A man in Italy is under investigation for pretending to be Andrea Pirlo to get free clothes, after the Juventus manager was billed for the items.
Pirlo might be one of the most recognisable men in football to most of us but some stores were fooled, due to the fact they never met the fake Juventus manager.
Advert
According to Italian outlet Stampa, 48-year-old Alessandro Palazzolo attempted to pass himself off as the legendary midfielder on the phone to bootique stores.
Palazzolo made friends with shop owners in Turin, Naples and Brescia on the phone whilst pretending to be the 41-year-old World Cup winner.
The report alleges that the 'scammer' first started two years ago when he attempted to get an expensive watch in Turin but he failed with his tactics.
However stores in Naples and Brescia 'sold' clothing to the 'fake Pirlo' with his girlfriend, acting as an assistant to the former Milan midfielder, going into the store to collect the clothes.
Advert
The investigation reportedly started after the Juve manager, the actual one, received payment reminders for articles of clothing he never bought.
Stampa also report behaviour from the alleged scammer as 'stalking,' which included pretending to be Pirlo's brother at parties.
The former Brescia midfielder was expected to be the Juventus under 21s manager this season, when he was appointed to the role in the summer.
Advert
Maurizio Sarri was then sacked by the Old Lady following their Champions League last 16 exit at the hands of Lyon and, before managing a single minute, Pirlo was promoted to first team boss.
It hasn't been the perfect start to the season, as the Italian champions chase down their 10th title in-a-row, and they're currently four places behind league leaders Milan in fourth, thanks to Cristiano Ronaldo's penalties vs Genoa at the weekend.
Aside from the fraudster it's been a decent couple of nights for Pirlo from a personal point of view, as he was named in two All Time XIs.
France Football, who usually organise the Ballon d'Or, named the midfielder in their second string All Time XI and the fans voted him into their first team.
Featured Image Credit: PATopics: Football News, Serie A, Juventus, Italy