#2 Gennaro Gattuso (Italy and AC Milan)
For the national team, Gattuso’s presence in midfield gave midfield maestro Andrea Pirlo the freedom to play an attacking role. He represented Italy in a total of five major tournaments and played a key role in Italy’s triumph in the 2006 World Cup.
At AC Milan, he again partnered Andrea Pirlo and this partnership was pivotal in Milan’s domestic as well as European successes. He won the Coppa Italia and the Champions League in 2003 and the Serie A and the Supercoppa Italiana the following year.
Few years later, he won the Champions League in 2007 after losing against Liverpool in a historic final at Istanbul in 2006. Despite lacking the technical skills, Gattuso’s strength, aggression and work-rate helped him gain recognition as one of the world’s best defensive midfielders.
