Juventus’ veteran midfielder Andrea Pirlo says that his team might not be ready to win the UEFA Champions League, even though the Old Lady of Italian soccer already has one foot in the quarterfinal following its 3-0 first-leg win against Celtic in Glasgow.

“We’re not ready to win the Champions League, even if we are still in there and giving it a go,” the 33-year-old told La Repubblica. “There are sides in the competition who are a lot stronger than us.” The 2006 World Cup winner said that although the likes of Real Madrid and Manchester United “are not that far away,” they “are strong, stronger than us. They have champions all over the place, while we don’t. This is just the beginning for us.”

He added that retaining the Scudetto that Juve won last season is still the club’s top priority. “We started the season with the objective of winning again and, after spending last season together, there was the belief that we could do that.”

Pirlo also noted that he feels “proud” to still be playing at the top level, despite his age. “The years pass for everyone, but I feel up to the level of last season which was one of my best. It makes me proud that people man-mark me, seeing as that used to be treatment reserved for a No 10. It means that there is a certain amount of consideration for me.”