Andrea Pirlo: "I needed a new challenge"

Italian midfielder Andrea Pirlo has said that he "needed a new challenge" following his move to New York City FC.

The 36-year-old completed his switch to the MLS outfit on Monday, after four years at Juventus.

"It would have been better to finish with a win," Pirlo told New York City's official website. "However, for me the cycle was still over. I needed a new challenge, and the City were the best choice.

"I had four fantastic years [at Juventus] where we started from scratch and built a winning team which achieved tremendous success. I hope to do that here in New York too."

Pirlo won the title in each of his four seasons at Juventus.