Like a fine wine, Andrea Pirlo has simply got better and better with age. The 35-year-old is one of the top two or three midfielders of his generation, and there is barely a player who has oozed more class over the last 20 years. The Italian's career didn't necessarily get off to a flying start- if he was so special at the time, Inter Milan wouldn't have been so willing to sell him to rivals AC in 2001. He was not a regular in the side for the first few years, but then his game really started going up a notch. By the time the 2003/04 season rolled around, Pirlo was starting to emerge as one of Europe's best central midfielders, and he simply got better and better right up until his exit in 2011. Pirlo won two Champions Leagues, two Serie A titles and the 2006 World Cup during that period, and was one of Italy's best players in their wonderful triumph in Germany. He would go on to make 113 appearances for the Azzurri, before retiring from international football following the summer's World Cup in Brazil. When Pirlo joined Juventus in 2011 he was deemed past his best by Milan, but they look incredibly foolish now. He has won three Serie A titles in a row with the Turin giants since then, and his reputation has actually become even more enhanced. His passing range, free-kick expertise and all-round effortlessness are sublime, and we should enjoy him while he's still around.
