Euro 2012: Best Team of the Tournament XI

CM - Andrea Pirlo (Italy)

This time last year there was a meeting in the bowels of the San Siro between Silvio Berlusconi and Adriano Galliani in which they decided that Pirlo had gotten to old, his knees had gone and so he was no longer worth a place in the Rossoneri. Fast forward a year and he has just helped Juventus to a league winning undefeated season picking up the Serie A Player of the Year award and is the imagination of Cesare Prandelli's new look Italy. He was the only non Spaniard to complete over 400 passes during the tournament. He was the only player to score directly from a free kick even though nobody complained about the ball for the first time in what seems like an eternity. He was exceptional against England and exquisite against Germany. The only time that he was thrown of his rhythm was in the final and that was after he had had the run of the midfield in their opening group game. For me he was exceptional from the start and he gets my nod as the player of the tournament but it was close between him and someone coming up later.