Juventus have appointed their former World Cup-winning midfielder Andrea Pirlo as coach of the Under-23 side, the Serie A champions said. Pirlo, widely regarded as one of the greatest midfielders of his generation, spent a decade at AC Milan before making the switch to Juventus, where he won four league titles and an Italian Cup during a four-year spell. He left Juventus in 2015 and ended his playing career with Major League Soccer club New York City. 'Today marks the start of a new adventure for Andrea Pirlo and Juventus, who return to work together five years later. Andrea is ... the new coach of the Under-23 team,' Juventus said in a statement on Thursday. 'A new challenge awaits now, for a return that can only make Juventus fans happy. Welcome back, Coach Pirlo!' Pirlo won 116 caps for Italy and helped them to World Cup success in 2006.