Andrea Pirlo Froze 17-Year-Old Son’s Accounts Over €30,000 Gambling Debt

^{Pictured: Andrea Pirlo with his son Niccolò}

Back in 2022, Italian football icon Andrea Pirlo froze the bank accounts of his teenage son Niccolò after the boy racked up €30,000 in gambling debt, according to reporting from Goal.com.

As Niccolò was only 17 at the time, Pirlo was still his legal guardian and used that authority to block access to his son’s funds. Being a minor, Niccolò couldn’t open new accounts independently until turning 18.

The story has resurfaced amid the wider betting scandal currently shaking Italian football, which has revealed a list of current and former Serie A players, along with local referees, suspected of placing bets through unlicensed bookmakers.

It was Juventus midfielder Nicolò Fagioli who brought the Pirlo family rift to light. In leaked messages with referee Pietro Mariani, Fagioli referred to Niccolò Pirlo as “one of us.”

In the same exchange, Fagioli said Niccolò was “getting better” and that his father had frozen his accounts until he became an adult.

Both Fagioli and Mariani have been named in Italy’s ongoing illegal betting investigation. Fagioli has already served a suspension over his involvement.

Among other names linked to the scandal are high-profile players Ángel Di María, Leandro Paredes, Alessandro Florenzi, Nicolò Zaniolo, and Weston McKennie — all allegedly tied to bets placed through illegal gambling platforms.