Andrea Pirlo has revealed his reasons for deciding to continue to play for Italy, despite indicating after their World Cup exit that he was ready to quit the international stage.
The Juventus midfielder, 35, told Gazzetta dello Sport in qoutes reported by AFP he had informed new national coach Antonio Conte that he was ready to carry on after careful consideration.
"I have been talking with Conte, who asked me if I was ready to play again for the Azzurri, and I told him that I was," he said.
"It was a difficult decision to take. I had wanted to stop playing for the national side, but he took over and he asked me to lend a hand.
"I am happy to do that, and we are hopeful that we can achieve great things together."
Former Juve coach Conte, who worked with Pirlo for the last three seasons, winning Serie A titles in each one, is without him for the Euro 2016 qualifier against Norway in Oslo after he was ruled out for a month with a hip injury.
Last week, Conte said Pirlo would be back for the national side, telling RaiSport: "I wanted to find out if the fire was still burning inside him, and he's a battler. He has given me his availability, and that is all I need.
The coach also praised the support he had received from Serie A clubs since being appointed by the Azzurri last month.
"When you're rivals, you can never be friends," he said. "But now I have received fantastic support from them. They see me in a different role now, and our relationship can be friendly. I'm ready to collaborate with them now."