Didn't want to start a whole new thread for this, but nice read...
Pirlo will be setting the pace for Italy at Euro 2008http://msn.foxsports.com/soccer/story/8152032/Pirlo-will-be-setting-the-pace-for-Italy-at-Euro-2008ROME (AP) - Andrea Pirlo is the quiet man at the heart of Italy's midfield.
Described as "soccer's Leonardo" for his inventive play, Pirlo has also been called "the metronome" for the way he sets his team's timing and pace.
With Francesco Totti now retired from international play, Pirlo is more important than ever for the Azzurri. You wouldn't know it by talking to him.
Pirlo is one of the most understated, introverted players at the sport's highest level. Just getting a smile out of him takes effort.
"That's how I am. I'm not interested in becoming famous," he said recently. "I prefer to spend my free time with my family rather than commercializing myself.
"I do what is necessary, and then I keep my free time - which isn't much - to myself."
Labeled a prodigy when he made his Serie A debut with his native Brescia at 16, Pirlo struggled to meet expectations when he moved to Inter Milan in 1998. He scored 15 goals in 37 games with Italy's under-21 team, but didn't really develop into a top player until he moved across town to AC Milan in 2001.
Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti had the foresight to move Pirlo from a pure playmaker into a deeper director's role centered just in front of the defense.
Not yet 30, Pirlo is in the middle of his prime. He's already made 45 appearances for Italy, with seven goals.
Pirlo has also developed into one of the game's top free kick specialists, scoring twice from dead-ball situations in a World Cup qualifier with Scotland in 2005.
Two of Pirlo's three goals in Serie A this season came on free kicks, with the other a penalty. In the Champions League, he scored twice: one free kick and one long-range effort during regular play.
Teammates gather to watch Pirlo practice free kicks in training.
"I try to explain it to (Antonio) Di Natale and (Fabio) Quagliarella," Pirlo said, referring to the two Azzurri wingers. "Sometimes even (Vincenzo) Iaquinta. With Milan, (Clarence) Seedorf tries to copy me."
Kaka is another student of Pirlo's.
"He tries, but I told him copying isn't easy," Pirlo said. "I mean, he's already taken my place as the penalty kicker. That's enough, isn't it?"
Pirlo is a keen observer of Lyon midfielder Juninho.
"Juninho used the inside of his foot more than I do. I studied and developed my own style," Pirlo said. "Everything has to be under control. The movement of the leg is fundamental. I kick with the inner part of my foot, but with the point, and I try to get under the ball as much as possible to make it change direction."While Zinedine Zidane's head butt into Marco Materazzi is most people's lasting memory of the World Cup final, few remember which player was voted the Man of the Match - Pirlo.
Pirlo's perfectly placed corner kick set up Materazzi's equalizing goal, and he converted the first penalty of the shootout that Italy won to secure its fourth world title.
In all, Pirlo earned Man of the Match in three out of Italy's seven matches at the 2006 World Cup. He also scored Italy's first goal in the opener against Ghana, and his assist to Fabio Grosso in extra time of the semifinal win over Germany was perhaps the best pass of the tournament.
"He's an authentic Brazilian," Brazil native and Portugal coach Luiz Felipe Scolari said. "He has the personality and inventiveness of a playmaker, and he sacrifices himself for the good of the team."
Carlos Alberto Parreira, who coached Brazil to 1994 World Cup title, added, "It's as if Zico were put in front of the defense to create for his teammates."
