Pirlo: The Level of the Italian Championship Has Fallen Sharply © EuroFootball.com

Andrea Pirlo claims that the level of the Italian Serie A championship has dropped significantly in recent years.

Although teams like Milan and Inter Milan often compete fairly well in the Champions League, according to Pirlo, the overall level of the championship is not as high as it could be.

"There are better and more competitive leagues than Italy," the 32-year-old footballer told "Gazzetta dello Sport". "The level has dropped significantly, so we will have to work hard to reach it again."

This summer, the attacking organizer who moved from Milan to Juventus also stated about his new career stage: "The main goal is to win something and qualify for the Champions League. We want to reduce the gap with Milan and Inter."