Top 10 Italy Midfielders: 1998 – 2012 – Number 1

Date: 12th August 2012 at 9:11am
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1 – Andrea Pirlo

The first position in this list writes itself. With enormous talent and stellar performances, Andrea Pirlo is not only the best midfielder of this period, but one of the greatest ever, perhaps second only to the legendary Giovanni Ferrari in the entire timespan of the Azzurri.

A regista (playmaker) of the purest breed, Pirlo was a comparatively late bloomer, getting his first game with the national team at the age of 23. At that point, no-one could have foretold that he would reach such heights.

Pirlo played every tournament from 2004 to 2012, with the exception of the 2010 World Cup, in which he was injured. He was crucial to Italy’s victory in 2006: among his achievements, he counts a goal in the first game against Ghana and two assists, respectively in the semi-finals against Germany and the final against France. He was voted Man of the Match in all three of those games, and in the latter he also converted Italy’s first penalty.

In 2008 he scored against France on a penalty, but he was suspended for the game against Spain, in which Italy crashed out. In 2012, at the age of 34, Pirlo played an outstanding tournament, inclusive of an assist, a goal, and a gorgeous chipped penalty against England. Once again, he earned the Man of the Match title three times, out of a total of six games. It is such a shame that he could not top it all off with the title.

Pirlo is a footballer blessed with a very special talent, of a type that only Italy’s best fantasisti can top. His skills are excellent all-round, and they are magnificent in passing and dead-ball situations. Most importantly, he brought these skills to the fore when they truly mattered, making the difference in games that no-one will forget. He has earned a spot as one of the greatest midfielders to have played in the first decade of this century, from any country.

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