Andrea Pirlo was one of the most successful players of his generation, playing for and winning trophies with AC Milan, Juventus and Italy.
Hailed as a midfield genius, Pirlo was one of the most sought after footballers in his prime.
Even when many people thought he was in decline, Pirlo showed why he was still a great player at Juventus.
Pirlo finished with about 120 assists and 73 goals in over 700 appearances in his club career.
For Italy, Pirlo scored 13 goals and created 23 more for his teammates.
He won one World Cup, two Champions League trophies and was an Italian Champion six times.
Pirlo thrived when he was moved into a deeper position in midfield, pioneering the deep-lying playmaker role.
He was the epitome of calmness and was almost never fazed when he had the ball at his feet on the pitch.
To celebrate the contributions of the Italian legend to the game, the UEFA Champions League’s Twitter page shared a two-minute video of Pirlo at his best, nutmegging players, getting himself out of tight spaces with extraordinary skill and spraying pinpoint passes across the pitch.
It even includes a shot of him sending Cristiano Ronaldo to the ground with a simple turn.
Take a look at the video below
🇮🇹 The 'Professor' Andrea Pirlo = football genius 😎 #UCL | @Pirlo_official pic.twitter.com/rUzLvaPKYr
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) May 1, 2020
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