Andrea Pirlo is one of the greatest Italian soccer players of all time. But not even Pirlo is immune from the humiliation vortex that has encircled Italian soccer over the last decade. On Friday, it was reported that Pirlo was on the brink of being named manager of the Italian national team, signaling a new era for a country that failed to qualify for three straight World Cups. After scoopster/shill Fabrizio Romano hit the news that Pirlo would join the national team as manager with a "here we go," here we did not go. Maldini had been given the job with the responsibility of finding the new national team manager.