Andrea Pirlo

Andrea Pirlo was born on 19 May 1979, in Flero, near Brescia, Italy. A midfielder renowned for passing, vision, and set-piece technique, he began his professional career with Brescia in 1995. He joined Internazionale in 1998, but his early Serie A years included loan spells at Reggina and Brescia, where Carlo Mazzone used him in a deeper role. In 2001, AC Milan signed Pirlo. Under Carlo Ancelotti, he became the regista, operating in front of the defense rather than as an attacking midfielder. Milan's midfield structure gave him passing options through teammates such as Gennaro Gattuso, Clarence Seedorf, and Kaká. Pirlo helped Milan win the UEFA Champions League in 2003, when they beat Juventus on penalties at Old Trafford, and again in 2007, when Milan defeated Liverpool 2–1 in Athens. He also won Serie A titles in 2003–04 and 2010–11, plus the Coppa Italia in 2003. For Italy, Pirlo earned 116 caps between 2002 and 2015. He was central to Italy's 2006 FIFA World Cup triumph in Germany. He started every match and was named man of the match against Ghana. In the semifinal against Germany, his extra-time pass set up Fabio Grosso's opening goal. Italy then beat France on penalties in the final. Pirlo was selected for the tournament's All-Star Team. At Euro 2012, he scored a chipped penalty in Italy's shootout victory over England and helped the team reach the final, where Spain won 4–0. After leaving Milan in 2011, Pirlo joined Juventus on a free transfer. He immediately became a key figure in Antonio Conte's side, winning four consecutive Serie A championships from 2011–12 through 2014–15. Juventus also won the Coppa Italia in 2014–15, while reaching the 2015 Champions League final, lost 3–1 to Barcelona. In 2015, Pirlo moved to Major League Soccer club New York City FC, where he played alongside David Villa and Frank Lampard. Pirlo announced his retirement from playing in November 2017, after New York City's season. As a coach, Pirlo began with Juventus Under-23 in 2020. In August that year, Juventus promoted him to head coach of the first team. His only season brought the 2021 Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana, although Juventus finished fourth in Serie A. He left the post in May 2021. In 2022, he became manager of Turkey's Fatih Karagümrük. He later coached Sampdoria during the 2023–24 Serie B season. His influence remains especially visible in deep-lying playmaking.