After NYCFC added midfielder Andrea Pirlo as its Designated Player last month, New York City sandwich purveyor No. 7 Sub responded in turn by naming a sandwich for the soccer star.

Because I live somewhere near the intersection of sports and sandwiches, and because I happened to be near a No. 7 Sub location and hungry on Tuesday afternoon, I sampled a “Pirlo” from No. 7 Sub. For journalism.

For the Win is prepared to report that the Pirlo from No. 7 Sub is an excellent sandwich. Take a look at this thing:

(PHOTO: USA TODAY Sports)

That’s only half of it. The other half is in the background, still wrapped in its paper. This is no trifling sandwich, friends. Though it is expensive — like Pirlo himself — at $11.75-$13 depending on location, it is probably enough for two meals if you can somehow limit yourself to only eating a half in each sitting.

But you can’t, because it’s awesome.

The Pirlo features Genoa salami, fresh mozzarella, fried zucchini and pickled blueberries. It sounds wacky if you’ve never eaten at No. 7 Sub, but the folks at No. 7 Sub are mad sandwich geniuses. Practically everything they serve includes at least one ingredient that seems like it has no place on the sandwich, but then you bite into it and everything in the world makes sense. Apparently even their broccoli sub is incredible, though I’ve never been able to bring myself to try it because there are far meatier options available.

The salami is pleasantly salty and greasy and delicious. The fried zucchini adds crunch in the breading and flavor from the vegetable. Fresh mozzarella, which should really be included on every sandwich everywhere, adds a delicious creaminess that helps blend the whole sandwich together. And the eyebrow-raising inclusion of pickled blueberries — pickled blueberries!? — means little bursts of sweetness exploding from your huge, savory sandwich, balancing out all the saltiness elsewhere.

Everything comes in correct proportion, so no flavor overpowers the rest. Also, the bread they use is incredible. Don’t sleep on the bread, folks. The bread is so good.

Everything tastes remarkably fresh, which is obviously important. And sandwich tipster Daniel Pecoraro made a great point about the Pirlo’s connection to Pirlo:

I feel like Pirlo the sandwich is probably a lot like Pirlo the soccer player: artistic and profound under most conditions, but probably will fall to pieces if outside for 90 minutes.

That sounds about right, though I am unwilling to wait 90 minutes after ordering this sandwich before eating it to test Pecoraro’s theory.

This site would hereby like to formally appeal to No. 7 Sub and other great New York City sandwich shops to start naming more sandwiches after athletes so For the Win can eat them and call it work.