It’s no secret that football has become a massive business enterprise, which relies on the appeal of handsomely paid sports stars to drive revenue. And while Cristano Ronaldo’s abs and Neymar’s consistently changing hairdos are successful at attracting interest from fans, Italian playmaker Andrea Pirlo has something that no other player has: a sullen face that seems incapable of being pleased. And in a move that shows it’s possible to even capitalise on things conventionally considered undesirable, Pirlo’s Turin-based club Juventus has now launched a campaign that encourages viewers to send in videos that might be able to impress the player.
To launch the campaign, Juventus has uploaded a video featuring the player not responding to a series of acts performed especially for him. Shot in Sydney with the Opera House serving as the backdrop, the clip depicts Pirlo sitting emotionless as a juggler, dancers, an opera signer and an attractive pair of surfer girls all attempt to get him to respond.
At the time of writing this article, the video had already accumulated over 700,000 views, and #Pirloisnotimpressed was starting to make some decent headway on Twitter.
Since the release of his autobiography, Pirlo has garnered something of a cult following for his ability to say things exactly as he sees them. And with this has come online appreciation not only of his footballing skills but also of his nonchalance.
