Andrea Pirlo spent over two decades playing with and against the greatest players of his generation. The Italian maestro represented the three biggest clubs in his homeland: AC Milan, Inter Milan and Juventus.
Not only did he win the Serie A title six times across spells with AC Milan and Juventus, but Pirlo also lifted the Champions League twice for the Rossoneri and the World Cup with his nation. Very little could knock the composed midfield general off his stride.
However, greatness does take time out of its busy schedule to recognise greatness. This was the case when Pirlo was asked to name the best players he ever faced during his playing career at the recent Golden Boomerang Awards.
Andrea Pirlo Recalls His Epic Battles With Ballon d'Or Royalty
'The pressure to perform at your best against the best tests your abilities'
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT on behalf of Boomerang, Pirlo listed three truly iconic names as his toughest opponents of all time. The Architect picked a trio of Ballon d'Or winners as he recalled his battles with Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Zinedine Zidane:
"I have played against too many players – Messi, Ronaldo, Zidane... Choosing just one is nearly impossible because each opponent had their own strengths that required different approaches and strategies. The pressure to perform at your best against the best tests your abilities."
Both Messi and Ronaldo have dominated the individual award for the best part of 20 years during their ascent to becoming two of the greatest players of all time. Neither were direct opponents for Pirlo, as they spent almost all their time on the field focusing on the attacking third.
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Zidane, on the other hand, came into direct contact with Pirlo in the engine room whenever they faced one another. The Frenchman was pivotal to Real Madrid's success in the early 2000s as well as France's FIFA World Cup 1998 and UEFA Euro 2000 triumphs.
The pair were on opposite sides as Italy and France faced off in the 2006 World Cup final. Zidane famously ended his playing career with an ill-fated headbutt on Pirlo's teammate Marco Materazzi before the Azzurri achieved glory in a penalty shootout.
Pirlo Went on to Manage Cristiano Ronaldo
From rivals on the pitch to Juventus colleagues
After meeting Ronaldo on the pitch several times, Pirlo was handed the reigns as Juventus manager for the 2020/21 season while the Portuguese superstar was plying his trade in Turin. Despite both being huge figures in the sport, the ex-Italy international insisted things ran smoothly between them as boss and player (per talkSPORT):
"For me, it was easy to work with him. He was a good guy, very professional. He wanted to play every game, to score every game.
"We didn't have a problem but football changes very quickly. Age also."
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