The Quintessential Footballer - Andrea Pirlo

Andrea Pirlo

The most watched and followed game in the world has created a galaxy of icons and play-makers who have made a living of their own by hogging the limelight. The most familiar names that crop up in our mind include Pele, Diego Maradona, Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to name a few. We glorify or pontificate their past or present exploits on the football pitch. But the majority of the bull work comes from players who do not have the goals in their kitty to show-off. They get sidelined or do not receive the kind of admiration that they ought to receive.

One such player of our generation is Andrea Pirlo.

Nicknamed the ‘Architect’ and the ‘metronome’ because of his orchestrating efforts in the midfield, Pirlo was born on May 19, 1979 in Flero, Italy, sharing his date of birth with another footballer of equal merit – Diego Forlan from Uruguay. Being born in a metal trading household did not deter him from being able to dream big in playing for his country. He took to the playing eleven when he was just sixteen as an attacking midfielder for Brescia who were languishing in Serie B.

During his time at the club, he played a huge part in winning the promotion for the club as champions. Bigger offers beckoned in the form of Inter Milan’s coach Mircea Lucescu. Pirlo was never comfortable during his time with the Nerazzurri and was forced to spend most of his time on the bench. Oppurtunity knocked on the doors in 2001 for the Italian when he was swapped for an €18 million deal with AC Milan who wanted to mount a serious challenge to the Scudetto.

It was in the Rosonerri shirt that Pirlo evolved into one of the best playmakers of his time. Under manager Carlo Ancelloti, Pirlo continued to shine alongside players of high repute like Rivaldo, Rui Costa and Kaka. He was also famed for his partnership with Gennaro Gattuso. During his time with AC Milan, he won two Scudettos and two Champions League titles and also added the Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana titles to his kitty.

He was nominated during this time for a FIFA world Player of the Year award. After the takeover of managerial post by Massimiliano Allegri, Pirlo switched loyalties and accepted a transfer offer from Juventus in 2011. He made an immediate impact with Juventus and helped them win the league title in the 2011-2012 season. He was also instrumental in notching up emphatic victories in the Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana finals in the subsequent years.

His exploits on the international stage are also no less staggering. In the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Italy was predicted to bow out of the world cup owing to the team sticking with players who were too old to get selected. But Pirlo along with captain Fabio Cannavaro and goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon repaid the faith instilled by the Coach Marcello Lippi to lift the World Cup in a controversial night at the Olympiastadion in Berlin. He created chances throughout the tournament, the most notable being setting up Italy’s extra-time win over Germany in the semi-finals and the equaliser for Marco Materazzi in the Finals along with scoring a goal himself in the penalty shootout. It was his crowning moment of glory on the world stage.

Following his brilliant season with Juventus, coach Cesare Prandelli selected him in the playing eleven for the Euro 2012 in Poland-Ukraine. Throughout the tournament he demonstrated great guile and skill and negated the absence of weak defenses in his team. He was instrumental in defying the odds and criticism and along with the short-tempered Balotelli helped Italy progress to the final only to be undone by a brilliant Spanish team in the final. Such was his persona and influence that the crux of the Spanish defense was trying to be in sync with his run-ins.

He is a wine connoisseur and dislikes talking about his wealth. In an age of media influence and celebrity status footballers like him are seldom seen. Andrea Pirlo well and truly is one of the greatest footballer of his generation and will continue to produce yeoman service to his nation.