Andrea Pirlo: the Italian midfielder who ran games from deep

Andrea Pirlo was an Italian midfielder who stood directly in front of the defence and ran the whole team’s game with long, accurate passes. According to FIFA, he won the 2006 World Cup and was named man of the match in the final. He won the Champions League twice with AC Milan and became Serie A champion six times in all. He played 116 matches for Italy¹².

Early life and beginnings

Pirlo was born on 19 May 1979 in Flero, a town in the province of Brescia in northern Italy. He began at the local club Brescia¹. In May 1995, aged just 16, he played his first Serie A match⁵.

Club career

In 1998 he moved to Inter Milan but could not make his place there². While on loan at Brescia, coach Carlo Mazzone placed him in front of the defence rather than as an attacking midfielder, so that he could build play from deep. In Italian football this role is called “regista”, meaning director⁵.

In 2001 he moved to the city’s other club, AC Milan². Coach Carlo Ancelotti gave him a permanent place in the same role. Over the next ten years Milan won two Serie A titles (2004, 2011), two Champions League trophies (2003, 2007) and the 2007 Club World Cup¹. At Milan he was called the “metronome” for his ability to set the pace⁵.

In 2011 he joined Juventus. Juventus were Italian champions in all four of Pirlo’s seasons there. In 2015 they reached the Champions League final, which Barcelona won 3-1 in Berlin²⁵.

In mid-2015 he moved to the United States to play for New York City FC in Major League Soccer². His last match was a play-off defeat by Columbus Crew in November 2017. On 6 November, aged 38, he announced his retirement: “It is not only my journey in New York that is coming to an end, but also my journey as a footballer”¹.

International career

Pirlo played in three World Cups for Italy. The 2006 World Cup was held in Germany. In the semi-final against the hosts, Fabio Grosso scored the first goal from Pirlo’s pass in the last moments of extra time. The final against France in Berlin ended 1-1 and Italy won on penalties. Pirlo took Italy’s first penalty and scored⁵. According to FIFA, he was named man of the match in the final and also won the tournament’s Bronze Ball¹.

In the Euro 2012 quarter-final, Italy and England drew 0-0. In the penalty shoot-out England led 2-1 when Pirlo stepped up. As goalkeeper Joe Hart dived to one side, Pirlo gently chipped the ball straight down the middle of the goal. This style is called a “Panenka”, after the Czechoslovakia player Antonin Panenka. Italy won the shoot-out 4-2 and Pirlo was named man of the match³. According to FourFourTwo, Pirlo wrote in his autobiography that he made the decision at the last moment, after watching Hart’s movements⁴. Italy reached the final of that tournament⁵.

Style of play

Pirlo was not a fast or physically powerful midfielder. His strengths were his mind and his right foot. He would take the ball in front of the defence and start an attack on the other side of the pitch with a single long pass. He was also a free-kick specialist⁵. The best-known example of his calm temperament is the Euro 2012 penalty, which he took so casually even though his side was behind in the shoot-out³⁴.

Statistics

The figures for Milan, Juventus and New York City cover all official competitions and were taken from Wikipedia’s career table on 20 October 2026. The spells at Brescia, Inter and on loan (1995–2001) are not included in this table. Italy’s 116 matches are from FIFA; the goals are from Wikipedia only¹⁵.

Honours

• FIFA World Cup: 2006 (man of the match in the final) [1]
• World Cup Bronze Ball: 2006 [1]
• UEFA Champions League: 2003, 2007 [1][5]
• FIFA Club World Cup: 2007 [1]
• Italian Serie A: six times (two with Milan, four with Juventus) [1][2]

Legacy

Pirlo showed that the holding midfield position can be not only a place for winning the ball but also the centre of the whole team’s play. After him, several teams preferred a similar passing “regista” in front of the defence. After leaving the game, he began coaching⁵.