Andrea Pirlo

Andrea Pirlo, Cavaliere Ufficiale OMRI, (born May 19, 1979), is an Italian World Cup-winning footballer. He currently plays for A.C. Milan, as well as the Italy national team. Pirlo was an important key figure of the Italian team that won the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He is known to many fans as the Metronome of the midfield and the Maestro because of his talent for setting up plays.

Career

Pirlo was born in Flero, Brescia. His father owns two ironworks. His brother Ivan plays for a Serie C2 club in Brescia.

He played for Brescia (1994-98 and 2001), Internazionale (1998-99 and 2000), Reggina (1999-2000), and AC Milan (2001-). With Milan, he won one Scudetto and two Champions League titles. He also won an Italian Cup and 2UEFA Super Cups with Milan in 2003 and 2007. For Italy, Pirlo played at the 2000 Summer Olympics, won the bronze medal at the 2004 Olympics, played at the Euro 2004, and won the 2006 FIFA World Cup. In his younger days, Pirlo captained Italy to an Under-21 European Championship in 2000.

Pirlo is regarded as one of the best midfielders in the world[citation needed]. An accurate passer, he started his career as an offensive midfielder until coach Carlo Ancelotti developped a tailor made deep-seated playmaking role at AC Milan. At Milan the game is focused around his ability to dictate play and control the game's tempo. His lack of physical stature for a defensive midfielder is compensated by his technique. In defense, he provides important cover yet he engages in very few physical challenges. At Milan, Ancelotti likes to field him alongside physically robust players like Gennaro Gattuso, Massimo Ambrosini and Clarence Seedorf. A dead ball specialist, Pirlo is the first choice taker of corner and free kicks. In the 2005-2006 season Pirlo scored four times from free-kicks, matching the previous record (three times by Demetrio Albertini and two by Frank Rijkaard). He led Milan in minutes played for the 2006-07 season with 2,782.

2006 World Cup

Pirlo was a member of the Italian Squad for the 2006 World Cup in Germany. This World Cup tournament was not Pirlo's first International participation, but the midfielder rose to the occasion, starting every game and helping his team with a very consistent overall performance.

In Italy's first match in the tournament, Pirlo scored the opening goal against Ghana, and subsequently set up a goal for Vincenzo Iaquinta to seal the 2-0 victory. He was named the "Man of the Match".

Pirlo played brilliantly throughout the semifinal against Germany, and he ultimately fashioned a key play at the very end of extra time to give Italy a dramatic victory. At the 119th minute, Pirlo received a ball deflected just outside the German penalty area and kept possession for just enough time to provide a defence splitting assist to Fabio Grosso, who scored the opening goal. Moments later, Alessandro Del Piero scored again, Italy won 2-0, and Pirlo was named Man of the Match once again.

Pirlo's sparkling form was again in evidence against France in the 2006 World Cup Final on July 9. His passing proved vital for the Azzurri, and his corner kick produced Marco Materazzi's equalizing header ten minutes after France had opened the score. The match went to a penalty shoot-out, and Pirlo set a positive tone for his teammates by confidently scoring the first penalty kick. His performance during the match resulted in his being named the FIFA Man of the Match for a third time, more than any other player over the course of the tournament.

Pirlo's fine form in Germany earned him the Bronze Ball, as he was voted the third best player of the tournament behind Zinedine Zidane and Fabio Cannavaro.

Honors

* Serie A: 2003/2004
* Coppa Italia: 2002/2003
* UEFA Champions League: 2002/2003, 2006/2007
* European Supercup: 2003, 2007
* Super Coppa di Lega: 2004
* FIFA World Cup: 2006
* European Championship Under 21: 2000