona, Anatolia of my Soul: 75 years since the Asian Minor Catastrophy, Lykabetus Theatre, Athenia
 * The Five Seasons, Dance theater Octana 1995

Awards and commissions

 * Medal for Sculpture, Académie française de Paris, 2004
 * Tower of Symbols, Open Air Sculpture, Central Athens, 2004
 * Wall of Symbols, Sculpture, Atelier Mallet Stevens, Paris
 * Lydia on Broadway, CD-ROM sponsored by Art Magazine and Hewlett Packard
 * "Infinity", Collaboration with artist Takis on the sculpture.
 * Commande en plein air d'une serie de sculpture Eros et Psyche, Fondation Alexandre Iolas, Athenes
 * Commande d'une serie de sculptures pour l'Incitation à la Creation, Abbaye de Montmajour, Arles
 * Carte Blanche, a l'occation de l'anniversaire de 10 ans du Centre Georges Pompidou, Galeries Contemporaines, Paris
 * Commande en plein air d'une serie de sculputre Eros et Psyche, Fondation Alexandre Iolas, Athenes
 * Commande d'une serie de sculptures pour l'Incitation à la Creation, Abbaye de Montmajour, Arles
 * Carte Blanche, a l'occation de l'anniversaire de 10 ans du Centre Georges Pompidou, Galeries Contemporaines, Paris

title: Lydia Venieri


text: User talk:70.244.96.4

title: User talk:70.244.96.4


text:
Simon Furman

Simon Christopher Francis Furman (born 22 March 1961 ) is a British comic book writer who is best known for his work on Hasbro's Transformers franchise, starting with writing Marvel's initial comic book to promote the toyline worldwide, as well as foundations for both Dreamwave Production's and IDW Publishing's takes on the Generation 1 minifranchise.

Career
Furman was born in Carshalton, Surrey, and had no tertiary education.

Furman is best known for his work on the Transformers comic by Marvel Comics. Furman took over as the writer of the Marvel US Transformers comic after its earlier writer Bob Budiansky decided he had had enough of the comic. Marvel UK, Furman's employer at the time, invited Budiansky over to the UK, and Furman was chosen as Budiansky's successor over a lunch at Covent Garden in London.

Furman started his run in the US comic cautiously at first, but later invented an origin story for the Transformers that involved an ancient struggle between the colossal godlike creator, Primus, and his counterpart, the colossal godlike destroyer, Unicron. The latter was borrowed from the Transformers movie, where he appeared with no given backstory (a conflicting origin for Unicron later came in the third season of the original Transformers cartoon series). According to Furman's origin story, The Transformers were a creation of Primus as a warrior race who were to be the last line of defence against Unicron. This origin differs from the third season of the cartoon series, where the Transformers were originally created to be robot servants of the alien Quintessons, who often sold them to other races.

Aside from the creation myth, mythological underpinnings can be found in several of his stories such as the Matrix Quest storyline, where the Autobots and Decepticons search for the Creation Matrix, a powerful object constructed by Primus.

Furman's Transformers: Generation 2 plot-line in 1993 introduced the characters Jhiaxus and Liege Maximo, one of the first Transformers. Liege Maximo had killed the first Prime to steal the Matrix and claimed that the Decepticons descended from him. Since Transformers Generation 2 was cancelled after 12 issues, the Liege Maximo storyline was concluded in the convention exclusive novella Alignment.

Over ten years later, Furman was brought in by the now-defunct independent comics publisher Dreamwave to write some of its Transformers comics, including "The War Within", a six issue prequel set on Cybertron before the Autobots and Decepticons took their battle to Earth. It spawned two sequels – "TWW: The Dark Ages" and "TWW: The Age Of Wrath" (uncompleted). His work on the Armada and Energon titles were also received better than the anime series from which they were based on. Furman was to have continued on with Dreamwave, but its contentious closure resulted in the premature end of the Energon and The War Within titles.

Furman has released a novella/comic serial, The Omega Point, which was available only at conventions.

Furman collaborates with regular Marvel UK Transformers artist, Andrew Wildman, as WildFur Productions. Their most recent collaboration was on the Macromedia Flash online, interactive comic The Engine: Industrial Strength, which they produced with UK New Media expert Adam Jennings.

Away from Transformers, Furman wrote a Doctor Who audio adventure for Big Finish. The Axis of Insanity features the Fifth Doctor, and was published in 2004. He also contributed a number of stories starring Judge Dredd to the DC title Judge Dredd: Lawman of the Future, as well as one-off stories to Dredd's home title 2000 AD.

Furman wrote a new continuity of "Generation 1" Transformers comic books for IDW Publishing. Furman likes to tell his stories realistically with maps helping out his locations. Furman often focuses his stories on responsibility. He also wrote a Maximum Dinobots mini-series in 2008.

Furman is also widely known as the co-creator and chief writer of Death's Head. Originally created as a "throwaway character" for use in the UK Transformers series, the character instead received his own series of stories in various comics, becoming a staple of Marvel UK comics in the 1980s and early 1990s. Furman also wrote Dragon's Claws for Marvel UK, and this title crossed over with Death's Head.

Furman's other work at Marvel Comics includes a 2-year run on original Alpha Flight comic book series (where he served as the final writer on the series), a concurrent Northstar mini-series featuring the Alpha Flight team member, a run on Marvel's RoboCop ongoing series in 1991, and the 2006 Annihilation: Ronan mini-series which tied into the Annihilation crossover. In 2006, he returned to writing Death's Head, after a Marvel.com poll contest helped revive the character (now branded Death's Head 3.0) and was thus given a 5-issue storyarc in the Amazing Fantasy anthology series.

In June 2007, he began writing Terminator 2: Infinity, based on Dynamite Entertainment's Terminator 2: Judgment Day license; he produced a sequel, Terminator: Revolution. In the United Kingdom, he did original strips for the first two volumes of Titan Magazines' Transformers Comic UK title, as well as contributing to the strips for Titan's Torchwood magazine.

On 9 April 2011 Furman was one of 62 comics creators who appeared at the IGN stage at the Kapow! convention in London to set two Guinness World Records, the Fastest Production of a Comic Book, and Most Contributors to a Comic Book. With Guinness officials on hand to monitor their progress, writer Mark Millar began work at 9am scripting a 20-page black and white Superior comic book, with Furman and the other artists appearing on stage throughout the day to work on the pencils, inks, and lettering, including Dave Gibbons, Frank Quitely, John Romita Jr., Jock, Doug Braithwaite, Ian Churchill, Olivier Coipel, Duncan Fegredo, David Lafuente, John McCrea, Sean Phillips and Liam Sharp, who all drew a panel each, with regular Superior artist Leinil Yu creating the book's front cover. The book was completed in 11 hours, 19 minutes, and 38 seconds, and was published through Icon on 23 November 2011, with all royalties being donated to Yorkhill Children's Foundation.

In 2019 Furman and Geoff Senior started their own company, Forged By Fire Productions, for the purpose of publishing their own comic, To the Death.

In 2020, his comic Brute Force became the subject of an episode of Marvel 616 on Disney+. Actor and comedian Paul Scheer sets out to have it adapted into an television series for the streaming service, resulting in a 2 minute pilot animated by 6 Point Harness. Furman himself is briefly interviewed by Scheer to explain his reason for working on the comic in the first place.

Comics
Comics work includes:
 * Scream! No. 3 (1984)
 * The Transformers (UK) #13–21, 29–32, 45–50, 59–65, 74–88, 96–104, 113–120, 125, 130–138, 146–153, 160–161, 164–173, 182–189, 198–205, 213–332
 * Doctor Who Magazine #111–113, 117, 130–135, 140
 * ThunderCats (UK) No. 10, 30–35
 * Action Force (UK) No. 1, 2, 8, 14–17, 24–27, 47–50
 * Action Force Monthly #2–6, 8–10, 14
 * Action Man: A.T.O.M. (2006)
 * Dragon's Claws #1–10
 * Death's Head #1–7, 9, 10,
 * Death Metal #1–4
 * The Transformers (USA) #56–80
 * Brute Force #1–4
 * RoboCop #12–23
 * Sensational She-Hulk #24–27, 47
 * Alpha Flight #110–112,114–130
 * What If...? Vol.3 #51,53,54,59,64–66,72,74,76
 * Transformers: Generation 2 (UK) #1–12
 * Northstar #1–4
 * Transformers: The War Within vol.1 #1–6,vol.2 #1–6,vol.3 #1–3
 * Transformers: Armada #6–18
 * Transformers: Energon #19–30
 * DOLL (English translation)
 * Necrowar #1–3
 * Transformers Summer Special Energon story
 * The Transformers: Infiltration #0–6
 * The Transformers: Stormbringer #1–4
 * Beast Wars: The Gathering #1–4
 * The Transformers: Spotlight vol.1 #1–5, vol.2 #1,3,4, vol.3 #1,2,4,5
 * Amazing Fantasy # 16–20
 * Toxic Crusaders Vol. 1
 * Jetix Magazine (Writer for the Power Rangers SPD comic strip)
 * The Transformers: Escalation #1–6
 * Transformers: Movie Prequel #1–4 (with Chris Ryall)
 * Terminator 2: Infinity #1–5
 * Transformers Comic UK #1-current
 * The Transformers: Devastation #1–6
 * Beast Wars: The Ascending #1–4
 * Beast Wars: Sourcebook #1–4 (with Ben Yee)
 * Annihilation: Ronan (4-issue mini-series, Marvel Comics, 2005)
 * The Transformers: Revelation #1–4
 * The Vigilant (2018-2020)
 * To the Death #1–10 (2019)
 * Monster Fun Halloween Spooktacular (2021): Furman scripted the first new The Leopard from Lime Street story since 1987 (the story is called "Totem" and was illustrated by Laurent Lefeuvre )

Television

 * Beast Wars: Transformers (1999)
 * Roswell Conspiracies: Aliens, Myths and Legends (1999)
 * X-Men: Evolution (2000–2001)
 * Alien Racers (2005)
 * A.T.O.M. (2006)
 * Legend of the Dragon (2006)
 * Matt Hatter Chronicles (2011–2015)

title: Simon Furman


text:
Royal Crescent Mob

Royal Crescent Mob was an American four-piece punk funk/funk rock band from Columbus, Ohio, United States, formed in 1985. Also known to their fans as the R.C. Mob, the band members included Brian "B" Emch (guitar), David Ellison (vocals, harmonica), Harold "Happy" Chichester (bass, vocals) and after an early revolving door of drummers, Carlton Smith (drums).

After garnering considerable college radio airplay in the 1980s, the band was signed to Sire Records, a Warner Bros. Records subsidiary. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the band gained national exposure opening for national touring artists the Replacements, the B-52's, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers among others. Despite regularly performing to packed houses, the band's two releases on Sire failed to perform in sales and on the charts, causing Sire to drop them from the label. After self-releasing a live album, followed by the more experimental full-length studio album Good Lucky Killer, the group disbanded.

Post-breakup, Smith recorded several tracks with 24-7 Spyz for their 1996 Heavy Metal Soul By The Pound album. Chichester went on to form Howlin' Maggie, worked with the Afghan Whigs, was a founding member of The Twilight Singers pursued a solo career. Ellison went on to tour managing such artists as Alanis Morissette, Indigo Girls, Goo Goo Dolls, Avril Lavigne, and Panic! at the Disco. Smith died on September 23, 2023.

Albums

 * Land of Sugar EP (No Other) 1986
 * Omerta (Moving Target/Celluloid) 1987
 * Something New, Old and Borrowed (Moving Target/Celluloid) 1988
 * Spin the World (Sire) 1989
 * Midnight Rose's (Sire/Warner Bros.) 1991
 * 13 Destruction (Mobco) 1992
 * Good Lucky Killer (Enemy) 1994

title: Royal Crescent Mob


text: User talk:218.103.183.148

title: User talk:218.103.183.148


text:
Malorie Blackman

Malorie Blackman (born 8 February 1962) is a British writer who held the position of Children's Laureate from 2013 to 2015. She primarily writes literature and television drama for children and young adults. She has used science fiction to explore social and ethical issues, for example, her Noughts and Crosses series uses the setting of a fictional alternative Britain to explore racism. Blackman has been the recipient of many honours for her work, including the 2022 PEN Pinter Prize.

Early life and education
Malorie Blackman was born on 8 February 1962 in Merton, London, and grew up in Lewisham, one of five siblings. Her parents were both from Barbados and had come to Britain as part of the "Windrush generation"; her father Joe was a bus driver and her mother Ruby worked in a pyjama factory. Blackman's father walked out on the family while she was younger, leaving her mother to single-handedly raise her and her siblings. At school, Malorie wanted to be an English teacher, but she grew up to become a systems programmer instead.

She earned an HNC at Thames Polytechnic and is a graduate of the National Film and Television School.

Malorie Blackman OBE has a long connection with City Lit as a former student attending diverse courses since the late 1980s.

In 2019, City Lit announced the Malorie Blackman OBE 'Unheard Voices' Creative Writing Scholarships. City Lit provide three annual awards worth up to £1000 each to fund study within the City Lit Creative Writing department.

Career
Blackman's first book was Not So Stupid!, a collection of horror and science fiction stories for young adults, published in November 1990. Since then, she has written more than 60 children's books, including novels and short-story collections, and also television scripts and a stage play.

She became the first person of colour writer to work on Doctor Who in 2018 (something almost accomplished by Robin Mukherjee 29 years earlier, during the run of the original series with the unmade Alixion).

Blackman's award-winning Noughts & Crosses series (beginning in 2001), exploring love, racism, and violence, is set in a fictional alternative Britain. Explaining her choice of title, in a 2007 interview for the BBC's Blast website, Blackman said that noughts and crosses is "one of those games that nobody ever plays after childhood, because nobody ever wins". In an interview for The Times, Blackman said that before writing Noughts & Crosses, her protagonists' ethnicities had never been central to the plots of her books. She has also said: "I wanted to show black children just getting on with their lives, having adventures, and solving their dilemmas, like the characters in all the books I read as a child."

Blackman eventually decided to address racism directly. She reused some details from her own experience, including an occasion when she needed a plaster and found they were designed to be inconspicuous only on white people's skin. The Times interviewer Amanda Craig speculated about the delay for the Noughts & Crosses series to be published in the United States: "though there was considerable interest, 9/11 killed off the possibility of publishing any book describing what might drive someone to become a terrorist". Noughts and Crosses later became available in the US, published under the title Black & White (Simon & Schuster Publishers, 2005).

Noughts & Crosses was No. 61 on the Big Read list, a 2003 BBC survey to find "The Nation's Best-Loved Book".

Recognition and awards
She was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2008 Birthday Honours.

Her work has won more than 15 awards. Blackman's television scripts include episodes of the long-running children's drama Byker Grove as well as television adaptations of her novels Whizziwig and Pig-Heart Boy. Her books have been translated into more than 15 languages, including Spanish, Welsh, German, Japanese, Chinese and French.

In June 2013, Blackman was announced as the new Children's Laureate, succeeding Julia Donaldson. Blackman helped set up the first UK Young Adult Literature Convention (YALC) during her time as Children's Laureate.

In 2022, Blackman was chosen as winner of the PEN Pinter Prize, becoming the first author of children's and Young Adult books to receive the accolade. In her acceptance address at the British Library in October 2022, she named Dr Abduljalil Al-Singace as the International Writer of Courage with whom she would share the prize.

In November 2023, the exhibition Malorie Blackman: The Power of Stories opened at the British Library (on show until 25 February 2024), celebrating and contextualizing her career. As described by Wallpaper magazine, it "shines a light on Blackman's journey as an author, while touching upon social issues represented in her novels.... The landmark exhibition ... is an open invitation to learn about the importance of media representation, and Black activism throughout the 1960s to 1980s."

Personal life
Malorie Blackman lives with her husband Neil and daughter Elizabeth in Kent, England. In her free time, she likes to play her piano, compose, play computer games and write poetry. She is the subject of a biography for children by Verna Wilkins.

In March 2014, Blackman joined other prominent authors in supporting the Let Books Be Books campaign, which seeks to stop children's books being labelled as "for girls" or "for boys".

In August 2014, Malorie Blackman was one of 200 public figures who were signatories to a letter to The Guardian opposing Scottish independence in the run-up to September's referendum on that issue.

Blackman is a contributor to the 2019 anthology New Daughters of Africa (edited by Margaret Busby) with a letter written to her daughter.

In 2019, Stormzy namechecked Blackman in his "Superheroes" song, and in 2022 she appeared in the "Mel Made Me Do It" promo video.

Blackman's memoir Just Sayin': My Life In Words, published in 2022, was summed up by Patrice Lawrence as "a book about survival and success".

Novels for young adults and children
"Chasing the stars" ISBN 0-385-61042-4
 * Not So Stupid!: Incredible Short Stories, The Women's Press, 1990, ISBN 0-7043-4924-8
 * Trust Me, Livewire, 1992, ISBN 0-7043-4931-0. Corgi Children's, 2013, ISBN 0-552-56847-3
 * Words Last Forever, Mammoth, 1998, ISBN 0-7497-2983-X
 * The Noughts & Crosses series, in reading order:
 * Noughts & Crosses, Doubleday, 2001, ISBN 0-385-60008-9
 * Callum (novella), RHCP Digital 2012,
 * An Eye for an Eye, (novella), Corgi Children's, 2003, ISBN 0-552-54925-8
 * Knife Edge, Doubleday, 2004, ISBN 0-385-60527-7
 * Checkmate, Doubleday, 2005, ISBN 0-385-60773-3
 * Double Cross, Doubleday, 6 November 2008
 * Nought Forever (novella), Penguin, 2019
 * Crossfire, Penguin, 8 August 2019
 * Endgame, Penguin, 16 September 2021
 * The Stuff of Nightmares, Doubleday, 2007, ISBN 0-385-61043-2
 * Boys Don't Cry, Doubleday Children's, 2010. Corgi Children's, 2011, ISBN 0-552-54862-6
 * Unheard Voices: An Anthology of Stories and Poems to Commemorate the Bicentenary Anniversary of the Abolition of the Slave Trade, ed. Malorie Blackman, Corgi Children's, 2007, ISBN 0-552-55600-9
 * Noble Conflict, Doubleday Children's, 2013, ISBN 0-385-61042-4

Short stories for young adults

 * "Humming Through My Fingers" in the multi-author collection Shining On: A Collection of Stories in Aid of the Teen Cancer Trust, Picadilly Press, 2006, ISBN 1-85340-893-X
 * Short story in the multi-author collection The Crew and Other Teen Fiction, Heinemann Library, ISBN 0-431-01875-8

Novels for children

 * Hacker, Doubleday, 1992, ISBN 0-385-40278-3
 * Operation Gadgetman!, Doubleday, 1993, ISBN 0-385-40337-2
 * Jack Sweettooth the 73rd, Viking Children's Books, 1995, ISBN 0-670-85539-1
 * The Space Stowaway, Ginn, 1995, ISBN 0-602-26393-X
 * Whizziwig (illustrated by Stephen Lee), Viking Children's Books, 1995, ISBN 0-670-85705-X
 * Thief!, Doubleday, 1995, ISBN 0-552-52808-0
 * A.N.T.I.D.O.T.E, Doubleday, 1996, ISBN 0-552-52839-0
 * Pig-Heart Boy, Doubleday, 1997, ISBN 0-385-40681-9
 * Animal Avengers (illustrated by Bill Greenhead and Stik), Mammoth, 1999, ISBN 0-7497-3557-0
 * Dangerous Reality, Doubleday, 1999, ISBN 0-385-40680-0
 * Don't Be Afraid (illustrated by Bob Harvey), Ginn, 1999, ISBN 0-602-27549-0
 * Forbidden Game, Puffin Books, 1999, ISBN 0-14-130321-2
 * Hostage (illustrated by Derek Brazell), Barrington Stoke, 1999, ISBN 1-902260-12-0
 * Tell Me No Lies, Macmillan Children's Books, 1999, ISBN 0-333-72645-6
 * Whizziwig Returns (illustrated by Stephen Lee), Puffin, 1999, ISBN 0-14-130458-8
 * Dead Gorgeous, Doubleday, 2002, ISBN 0-385-60009-7
 * Cloud Busting, Doubleday, 2004, ISBN 0-385-60796-2
 * The Deadly Dare Mysteries (contents: Deadly Dare, 1995, Computer Ghost, 1997, Lie Detectives, 1998; illustrated by Neil Chapman), Corgi Children's, 2005, ISBN 0-552-55353-0
 * Whizziwig and Whizziwig Returns (illustrated by Stephen Lee), Corgi Children's, 2005, ISBN 0-440-86657-X
 * Doctor Who: The Ripple Effect, Puffin, 2013

Short stories for children

 * "Contact" in the multi-author collection Out of This World: Stories of Virtual Reality (chosen by Wendy Cooling), Dolphin, 1997, ISBN 1-85881-602-5
 * Aesop's Fables (retold by Malorie Blackman, illustrated by Patrice Aggs), Scholastic, 1998, ISBN 0-590-54382-2
 * "Dare to be Different" (illustrated by Jane Ray) in the multi-author collection Dare to be Different, Bloomsbury Publishing, 1999, ISBN 0-7475-4021-7
 * "Peacemaker" in the multi-author collection Peacemaker and Other Stories (illustrated by Peter Richardson and David Hine), Heinemann Educational, 1999, ISBN 0-435-11600-2

Books for new readers

 * The Betsey Biggalow stories:
 * Betsey Biggalow the Detective (illustrated by Lis Toft), Piccadilly Press, 1992, ISBN 1-85340-163-3
 * Betsey Biggalow is Here! (illustrated by Lis Toft), Piccadilly Press, 1992, ISBN 1-85340-172-2
 * Hurricane Betsey (illustrated by Lis Toft), Piccadilly Press, 1993, ISBN 1-85340-199-4
 * Magic Betsey (illustrated by Lis Toft), Piccadilly Press, 1994, ISBN 1-85340-237-0
 * Betsey's Birthday Surprise (illustrated by Lis Toft), Piccadilly Press, 1996, ISBN 0-590-55864-1
 * The Girl Wonder series:
 * Girl Wonder and the Terrific Twins (illustrated by Pat Ludlow), Orion Children's Books, 1991, ISBN 0-575-05048-9
 * Girl Wonder's Winter Adventures (illustrated by Lis Toft), Orion Children's Books, 1992, ISBN 0-575-05383-6
 * Girl Wonder to the Rescue (illustrated by Lis Toft), Gollancz, 1994, ISBN 0-575-05774-2
 * The Amazing Adventures of Girl Wonder (illustrated by Lis Toft), Barn Owl Books, 2003, ISBN 1-903015-27-8
 * The Puzzle Planet adventures:
 * Peril on Planet Pellia (illustrated by Patrice Aggs), Orchard Books, 1996, ISBN 1-85213-935-8
 * The Mellion Moon Mystery (illustrated by Patrice Aggs), Orchard Books, 1996, ISBN 1-85213-936-6
 * The Secret of the Terrible Hand (illustrated by Patrice Aggs), Orchard Books, 1996, ISBN 1-86039-370-5
 * Quasar Quartz Quest (illustrated by Patrice Aggs) Orchard Books, 1996, ISBN 1-85213-938-2
 * The Longman Book Project (with translations to Welsh):
 * Rachel versus Bonecrusher the Mighty, Longman, 1994, ISBN 0-582-12151-5
 * Rachel and the Difference Thief (illustrated by Kim Harley), Longman, 1994, ISBN 0-582-12152-3
 * Crazy Crocs (with Alexander McCall Smith and Sally-Ann Lever), Longman, 1994, ISBN 0-582-12208-2
 * Elaine You're a Brat! (illustrated by Doffy Weir), Orchard Books, 1991, ISBN 1-85213-365-1
 * My Friend's a Gris-Quok (illustrated by Philip Hopman), Scholastic, 1994, ISBN 0-590-55864-1
 * Grandma Gertie's Haunted Handbag (illustrated by David Price), Heinemann, 1996, ISBN 0-434-97225-8
 * Space Race (illustrated by Colin Mier), Corgi Children's, 1997, ISBN 0-552-54542-2
 * Fangs (illustrated by Tony Blundell), Orchard Books, 1998, ISBN 1-86039-734-4
 * Snow Dog (illustrated by Sabrina Good), Corgi Children's, 2001, ISBN 0-552-54703-4
 * The Monster Crisp-Guzzler (illustrated by Sami Sweeten), Corgi Children's, 2002, ISBN 0-552-54783-2
 * Sinclair, Wonder Bear (illustrated by Deborah Allwright), Egmont Books, 2003, ISBN 1-4052-0589-X

Picture books

 * That New Dress (illustrated by Rhian Nest James), Hodder Wayland, 1991, ISBN 0-7500-0442-8
 * Mrs Spoon's Family (illustrated by Jan McCafferty), Andersen Press, 1995, ISBN 0-86264-582-4
 * Dizzy's Walk (illustrated by Pamela Venus), Tamarind Books, 1999, ISBN 1-870516-41-9
 * Marty Monster (illustrated by Kim Harley), Tamarind Books, 1999, ISBN 1-870516-42-7
 * I Want a Cuddle! (illustrated by Joanne Partis), Orchard Books, 2001, ISBN 1-84121-823-5
 * Jessica Strange (with Alison Bartlett), Hodder Children's Books, 2002, ISBN 0-340-77963-2
 * Contributed to A Christmas Tree of Stories, Scholastic Press, 1999, ISBN 0-439-01192-2

Memoir

 * Just Sayin': My Life In Words, Cornerstone (Merky Books), 2023, ISBN 978-1529118698

Stage plays

 * The Amazing Rob The Mechanic
 * Noughts and Crosses

Radio scripts

 * Noughts and Crosses

Body of work

 * 1997, Excelle/Write Thing Children's Author of the Year Award.
 * 2005, Children's Book Circle's Eleanor Farjeon Award.
 * 2013, The Kitschies Black Tentacle for "outstanding achievement in encouraging and elevating the conversation around genre literature"
 * 2022, PEN Pinter Prize.

For Hacker (1995)

 * 1994, W.H. Smith Mind Boggling Book of the Year Award.
 * 1994, Young Telegraph/Gimme 5 Children's Book of the Year Award.
 * 1995, Birmingham/TSB Children's Book Award (shortlist).

For A.N.T.I.D.O.T.E (1997)

 * 1997, Stockport Children's Book of the Year Award (Key Stage 3 category).
 * 1997, Stockton-on-Tees Children's Book Award (shortlisted).
 * 1998, Sheffield Children's Book Award (highly commended).
 * 2001, Stockport Schools Book Award (shortlisted).

For Pig-Heart Boy (1997)

 * 1998, Carnegie Medal (shortlist).
 * 1998, UKRA Award.
 * 1999, Lancashire Children's Book of the Year (shortlist).
 * 1999, Wirral Paperback of the Year Award.

For Tell Me No Lies (1999)

 * 1999, Stockport Children's Book Award (shortlisted) (Key Stage 4 category).

For Dead Gorgeous (2002)

 * 2003, Calderdale Book of the Year (shortlist).
 * 2003, Salford Children's Book Award (shortlist).

For books in the Noughts & Crosses series

 * 2002, Lancashire Children's Book of the Year.
 * 2002, Red House Children's Book Award.
 * 2002, Sheffield Children's Book Award.
 * 2003, Wirral Paperback of the Year Award.
 * 2004, Fantastic Fiction Award.
 * 2005, Berkshire Book Award (shortlist).
 * 2005, Lancashire Children's Book of the Year (shortlist).
 * 2005, Redbridge Teenage Book Award (shortlist).
 * 2006, Lancashire Children's Book of the Year (shortlist).
 * 2006, Staffordshire Young People's Book of the Year.

For Cloud Busting (2004)

 * 2004, Nestlé Smarties Book Prize (Silver Award) (6–8 years category).
 * 2005, Redbridge Children's Book Award (shortlist).
 * 2005, Stockport Schools Book Award (shortlisted).
 * 2006, Nottingham Children's Book Award (shortlist) (10–11 years category).
 * 2006, West Sussex Children's Book Award (shortlist).

For Crossfire (2019)

 * 2019, Costa Children's Book Award (Shortlist).

For Pig-Heart Boy

 * 2000, BAFTA Best Drama.
 * 2000, Race and Media Best Drama Award.
 * 2000, Royal Television Society Award (Children's Drama category).
 * 2001, Chicago TV Festival (shortlist).
 * 2001, Prix Danube Children's Jury Prize.

For the Doctor Who episode "Rosa"

 * 2019, Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation (Short Form), nominated

title: Malorie Blackman