Andrea Pirlo
(born 19 May 1979), is an Italian World Cup-winning footballer who
plays for Serie A club Juventus and for the Italian national team. He is
usually deployed as a deep-lying playmaker for both Juventus and Italy
and is regarded as a leading exponent of this position. Praised for his
inventive play and his long passing ability, he is also a set-piece
specialist.
Pirlo has played for the Italian youth teams U-15, U-18 and U-21, captaining and leading the latter to victory in the 2000 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship as the Golden Player and Top Scorer of the tournament. He joined the Italian senior side during the qualification round for World Cup 2002 and captained the national team to a bronze medal in the 2004 Olympics. Later, he was instrumental in their victory in the 2006 World Cup. He was named man of the match three times, including the final, more than any other player in the tournament, and ultimately won the Bronze Ball (third best player in tournament).
With Milan, he has won two UEFA Champions League (2003 and 2007), two European Super Cups (2003 and 2007), two Scudetti (2004 and 2011) an Italian Super Cup (2004), a FIFA World Cup (2006), and the Italian Cup in 2003. In 2012, he added another Scudetto with Juventus.
He came in third and second in IFFHS World Playmaker of the Year awards in 2006 and 2007, respectively. Fellow players on the Italian team gave him the nickname "l'architetto" (the architect) because his long passes frequently set up goal-scoring opportunities for the Azzuri.
